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Sivaji
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'Sivaji' -Spectacular

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

The mother of all movies is finally here! And millions of fans of Indian cinema’s top entertainer are lapping up every bit of it. The spirit of celebration – a la Diwali – is very much in the air. Tamil cinema has never seen anything like this before.

It must be admitted, at the outset, the end product fully justifies all the hype and hoopla that surrounded the release of Superstar Rajnikant’s magnum opus, ‘Sivaji: The Boss’. And, as the saying goes, The Boss is always right!

The

Rs 84-crore cinematic extravaganza is a wondrous spectacle, hitherto unseen on Indian cinema. Only Bollywood film, Devdaas at Rs 100 crore has cost more.

When top-drawer talent team up, the result can only be top class. The coming together of the Big Three, superstar Rajnikant , super director Shankar and super composer A R Rahman has dished out high-quality stuff. Mellifluous music, awesome action scenes, technological finesse, candyfloss romance and, last but not the least, the typical signature Rajnikant mannerisms in galore. Frenzied fans of Rajnikant could not have asked for more.

The letdown is the story. Well, there is nothing novel about it. It is a tale we have seen on the Big Screen before umpteen times. A one-man army fighting the corrupt system and emerging the saviour of the poor. But, then, who cares for story in a movie which has redoubtable Rajnikant in the title role? What matters is only frame after frame of the Man with the Midas Touch. And Rajni is literally there in every frame of the flick! One also found it a bit too long.

Rajnikant has never looked better, younger and smarter on the silver screen! The credit goes to cinematographer K V Anand, costume designer Manish Malhotra and, of course, director Shankar himself. The bottom line was to make the most of Brand Rajnikant. And the effort has yielded handsome dividends.

Sivaji (Rajnikant) is a man with a mission. A rich NRI from America, Sivaji lands in India with a mission to accomplish. He wants to do something good for the downtrodden and have-nots. His dream projects: a university and a hospital to benefit the poor. Principle partner in the venture is his own uncle (Vivek at his vivacious best). Of course, the project has the blessings of Sivaji’s affectionate parents (Manivannan and Vadivukkarasi).

But the villain in the form of Adiseshan (Suman) pulls out all the stops to frustrate Sivaji’s plans. In desperation, Sivaji even sells his property to bribe the system to realise his projects. But Adiseshan succeeds in making Sivaji a pauper. So powerful is he that he even changes the Government to stop Sivaji. The defining moment of the film is the scene where Adi tosses a one-rupee coin to Sivaji and asks him to beg on the streets!

There begins the turnaround. How he turns the tables on the villain and cleanses the system is what the three-hour-long movie is all about. And the message is delivered in typical Rajni fashion, buttressed by superb technological finesse.

In between, Sivaji falls in love with a beautiful belle Tamilselvi ( Shriya ). The lovers get married ignoring the forecast that the husband would die if Sevi marries. The manner in which Sivaji gets the consent of Tamilselvi’s parents is tinged with humour and imagination.

Special mention must be made of the stupendous job Suman has done as the wily villain. The villainy is brought out with telling effect. In the first half, he manages to keep pace with the larger-than-life screen persona of Rajni. In a way, the first half belongs to both Suman and Vivek who delivers his catchy one-liners with great comical effect. It is only in the second half, Rajni dominates. Then, it is Rajnikant all the way.

Saucy Shriya has also delivered a near-flawless performance. As the lover who defies dire forecasts to stand by her man, Shriya says it all with her expressive eyes and body language. With an hourglass figure to boot, Shriya scintillates sexuality! There is no doubt she will go places. Already she has snapped prestigious projects in Kollywood.

A R Rahman is at his melodious best. The ‘Sivaji’ score is certain to boost brand AR Rahman by a several notches. Two songs deserve special mention. The introductory song in a Rajni movie always sets the tone for the remainder of the film. The first song “Ballelakka”, featuring Nayantara at her sexist and style sultan swaying with youthful exuberance is dream stuff for Rajni fans. The song sung by veteran SP Balasubramaniam and Rahman’s sister Raihana will have you snapping your fingers and tapping feet. He is sixty plus, but SPB has sung with a gusto and gay abandon that is the envy of singers half his age. Raihana plays an efficient second fiddle to SPB.

The second song that transports us to a different world is the number sung by Vijay Yesudas. The young man certainly comes of age with this melodious number. Then there is “Vaaji Vaaji Nee Yen Sivaji” rendered brilliantly by Hariharan and Madhu Shree. This could well become the signature tune of Kollywood in the days to come.

Cinematographer KV Anand and art director Thotta Tharani are at their creative best, too. Tharani’s sets for the songs are commendable. As usual, Shankar’s song picturisations are superb.

Peter Haynes has designed the action scenes with great imagination. Fight scenes in the style of Jackie Chan go down well with the audience, especially as they are laced with comedy.

A grand visual spectacle. Watch it and freak out!

Rating: ****

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