Rajinikanth’s
first dialogue in the movie was “Naan Veezhven Endru Ninaithaayo!” meaning, do
you think I will fall? Thalaiva! You never will. There is good reason to it.
Just go and see the movie.! If at 69 he can put this much time and effort into
a movie, why shouldn’t he be the superstar? In an era of endless battle between
Thala and Thalapathy, this is Thalaivar showing why he is the king of the
mountain. Because, behind the punch dialogues and style statements is an honest, hardworking man who cares very
much about giving his fans the best entertainment he can. And boy were we
entertained! Frame to frame Petta is a celebration of the Rajini we all know
and love.
Petta tells
the story of a hostel warden who wins everyone’s heart with his charisma and
yet there is a mystery around this stranger whose past has come back to haunt
him. Behind the romantic, music loving, playful and cheerful warden lies a dark
secret and endless sorrow. What would happen if he decides to embrace that side
again? If the Plot of Petta sounds similar to Baasha then the entire movie is a
tribute to the great Rajini movies we celebrate even today. But where Karthik
Subburaj succeeds is everything falls in line with the script and feels fresh
which doesn’t reduce this movie as a glorified tribute show.
How do you
manage to look this fresh even at 69? Every adulation that his co stars tell
him in the movie feels genuine. He sings, he dances, he fights, he delivers
punch dialogues, he romances and most importantly, he entertains. In a movie
that has a lot of seasoned actors Rajinikanth simply stands tall . He is pretty
much in every frame but it never feels like it is too much. The crowd scream at
every dialogue, every gesture and everything in between. This is Rajinikanth at
his imperious best. Forget the vengeful action part, such was his performance
in the scenes with Simran that I am now craving for a full length Romantic
Comedy with him at the lead. That would be something.
There is much
less space for any other actor to shine
in this Rajini extravaganza. Nawazuddin Siddique and Vijay Sethupathi are two
of the finest actors in the country right now. So there is a sense of injustice
that this movie does nothing to showcase their enormous talent. Nawazuddin
Siddique’s Singhar Singh may not be a Mark Antony but he does manage to carve a
niche for himself as vengeful, calculating and sneaky. That performance at the
end of his sister’s baby shower shows all you need to know about the man that
the whole of India celebrates as their best character actor. Vijay Sethupati
would have done this role with his eyes closed. There are flashes of his acting
here and there but his fans will feel right to have been let down. But watch
the movie closely and you will see how much Rajini admires Vijay Sethupathi. Of
the heroines it’s Simran who manages more footage and their chemistry shines
bright.
If Iraivi was
his finest directorial movie, then this movie should project Karthick Subburaj
into the big leagues. If Shankar was more about trying to utilize Rajini’s
marketability and Pa Ranjith’s was all about trying to get the actor out of a
superstar, then Karthick’s is the perfect cocktail. There is an intelligent
film maker inside a massive Rajini fan. He doesn’t just capture Rajinism but
serves it to us in a 7 course meal. He is unfazed by the challenge of trying to
handle the superstar’s enormous stardom. Better yet, he utilises it as a vehicle
to make a ride that Rajini fans 20 years for (Padayappa, the last
quintessential Thalaivar movie was released in 1999). The inevitable Karthik
Subburaj twist happens in the climax and when it happens, you would not have
seen it coming. Some double cross that and by who!!! The technical team is
excellent too and especially Anirudh and Thiru.
If I have a
bone to pick with then it has got to be about the little surprises and
potentials that the directors never really explored in the movie. Be it the
romance of Rajini and Simran or having Rajini and Vijay Sethupathi in the same
screen or the Rajini and Nawazuddin Siddique coming face to face, there was so
much potential to be explored. But everything was swept aside in the Thalaivar
Wave. As a fan it is not really a complaint but if handled a little better the
movie would have been a true critic choice masterpiece.
Why do I care?
I went for a Superstar movie and I got one. I came back happy. Isn’t that all
we want? Isn’t that his No 1 motive. To entertain his fans? His final dialogue
in the movie was “Indha attam poduma kozhandai?” meaning, is this enough? No
Thalaiva.! Our hunger is now greater than ever. You have showed that there is
no bad time to be Rajinified. Please don’t stop now!
