Sivaji

How many stars or superstars in India have the status of being treated like a God, being cheered at every punch-line or cool gesture, being in a position where a mere nod has the potential to change political fortunes? From his humble beginnings as a bus conductor in Bangalore, Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, aka Superstar Rajnikanth is simply larger than life and this time it has just gone bigger with Sivaji, his one hundredth Tamil flick. With more than 700 shows on a single day running now, it just can’t get any bigger.

With an enormous budget, which according to varied reports ranges between INR60Cr to INR80Cr, Sivaji is the most expensive Indian film to date; with nearly INR35Cr and overseas rights going to the highest paid lead star Rajnikanth. The dizzy numbers easily outweigh any of the stars of Bollywood and compares with Jackie Chan, the highest paid actor in Asia who is an exponent in the genre of stunt based action and style.

In his latest flick Rajnikanth plays the title role Sivaji, a US returned wealthy software engineer turned social reformer. Incidentally, his name in the movie is same as his original Maharashtran name and also the name of the legendary king. In his path, the reformist finds many obstacles which, needless to say are handled with unprecedented ease and in a populist approach with lots of cool and crazy style thrown in.

For worshipper fans, Rajnikanth gives them an overdose of style. The opulent sets, especially for the song vaaji vaaji are beyond proportion. With numerous costumes and hairdo changed nearly for every couple of lines. The outdoor shots are equally creative with a colorful group song, El Mariachi style sets for one and European locales for another. Shriya has done a fabulous job of looking great as both, an item girl in the songs and as a homely girl in the story. Nayantara too did a great jig in the first song. Although AR Rahman was not up to his usual mark, the sets compensated for it.

Coming to the substantive part of the movie, the story, script and dialogues, my review may not be on the dot since I didn’t really get all of the Tamil dialogues. I should have ideally seen a Telugu version. But, really, how does language matter when most of the movie can be understood by situation. Style and opulence are there for all to see. In what is a departure from full Tamil dialogues, Rajnikanth is a suave and cool computer wizard with some English dialogues. May be, this was designed to appeal to Gen-next Southerners, many of whom are well placed software engineers in India and abroad.

Although some may argue that Rajnikanth movies are all about unrealistic style, it is important to consider that this in itself is a different genre. Similar unreal & stylish movies include Quentin Tarantino flicks like Desperado, its sequel, Chinese flicks where people fly, Bond flicks and of course and the Recent Dhoom 2. The last Rajnikanth movie I saw was Padaiyappa which I felt was a tad more realistic. But, who cares about realism when you know fully well that stylish movies are usually no-brainers and especially when you see a whole multi-ethnic multiplex audience going into frenzy at every other scene!

sivaji is a visual treat for all rajni lovers and unfortunately not shankar'.you can see the technical brilliance handled lavishly as in all other shankar films.social messages were good,but the director has not worked to remove the flaws in the story.usually his stories are uncommon and the flaws in those films cannot be seen until you think on it.sivaji is an exception-common story even though he has tried to create an awareness on a hidden social cause,flaws show themselves clearly in the story.

inspite of this the film has an enormous response only because of rajni!one and only rajni! Every frame of the film has been done grandly.good work by the film crew.screenplay is fast.songs were rich and stylish.

if shankar had satisfied for the flaws in the film,the world would have turned on him in appreciation.

Sivaji - The Boss Whenever I go to a movie, I just wish to forget the logic and want to be entertained for 3 hours completely. This is what happened to me, a thorough entertainment. One of the best movies by Superstar.

Rajini - He is all the way in this movie unlike padayappa or Chandramukhi. The opening scenes were too good. As everybody else have exploited the plot, it is about black money and a timing one. Shankar wants his ideas to be expressed loudly and he has chosen Superstar this time and has given it pretty well. There were some loop holes, which may be forgiven as this is just a movie (How can people expect a natural drama with Rajini?).

With Vivek, he makes the crowd go crazy with comedy, especially when Vivek stops Rajini from telling punch dialogues and when Rajini speaks about PROFESSIONAL ETHICS to a corrupt minister.

Costumes and make up help Rajini to look younger. Commendable work by the group. Scenes, where Rajini looks Whiter, puts the audience in surprise.

Styles and Actions are too good. Villain Suman has given his best for his role. Shreya looked like Diva in song sequences and fits for purpose.

Mottai rajini rocks everyone on theatre.

Finally Shankar wanted a film based on a strong message for Black money and Rajini has once again shown why he is an uncrowned Emperor of Indian Cinema.

Forget the logic, go watch the movie and get yourself treated. Because Shankar and Rajini have given the best of their PROFESSIONAL ETHICS.

When the best people in the south Indian cinema meet (Shankar, Rajini, A.R.Rehman, AVM), the expected hype will be too much. There was a lot of pressure on both the fan's part and the movie makers' part to make Sivaji a huge hit by all means. It was a long time since padayappa, they've seen Rajini in full action. Baba was a clear let down. Chandramukhi was not a Super star centered movie. And for his reputation and style, the fans were very thirsty and were ready to see movie of any kind with their super star in form. In fact, i am a hardcore superstar fan. And i was one of the thirsty fans waiting to see my hero in action. For a guy like me, this movie has everything in it. A nice blend of action, comedy, stunts and THE STYLE of Super star. You cannot expect too much logic. Not for the super star. The director has to satisfy both his fans and Rajini's fans. I felt totally satisfied after coming out of the theater. Well, the movie did have pitfalls but the star's style easily dominated them. Overall rating : 8 out of 10.

If you want to see a Negro RAJINI, a Caucasian RAJINI, RAJINI performing daredevil stunts, RAJINI performing slapstick comedy, breath taking dance moves by RAJINI, an Emotional RAJINI, the philanthropist RAJINI, The Stylish RAJINI, The "Villain" RAJINI and finally the ultimate mass hero, the super star RAJINI - This is the movie for you. Rajini being chiseled by director shankar who has packaged whole of the above ingredients into a wafer thin plot and made a wholesome entertainer that leaves you yearning for more of the one and only RAJINI diet. A must watch for those who require a stress buster after a hard grind and a decent entertainer for those who seek time pass, an entertainer which requires you to keep your brain safe in a locker and just play the DVD, sit in front of the monitor and ENJOY!!!!!!