Polichu moneeee.....vintage Thalaiva is back!!! Can Pongal get any bigger than this??? The answer is an emphatic NO. Ever since the teaser of "Petta" was released on the Superstar's 68th birthday (his age is just a number for fans like us) on December 12th, expectations had shot through the roof as it brought back memories of the '90s. By the time the trailer came along a fortnight later, it was evident that we were in for a no holds barred entertainment. But the question that most of us had was whether Karthik Subbaraj had a credible story that could elevate the viewing experience to stratospheric levels???
On the back of a minister's recommendation, Kaali (Rajini) was appointed the warden of a men's hostel in Darjeeling. Incidentally, it was notorious for the rampant ragging orchestrated by the hooligan Michael (Bobby Simha) & his rowdy buddies. He was the son of a local leader (Aadukalam Naren) who had a host of shady businesses which included the college canteen contract as well. Kaali gets into the thick of matters in no time as he brings the hostel to order & cuts the son-father duo to shape. In the meantime, he gets acquainted with Anwar (Sananth Reddy), one of the hosteler who requests his help to convince his lover's mother Mangalam (Simran) to approve of their relationship. Not only does Kaali manages to accomplish that but also gets close to Mangalam. However, behind that jovial face there was a raging fire in him which brought us to the important question as to who Kaali actually was & what was his mission???
At the turn of the 21st century, a number of promising young Tamil directors such as Atlee, Pa Ranjith, Manikandan etc burst into the scene. Another such individual who belongs to that list is Karthik Subbaraj who had wowed both the critics & audience with movies like "Pizza", "Jigarthanda" etc. His latest venture with Thalaiva can be typically categorized as a movie made by a die hard fan as the script that he had penned is a celebration of the "Rajini phenomenon". Many of the iconic dialogues, actions & jokes from "Annamalai", "Baasha", "Apoorva Raagangal" etc makes its presence felt here. To top it off we have Rajini's cigarette & glass flick, swag & open throated laugh, all of which will make us asking for more. The first half breezes through while the latter half struggles to keep the audience engaged until it reaches the last half an hour with the climax twist which no one saw coming.
On the technical side, Tirru was brilliant with the cinematography while Niharika Khan deserves special praise in making Rajini look so stylish, the best that he had looked since "Sivaji". Anirudh Ravichander finally got a chance to work on his Uncle's movie & he doesnt disappoint with peppy tracks such as "Marana Mass" along with Petta theme song. However, there was one person who didnt quite do justice to his job & that is Vivek Harshan who should have chopped out the loose portions in the second half to make it crisper.
What do I say about Rajini??? The legend was at his absolute best & rolled back the years with ease. There is, was & will always be one Rajini as this movie made me realise that though he performed exceptionally in "Kabali", "Kaala" etc, we still crave for his superhuman avatars. Vijay Sethupathy delivers a rocking performance in a meaty role while Nawazuddin Siddiqui didnt quite rise to the level that we usually expect of him. As for the actresses, the chemistry between Rajini & Simran was awesome with the latter looking damn gorgeous. However, neither she nor Trisha barely got to mouth more than a couple of dialogues while Malavika Mohanan had a purposeful presence. The rest of the cast consisted of Sasi Kumar, Bobby Simha, Aadukalam Naren, Mahendren, Sananth, Manikandan etc., all of whom did their parts aptly.
Verdict: It is the most stylish Rajani movie since "Sivaji" & Karthik has given us the vintage Superstar in all his glory. The film will well & truly create records at the box office as it is an all out entertainer despite the predictable storyline. If the latter half was crafted much more carefully, then it would have taken this movie to a whole different level. Anywaz it's still a must watch movie especially for Thalaiva fans. In short, get Rajinified!!!
Rating: 3.25/5
Regards...Ben
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