Chennai : One question we ask of most #Rajinikanth movies, as we exit them, is this: Why aren’t they better? As a star, he occupies a universe of his own, so budgetary issues can’t be the problem – you could ask for the moon and get it. With him on board, there’s going to be little trouble getting the best supporting actors, the best technicians – heck, you could hire the wizards who choreograph Bond movie stunts. And his films have become biennial events, if that. #Lingaa marks his return to the screen four years afterEnthiran (the animated Kochadaiiyaan doesn’t really count). Isn’t that enough time to write a rock-solid script that does his stature justice while also satisfying his fans? Why, then, do these outings come off less like movies than a hastily put-together dispensing mechanism for a Rajini fix? Take a puff during the opening weekend. The effects will last two years.
But consider, also, director KS Ravikumar’s plight. It’s hard enough making a movie with any big star, with all the calculations that go into what the star’s on-screen character can be allowed to do. Imagine, then, accommodating all the must-haves of a #Rajinikanth movie. You have to pay tribute to the past (here we have lyrics from Baasha, a snatch of the title song from Billa). You have to look forward to the future, which involves the inevitable speculation about a political career. (This film’s plot is about a dam that will irrigate the drought-stricken lands of Tamil Nadu’s farmers, and there’s a reference to a Supreme Court ruling. We’re told that Rajinikanth has behind him “makkal sakthi”, people’s power. We’re also told he can become governor, or end up in Parliament.) You have to try and work in socially relevant issues as well. (This film, in one stretch, tackles the issue of caste.)
Genre: Action-drama #Director: K.S. #Ravikumar Cast: Rajinikanth, Anushka Shetty, #Sonakshi Sinha Storyline: A British-era king builds a dam to save drought-stricken lands
Bureau Report
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