Maharaja: Analysing Editing and Non-linear Narrativearrative
- This blog is part of task given by Dr. Dilip Baradsir.Click Here
PART A: BEFORE WATCHING THE FILM
1. WHAT IS NON-LINEAR NARRATION IN CINEMA?
Non-linear narration in cinema refers to a storytelling technique where events are presented out of chronological order. This structure can include flashbacks, flash-forwards, or parallel timelines to reveal character backstories, build suspense, or create mystery. For example, in Pulp Fiction (1994), Quentin Tarantino presents scenes out of order to create surprising connections between characters. Similarly, Memento (2000) by Christopher Nolan uses reverse chronology to reflect the protagonist’s memory loss, making the audience experience his confusion. Non-linear narration challenges viewers to actively piece the story together, often leading to deeper engagement.
2. HOW CAN EDITING ALTER OR MANIPULATE THE PERCEPTION OF TIME IN FILM?
Editing plays a crucial role in shaping how time is perceived in film. Techniques like flashbacks and flash-forwards shift the narrative to past or future events, revealing key information or creating suspense. Ellipses allow filmmakers to skip over unimportant time periods like showing someone leaving a room and then cutting to them already at a new location condensing time. Cross-cutting and parallel editing show events happening simultaneously in different locations, heightening tension or drawing thematic parallels. These techniques manipulate real-time flow, helping filmmakers control pacing, emphasize key moments, or build suspense and emotional.
PART B: WHILE WATCHING THE FILM
PART C: NARRATIVE MAPPING TASK
1. CONSTRUCT A TIMELINE OF EVENTS AS THEY OCCUR CHRONOLOGICALLY (STORY TIME):
- Chronological Timeline of Events – Maharaja (2024):
1. Maharaja runs a barber shop
Lives a quiet life with his daughter Jyoti and cares for “Lakshmi” (his symbolic object).
2. Buys a toy from the toy shop for Jyoti
Shows his affection and simple, loving routine.
3. Jyoti goes on a school camp trip
Maharaja is alone at home; emotional detachment begins.
4. Three thieves break into Maharaja’s house
Jyoti returns early and is attacked; this is the central traumatic incident.
5. Jyoti is severely injured and hospitalized
Maharaja is emotionally devastated; begins plotting revenge.
6. Maharaja tracks and attacks one of the thieves in a hotel (Hotel Hub scene)
Begins taking justice into his own hands.
7. Kills or tortures more of the involved thieves
Uses his knowledge and experience to hunt them down methodically.
8. Interrogation scenes at the police station unfold in the present
Maharaja reports a theft (“Lakshmi” is missing), leading to suspicion and flashbacks.
9. The truth about “Lakshmi” is gradually revealed
Not a person, but a symbolic representation (may refer to daughter, an object, or trauma depending on interpretation).
10. Final reveal of Maharaja’s revenge arc and motive
The film circles back to the beginning but now with full context.
11. Jyoti is shown recovering in the hospital
Emotional resolution; Maharaja’s motivations are now understood.
2. CREATE A SECOND TIMELINE OF HOW EVENTS ARE REVEALED TO THE AUDIENCE (SCREEN TIME):
🎬Screen-Time Timeline – Maharaja (2024)
(How events are revealed to the audience)
1. Barber shop scene – Maharaja speaks to police (00:02:23)
Present - Begins with ambiguity; we assume something small was stolen.
2. Flashbacks to peaceful life – Toy shop, father-daughter bond (00:04:45)
Past - Edited in to create emotional connection and mislead audience about stakes.
3. Jyoti at school, camp mentioned (00:07:01)
Present - Establishes routine and current life. Subtle tension introduced.
4. Hotel Hub fight scene (00:21:10)
Flashback from police investigation - First hint of Maharaja’s violent side.
5. Police interrogation begins formally (00:22:12)
Present - Adds procedural tone; builds mystery around "Lakshmi."
6. Reveals of Maharaja’s actions through staggered flashbacks
Various times - Editor uses cross-cutting and flashback structures to drip-feed truth about the thieves and Jyoti’s trauma.
7. Thief in barber shop scene (01:23:08)
Past (revealed later) - Shown to deepen audience understanding of Maharaja’s revenge arc.
8. Scene with 3 thieves attacking Jyoti at home (01:41:50)
Major flashback - Emotional and narrative climax; explains Maharaja’s motive.
9. Hospital scene with Jyoti (01:54:08)
Present - Emotional resolution; audience finally understands full stakes.
10. Final wrap-up and emotional closure
Present - Maharaja’s actions are re-contextualized as personal justice.
BRIEF REFLECTION
• What effect does the editing have on your understanding of the characters and events?
Reflection:
The editing in Maharaja plays a crucial role in shaping our perception of both the characters and the narrative. By presenting events out of chronological order, the filmmaker withholds critical information, allowing the audience to make assumptions and then slowly unravel the truth. Initially, Maharaja appears to be a calm, soft-spoken barber whose complaint at the police station seems trivial. However, as the film progresses through a series of flashbacks and delayed reveals, we come to understand his depth, pain, and motivation for revenge.
This non-linear editing builds suspense and emotional engagement by hiding Jyoti’s trauma and the identity of “Lakshmi” until key moments. The use of cross-cutting and flashbacks invites the audience to question what is real and what is missing, gradually transforming our understanding of Maharaja from a victim to a complex anti-hero. Overall, the editing doesn’t just tell the story it shapes how and when we empathize, judge, and ultimately align ourselves with the protagonist’s emotional journey.
• Did any reveal surprise you because of how it was edited?
