Some things can just never be explained. Like how Houdini performed his sensational escape stunts, psychokinesis acts... why you can't cry in water... or the craze for our very own Super Star Rajnikanth! Science may have answers to most of the questions but even God may not be able to explain the last one!
Like the millions around me, the theme music and Neruppu da has been haunting me over the last month-and-a-half, and Santhosh Narayanan may be the sole cause - along with the teaser and the poster of the film - in generating the humongous buzz on this one.
I was very excited when my friend Naresh managed to get me a ticket, too, late Thursday night, for the 9 am first-day first-show. So much so that I woke up at 5 and was ready to leave home by 6!
The fans cut a cake just before the start. The things fans do...! I believe there was a milk unction on a poster of the demigod star prior to a first show in Mumbai.
And as the credits started rolling at the beginning of the movie, people hooted and whistled in raptures... the crowd went into a frenzy!
And then, reality struck...
The movie wasn't good. The best part is the music, including the background score. Everything else is just a glorification of Thalaiva who looks pretty weak though sincere. He is just filling up the screen with his presence for the most part. This one doesn't have many one-liners too, barring barely one or two about life - a trademark in his movies.
But it's not just the dialogues that's missing, this one has some bad action, direction, and acting from most of the supporting cast, barring John Vijay (he is good!) who plays Ameer. Most of the others are so over-the-top that you have to pinch yourself wondering if you're indeed watching a big-budget Rajni film.
It's very evident that the man's reflexes are not even put to test, though that does not mean this charming sexagenarian doesn't have screen presence. What makes this a drag is that people on screen have to keep heaping praises upon him and the man himself has to keep proclaiming that he is a rowdy. All words and no action! Lacks punch, you see...! Give the man a good story. He can act and will entertain you. Any day.
Kishore is dyspeptic - what has happened to him?! Why does the villain always have to fume or flinch about the hero. His character is unrelatable (sorry, not a word but you know what I mean) and one would wonder why the heck wasn't he given a few scenes to enact or do something meaningful. We all know he is a good actor and what's sad here is that he allows directors to waste him in such roles, when he can demand for improvising. It's pretty evident he seems to be doing it just for the money.
Winston Chao was totally not needed and is ridiculous. Kishore and he seemed to be having a competition at who is the worse actor!!
It will not take you more than five minutes to realise how good Radhika Apte is, yet again! I'm glad she did not take this up just 'cause it was a film with the man himself, but also uses this to dazzle in a language away from her territory. I'm pretty certain she - along with Irrfan Khan, of course - is amongst the top 0.01 percent of the finest actors on this planet. I don't know how she does it, but she sure is a splendid performer to watch, and a total natural.
I did like Rajni's current-day look in the film. The producers should have invested more on prosthesic make-up, though, as the younger Rajni was not believable. In fact, almost comical. Another thing they could have done is make Radhika look closer in age to the superstar. Both of these make it a joke!
What makes the film NOT work - in fact weakens it - is the lackadaisical script and some bad direction. Even a novice can make out how bad the performances are - barring the lead pair and John Vijay. As I came out of the theater, I wondered if we should let directors who parlay a measly script into record-breaking collections get away with murder. Or whether we should be in awe of the business acumen of such filmmakers who hit jackpots via marketing and publicity to draw in full houses on the day of release and the first weekend.
Definitely no Sarkaar or Baasha this, and fans really don't have much of a reason to claim, "Magizhchi!!" (meaning "Happy!"). Our superstar needs more magic - and a believable script - to pull one off on screen.
However, you can catch the madness (literally!) though while the Rajni mania stays.
My verdict: 1.5 out of 5.
Like the millions around me, the theme music and Neruppu da has been haunting me over the last month-and-a-half, and Santhosh Narayanan may be the sole cause - along with the teaser and the poster of the film - in generating the humongous buzz on this one.
I was very excited when my friend Naresh managed to get me a ticket, too, late Thursday night, for the 9 am first-day first-show. So much so that I woke up at 5 and was ready to leave home by 6!
The fans cut a cake just before the start. The things fans do...! I believe there was a milk unction on a poster of the demigod star prior to a first show in Mumbai.
And as the credits started rolling at the beginning of the movie, people hooted and whistled in raptures... the crowd went into a frenzy!
And then, reality struck...
The movie wasn't good. The best part is the music, including the background score. Everything else is just a glorification of Thalaiva who looks pretty weak though sincere. He is just filling up the screen with his presence for the most part. This one doesn't have many one-liners too, barring barely one or two about life - a trademark in his movies.
But it's not just the dialogues that's missing, this one has some bad action, direction, and acting from most of the supporting cast, barring John Vijay (he is good!) who plays Ameer. Most of the others are so over-the-top that you have to pinch yourself wondering if you're indeed watching a big-budget Rajni film.
It's very evident that the man's reflexes are not even put to test, though that does not mean this charming sexagenarian doesn't have screen presence. What makes this a drag is that people on screen have to keep heaping praises upon him and the man himself has to keep proclaiming that he is a rowdy. All words and no action! Lacks punch, you see...! Give the man a good story. He can act and will entertain you. Any day.
Kishore is dyspeptic - what has happened to him?! Why does the villain always have to fume or flinch about the hero. His character is unrelatable (sorry, not a word but you know what I mean) and one would wonder why the heck wasn't he given a few scenes to enact or do something meaningful. We all know he is a good actor and what's sad here is that he allows directors to waste him in such roles, when he can demand for improvising. It's pretty evident he seems to be doing it just for the money.
Winston Chao was totally not needed and is ridiculous. Kishore and he seemed to be having a competition at who is the worse actor!!
It will not take you more than five minutes to realise how good Radhika Apte is, yet again! I'm glad she did not take this up just 'cause it was a film with the man himself, but also uses this to dazzle in a language away from her territory. I'm pretty certain she - along with Irrfan Khan, of course - is amongst the top 0.01 percent of the finest actors on this planet. I don't know how she does it, but she sure is a splendid performer to watch, and a total natural.
I did like Rajni's current-day look in the film. The producers should have invested more on prosthesic make-up, though, as the younger Rajni was not believable. In fact, almost comical. Another thing they could have done is make Radhika look closer in age to the superstar. Both of these make it a joke!
What makes the film NOT work - in fact weakens it - is the lackadaisical script and some bad direction. Even a novice can make out how bad the performances are - barring the lead pair and John Vijay. As I came out of the theater, I wondered if we should let directors who parlay a measly script into record-breaking collections get away with murder. Or whether we should be in awe of the business acumen of such filmmakers who hit jackpots via marketing and publicity to draw in full houses on the day of release and the first weekend.
Definitely no Sarkaar or Baasha this, and fans really don't have much of a reason to claim, "Magizhchi!!" (meaning "Happy!"). Our superstar needs more magic - and a believable script - to pull one off on screen.
However, you can catch the madness (literally!) though while the Rajni mania stays.
My verdict: 1.5 out of 5.
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