Sivaji - Bachelor Of Silver Screen
Rajni shows what is true stardom in Tamil cinema amongst a rising generation of stars who constantly crave for the so called 'imitation' stardom.
The charismatic Rajni hits the silver screen with his latest venture 'Sivaji' that is considered the costliest Indian movie till date. Fittingly, it turns out to be directed by Shankar and who could be better than him in showing grandeur in Tamil cinema.
Synopsis:
Sivaji, a software system architect returns home and starts his plans for the development of the poor and needy. In the process, unable to cope up with the power and diplomacy of the kingmaker-businessman Adhi, he becomes a pauper with a single rupee in his hand to proceed. How he bounces back to restart the development process in parallel with the revenge on Adhi is told in a 3-hour tale of grandeur and stardom. It's basically your formulaic Rajni movie which illustrates the hero going downhill until the interval and then going uphill in the second half.
To be precise, Sivaji has a tainted script and average screenplay which have usually been the fulcrum in Shankar's movies like Gentleman, Indian, Mudhalvan. But here, the director seems to have been caught up in a mix as he had tailored a script for Rajni trying to stamp his trademark at few points as well. This is characterized by the bumpy flow of the movie in the first half. So, the end product seems to be heavily Rajni-molded.
I would love to appreciate the overall management of the crew by Shankar, especially in the areas of Cinematography of KV Anand and Art by Thotta Tharani.
At some points, the viewers are awestruck by the exquisite camera work. Sahana song and the climatic stunt scenes are arguably one of the best pieces of cinematography in recent Tamil cinema.
The first half could have been done a bit better as the movie rolls at a struggling pace making us wonder when the screenplay would get back smooth. Though there is considerable amount of technical brilliance, the very fact that Rajni tranforms into a saving grace is undeniable. He completely holds the movie together and takes it relentlessly till the end.
Things I loved about Rajni in this movie:
-----The vintage Rajni look
-----Every scene is handled with so much of agility and flair as one could feel his electrifying presence throughout the scene
-----His nailing punchlines are pruned and lots of stylized actions like flipping of sunglasses, snapping the coin between hands, grab the viewers' impulses and give them a real sway
ARR rocks with the songs that are composed in stylized manner and Shankar has pulped the heat out of Rahman for the BGM tracks in the second half. Adhiradi Kaaran and Oru Koodai are my favorite picturizations. Vaaji song could have been done with a different ambience as it strongly resembles 'Anbe Anbe' song from Jeans.
Vivek's comedy is brillaint as well as patchy. Shriya has done a decent job, surprisingly offered a bigger role as a heroine in Tamil cinema. The antagonist Suman, playing Adhi, has done a very commendable work. His body language and stature fit for the role perfectly.
Barring the logical stains in the movie and focusing on Rajni's enthralling screen presence, this movie will entertain. The nostalgic Rajni looks would intrigue every viewer thronging into the theatres.
Sivaji - The ship is about to topple in the rough waves with the crewmen working hard under the decks while Rajni as unarguably the captain of the ship takes the resposibility of sailing it gracefully to the shore.
Yeah
------Rajni's vintage looks, stylized actions and screen presence
------Second half screenplay
------KV Anand's Cinematography
------Climatic stunt scene
Duh
------Dragging first half
------Weak script
------Lengthy stunt scenes
Sivaji - A Rollicking Rajni Fan-Fest
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