Yes, one of the most surprising reveals was the true meaning of “Lakshmi.” For much of the film, the editing leads the audience to believe Lakshmi is a person possibly a missing woman or even Maharaja’s wife. This assumption is reinforced by how the scenes are structured, with emotional flashbacks and the way Maharaja talks to the police. However, when it’s revealed that Lakshmi is not a person but a symbolic object (or possibly tied to his daughter's trauma), it completely reframes the story.
This reveal works so well because of the deliberate non-linear editing. By delaying key flashbacks and inserting clues out of sequence, the film builds tension and curiosity. When the truth is finally shown especially in the scene where Maharaja confronts the thieves and the emotional weight becomes clear the impact is far greater than if it had been told in order. The editing turns a simple revenge story into something layered and emotionally powerful.
• Would a linear narrative have had the same emotional or intellectual impact?
No, a linear narrative would not have had the same emotional or intellectual impact. If Maharaja had been told in chronological order starting with the peaceful life, moving through the attack, and ending with revenge the film would have felt more like a conventional revenge thriller. By using a non-linear structure, the director creates mystery and emotional depth, allowing the audience to uncover the truth alongside the characters. The delayed reveal of Jyoti’s trauma and the true identity of “Lakshmi” keeps the audience emotionally engaged and constantly re-evaluating what they know. This structure transforms the film from a simple story of justice into a layered psychological experience. It builds empathy for Maharaja not through exposition, but through discovery.
In a linear version, the audience would have judged Maharaja’s actions with full context from the start. Instead, the non-linear approach makes us question his motives, only to later reveal how deeply justified and tragic his choices are. That shift is what gives the film its lasting impact.
PART D: EDITING TECHNIQUES DEEP DIVE:
Choose any two sequences from the film that demonstrate exceptional editing. For each, describe:
• What is happening in the scene?
• Which editing techniques are used?
• How does the editing influence pacing, emotion, or information flow?
PART E: ANALYTICAL ESSAY TASK
Write a short essay (500–700 words) on the following:
“In Maharaja, editing is not just a technical craft but a storytelling strategy.”
In Maharaja (2024), directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, editing functions far beyond the technical role of piecing together shots. It becomes the backbone of narrative delivery, shaping audience perception, emotion, and engagement through a non-linear structure. The film’s careful manipulation of time using flashbacks, delayed reveals, cross-cutting, and visual cues transforms what could be a conventional revenge drama into a layered psychological exploration. Through its editing, Maharaja constantly reorients the viewer, turning storytelling into an active process of discovery.
The most striking editorial strategy in Maharaja is its non-linear timeline. Rather than telling the story from beginning to end, the film begins in the present with Maharaja calmly reporting a theft to the police. The audience is led to believe this is a minor case. Only later, through a fragmented structure, do we realize that the “theft” has much deeper emotional and symbolic meaning. This temporal reshuffling allows the filmmaker to delay the traumatic event the home invasion and assault on Jyoti until well into the second half of the film. When it finally arrives, it reframes every prior scene, giving retrospective emotional weight and narrative clarity. The film’s use of flashbacks is not random or decorative; each one is precisely placed to change our understanding. For example, the Hotel Hub fight scene is first presented as a confusing burst of violence. Only later, when we understand Maharaja’s pain and purpose, does the brutality gain emotional justification. This strategic withholding of information mirrors how trauma often surfaces in fragments. The audience, like Maharaja himself, pieces the story together gradually making the editing feel psychologically truthful as well as narratively compelling.
Another key editing technique is cross-cutting between past and present, especially in emotionally heightened scenes. In the hospital sequence where Jyoti lies unconscious, the editing moves back and forth between earlier joyful memories and her current fragile state. This juxtaposition deepens the viewer’s empathy and reinforces the stakes without exposition. Similarly, sound bridges where a line or sound from one timeline bleeds into another smooth transitions while subtly guiding emotional continuity across time jumps. The delayed reveal of Lakshmi’s identity is perhaps the most masterful use of editing in the film. Throughout much of the runtime, the audience is led to believe Lakshmi is a person possibly a wife, or even a second daughter. When it’s finally revealed that Lakshmi symbolizes something deeply personal and tied to Maharaja’s trauma, the emotional effect is profound. The impact of this reveal would have been significantly less powerful if told linearly. The editing invites the viewer into the mystery, only to deliver a carefully timed emotional blow.
Moreover, the editing directly affects pacing and suspense. Sequences are not rushed; instead, the film takes its time, using slow motion, silent pauses, and precise cuts to allow emotional beats to land. Action scenes, such as the confrontation with the thieves, are edited with rapid cuts and shaky camera work to evoke tension and panic. This contrast in pacing across scenes gives the narrative both intensity and breathing room. Overall, Maharaja uses editing as a storytelling device, not just a post-production tool. By reshaping time, delaying key information, and controlling emotional rhythm, the editor becomes a co-author of the film’s impact. Viewer engagement depends on interpreting these editorial decisions we’re not just watching a story unfold, we’re actively decoding it.
In this way, Maharaja exemplifies how editing can transcend technical assembly and become a central narrative strategy. It encourages viewers to question what they see, listen closely to what is left unsaid, and emotionally invest in characters whose truths are revealed piece by piece. The result is a film that lingers not just because of what it shows, but because of how and when it chooses to show it.
References:
Barad Dilip. 2025. Researchgate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393653801_ANALYSING_EDITING_NON-LINEAR_NARRATIVE_IN_MAHARAJA. Accessed 15 July 2025.
Maharaja.Directed by Nithilan Saminathan,Sudhan Sundaram, Jagadish Palanisamy, 2024.
“Maharaja.” Netflix India, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3ttNeXKPHg&t=10s. Accessed 15 July 2025.
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