Lal Salaam

I don't know why this film received such low ratings. After a long time, I saw a film that delivers a positive message to society. Not only in India, but even in Sri Lanka, politicians spread racism and religious extremism to gain power until recently. We were divided. However, when our country faced hard times, we realized that we are all Sri Lankans. Our country had a 30-year war. Whether people in India believe it or not, it wasn't only Sinhalese people who destroyed terrorists; Tamil people were also destroyed. Even during such a war, we lived in harmony in the South. Now, there's even more unity among Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and Catholic people in our country. We will no longer be divided by politicians. I think the people of India should understand that too. I would love for people all over the world to look at each other as human beings and live in harmony. This is truly a good film. After a long time, even Rajinikanth has chosen a character suitable for his age.

Why well handled narrative?

First of all I appreciate the Director & Producer for their guts to make a project like this. Hope this will make other creators to choose such a challenging concept. Whatever the flaws , the movie is a must watch because : 1. It's a sensitive plot , which is handled very well throughout.

2. To encourage the creators to do more projects like this(which will change many things in this society ) 3. To feel the power of humanity.

4. To believe in unity.

Moreover the main message I got through the movie is " Humanity & peace is greater than all other nonsense religion/cast whatever". As a social animal it's our responsibility to be united & protect the nature.

Collecting crores together doesn't mean it's a good movie , but giving useful messages & information like this to the society make a movie good.

Jai Hind🇮🇳 -With regards GRK.

As I've titled 'why so much hatred' for a film which denounces Hatred..? A movie which conveys religious harmony with no vulgarity excess bloodshed item songs seems like doesn't connect with nowadays audience i suppose....! Yes certainly flaws are there but most of the reviews are personal & flawed....!! Anyways it was a good watch on ott.. An extended cameo for rajnikanth who looked every part of the role appropriate..!! A movie which showcases both the religions finer sides...!!! One thing that was irritating was that every scene had either a BGM or a song playing in the background i mean literally every scene which i felt little heavy on the ears...!! Coz the unwanted music was eating into the seriousness of the scene which means most of the scenes ends up making no impact..!! Anyways a nice attempt by the director to convey a message which seems to be the NEED OF THE HOUR.

The Plot -------------------------

Thirunavukarasu (Thiru) and Shamsuddin, two talented cricket players from Murrabad, a village where Muslims and Hindus coexist with each other, are central to the story. Under the pretense of a cricket match, local politicians take advantage of Thiru and Shamsuddin's animosity in order to spark communal unrest ahead of the next elections. During the match, Thiru hurts Shamsuddin's right hand out of rage, which leads to a major confrontation between the Muslims and Hindus of Murrabad. The plot unfolds as they navigate this communal conflict.

The Review -------------------------

If this film does become super hit, which I somehow feel it will, it will be purely because of Rajinikanth. I am confused though, can you call this a special appearance if Rajinikanth is in the majority of movie? The only time he is not there is in the middle few scenes but he is present mostly throughout the film. In any case, he is the saving grace of this film. We all know why he's in this film, his daughter is the director, but his presence elevates the film to a whole another level. He provides emotion to scenes that if he wasn't in it, would have turned out to be dull and exhausting. He provides energy to the film and I applaud him for that. I also liked the execution of the film's politics.

Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth provides decent enough performances. They gave what was required of their characters. The supporting cast did a fine job as well. However, I did feel that there were some unnecessary characters in the film, with the most noticeable being Vishnu Vishal's love interest Nandhini, played by Ananthika Sanilkumar. Even the antagonists were executed poorly and are very forgettable. Kapil Dev also has a cameo appearance in this film but he adds nothing of value to the story.

The soundtrack is fine individually but doesn't have the emotional impact when woven in as part of the narrative. It's good to listen to on YouTube but as a narrative device, it's passable. Pravin Baaskar's editing and Vishnu Rangasamy's cinematography are nothing to write home about and both lacks style.

There are logical flaws in the films as well. For example: Thiru hurts Shamsuddin's right hand out of rage, which leads to a major confrontation between the Muslims and Hindus of Murrabad. As a result, Shamsuddin's right hand needs to be amputated. This guy, around one or two nights after the surgery, ties a noose around a fan in an attempt to delete himself. How did he tie the noose with one hand in such a short time without anybody noticing? If another guy tied it, why was he not punished in the movie and if he was, why was it not shown?

Despite all of it, I strongly feel that the biggest issue with the movie is the screenplay writer and director herself, Aishwarya Rajinikanth. She doesn't add anything new to distinguish this movie from the rest as the film's primary focus on religious unrest and the Hindu-Muslim divide have already been done in older films. She could have, at the bare minimum, provided a more nuanced way of resolving the conflict instead of the one we got which felt more like a piece of convenient writing. Her direction is also mediocre as the pacing in this movie is very lethargic. There are scenes in the first half that drags on long after it's served its purpose resulting in a motionless story. Most of the second half was boring as the movie failed to provide an effective emotional connection to the situation.

In the end, if you haven't already watched this movie in theater, then I recommend waiting for the OTT release and skip the theater. This is a one time watch just for Vishnu Vishal and Rajinikanth.

That's my opinion on Lal Salaam.

I went into Lal Salaam with high hopes, but the film left me deeply disappointed. While the premise had potential, the execution lacked depth and coherence. The storyline felt disjointed, and the characters failed to make any meaningful impact.

The pacing was uneven, with many scenes dragging unnecessarily, making the film feel much longer than it needed to be. The dialogues, instead of being impactful, came across as bland and uninspired. Even the performances by the lead cast, who are usually dependable, seemed half-hearted and lacked conviction.

Technically, the film had some good visuals and decent music, but they couldn't save the experience from feeling hollow. It's a shame because the themes the movie aimed to explore deserved far better treatment.

Unfortunately, Lal Salaam ends up being an unmemorable and tedious watch. It's hard to recommend this one.