Plot
Pambinthuruthu, an island village, is home to an illegal liquor brewer V.R. Nadesan. He brews alcohol using harmful materials and ships them from the island, the consumption of which often results in injuries and deaths. After one such incident killed 77 people in a nearby city, S.I Balachandran, an honest police officer, goes to arrest him. Upon his arrival, however, he is betrayed by his subordinates and mauled to death by Nadesan's hounds.
25 years later, Nadesan has amassed considerable wealth through his liquor production, which he operates under the façade of a glass bottle factory, along with several other establishments, including a school and a small clinic called "Nadesan Charity Hospital". He also runs a bar in front of the school, whose patrons frequently harass the staff and children. Based on complaints from the school staff, Madhavan Nair and Krishnan Nair visit Pambinthuruthu to investigate. Nadesan opposes them with the help of the current C.I. David, who arrests Krishnan Nair on a false charge of murdering an investigative journalist. Madhavan Nair calls his son Madhura Raja for help, who sends his adoptive brother Chinna. However, Chinna is soon arrested for attacking police officers. Madhura Raja arrives, having freed Krishnan Nair, and enliststhe support of reformed City Police Commissioner Rajendra Babu to have C.I. David suspended.
Raja secures Chinna's release, sends his father Madhavan Nair and Krishnan Nair away, and stays back to confront Nadesan. Through ego clashes, both decide to contest the local assembly elections. Aware of his disadvantage as an outsider, Raja realizes it will be nearly impossible to win against Nadesan, who enjoys public support through his seemingly charitable institutions. Raja resolves to undermine Nadesan's falsely-earned goodwill, beginning with getting his illegal liquor distillery shutdown. It is eventually revealed that Nadesan is actually involved in illegal organ trade, carried out through Nadesan Charity Hospital, which runs frequent free medical camps to secretly test for organ compatibility. The hospital deceives potential donors into admissions for surgery. The murdered journalist had been close to exposing this, leading to his death. Raja goes on to win the election in a landslide, ending the incumbent party’s winning streak of several terms.
An enraged Nadesan, who has lost public support due to the ousting of his illegal activities, lays a trap to murder Raja but kills Chinna instead. He uses the same hounds that killed S.I. Balachandran to murder Chinna and Lissy, the nurse who helped the journalist collect evidence of the organ trade. Upon learning of Chinna's death, a heart-broken and raging Raja single-handedly defeats Nadesan's men, and finally kills Nadesan the same way he killed Balachandran, Lissy, and Chinna.
Three months later, newly elected MLA Raja sets out on his ambition of becoming a minister, hinting at a third sequel.
Reception
Box office
The film collected ₹9.5 crores in opening day in Worldwide box office. The opening day in UAE gross of ₹3.03 cr is Mammootty's career-best in the region. In Tamil Nadu, the film has garnered close to ₹36 lakhs gross in three days, which is again the best opening for Mammootty. The film's three-day total from Bengaluru stands at a whopping ₹48.27 lakhs, making it the third highest grosser in the city that year. [12]
In 17 days, it grossed $1.822 million (₹12.72 crore) from overseas territories (of which $1.655 million (₹11.5 crore) was from UAE-GCC region alone). [13] As of 21 June, Madhura Raja is the fifth best Malayalam grosser of 2019 outside Kerala. [14]
In the opening weekend, it grossed $772,092 in the UAE (best grosser of that weekend), [15] $32,989 (₹22.88 lakh) in the US, $9,900 (₹6.87 lakh) in Canada, £8,007 (₹7.27 lakh) in the UK, A$10,869 (₹5.41 lakh) in Australia, [16] and NZ$3,708 (₹1.73 lakh) in New Zealand. [17] And grossed $1,024,670 in the UAE [15] and A$19,855 (₹9.79 lakh) in Australia in three weeks, [18] $13,392 (₹9.3 lakh) in Canada in four weeks, [19] and £34,334 (₹31.32 lakh) in the UK in five weeks. [20]
The film's Telugu version Raja Narasimha ran for 75 days in Andhra Pradesh box office. [21]
The film's final collection grossed over ₹125 crore from worldwide box office in its final run. [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [3] The film ran 150 days in theatres. [28]
Critical response
Sify rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and called it as a Masala Entertainer and wrote: "Madhura Raja is no less than a treat for the fans of Mammootty. It's a fun ride that can be watched with a tub of popcorn. Go for it!". [29]
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