Second step in my Rajini rediscovery - and honestly, what a punch.
This isn't the larger-than-life Rajini we usually see - no sunglasses, no punchlines. Here, he's stripped bare. Just a man, crushed by life, quietly enduring.
There's one scene in particular, when his brother humiliates him, and he swallows his tears - it gave me chills. Pure acting. No big speeches, just a look, a restraint. You feel everything. That's when you think: Adipoli! This guy is truly a great actor! (For those who get the reference!)
The story is simple, maybe even too familiar: a man sacrifices everything for his family, only to end up alone, abandoned, forgotten. But the direction is honest, no gimmicks, no tricks. It speaks of real things - fraying bonds, loved ones turning into strangers, money tearing everything apart.
Ilaiyaraaja's music adds so much. It carries every emotion without ever being overwhelming. Gentle, melancholic, beautiful. You hear it and the character's loneliness hits even harder.
Rajini, for his part, transforms - physically, mentally. You watch him bend under the weight of the years, the work, the betrayals. His downfall is slow, but relentless. And it's that very slowness that hurts the most.
If there's one flaw, it's that the storyline feels reminiscent of other films in the genre. There's a slight sense of déjà vu. But the sincerity and the strength of the performance more than make up for it.
A film that truly moved me. Rajini is phenomenal in it.
