An 80 crore rupee
budget, the biggest in Indian film history. The
biggest production company in Chennai. The biggest
and most successful director in South India. And,
the most popular and iconic superstar in the history
of Tamil cinema...
AVM Productions, Director Shankar and Rajinikanth
come together for the first time, with this heavyweight
of a movie called Sivaji, The Boss. The
hype has been relentless and unprecedented, and
the wait has been long for the superstar’s
fans with several delays in the release date.
Finally, finally the movie is out and the verdict
is clear. Sivaji, The Boss is a blockbuster.
Released in more than a thousand cinemas all over
the world, the cash registers are not merely ringing
but tolling like church bells!
The 'Thalaivar’s' (leader)
fans are jubiliant. Last seen as a spiritualist
in the disappointing Baba (2002) and
a subdued psychiatrist in Chandramukhi (2005),
the fans desperately wanted the old Rajini back.
Rajini, - the superhero of the common man. And
that’s precisely what they get in Sivaji,
The Boss. Their favourite superstar dances,
fights and delivers his trademark punch dialogues
with much gusto as he takes on a range of avatars
to exhilarate every age group. He dances to everything
from a melodic 80’s-like sounding piece
to a GenX rap number. He goes from dark to fair
(and blond!), fair to dark, and wears everything
from traditional dhotis to Manish Malhotra designed
kitchy outfits.
 The
raging debate among tamil cinema buffs was whether
this would be Shankar film with Rajinikanth or
a Rajinikanth film made by Shankar. No such doubt
remains now. Sivaji, The Boss is without
a doubt a Rajinikanth film from its first frame
to its last. Director Shankar takes on his favourite
theme of corruption once again. This time it’s
black money and money laundering; corruption in
education. Set against this backdrop, is Sivaji
( Rajinikanth) who rises, falls and of course
rises again. A successful software entrepreneur
in the US, Sivaji returns to India to start a
chain of institutions in the education and health
sectors to help the needy. In comes the bad guy
Adiseshan (Suman), an educationist who has generated
enormous wealth and black money, with his friends
in government. Sivaji’s efforts are thwarted
repeatedly by this bunch, and eventually he finds
himself on the street. Adiseshan hands him a one
rupee coin, to start his life once again. Sivaji's
tryst with evil and revenge begins with this coin.
He decides to usurp all this black money, get
it to the US, and have it siphoned back through
trusts and charities, to help the needy. The subdued
and light hearted Rajini of the first half, turns
into his fans' favourite, angry, revengeful Rajini
in the second.
In the the Tamil film world, a Rajinikanth movie
is like no other. It becomes a genre unto itself,
and is to be seen and experienced with no other
intention but to relish the inimitable superstar
himself. Cinematic considerations like story and
narration become irrelevant, and even fade away
as his movies unfold. It's all about the Boss!
And to hold Rajini back is like leashing a lion.
His movies are about him, and him alone. And that
is the spirit with which to watch Sivaji,
The Boss.
Director Shankar’s job must have been the
most difficult one in putting the film together.
He needed to incorporate his style of film making,
but this time with an icon who is much, much larger
than the cinemascope screen. Angry fans have often
mutilated theatres if their star has not delivered
to their expectation. To be fair to Shankar, he
has managed to insert some of his trademark elements
here and there. But above all, it is clear the
biggest director in Tamil cinema is also enamoured
by the superstar, so what we get is Shankar paying
tribute to Rajini, and celebrating him on screen.
And boy, does Rajini deliver! He does all the
things his fans crave for. He flips a one rupee
coin magically in his hands. He flips two pens
and signs with both his hands simultaneously.
He fights and grimaces angrily to a roaring audience.
He flips his coolers like he always did. He moves
his hands faster than the blades of a pedestal
fan. And delivers those cult punch lines that
fans memorise and repeat for years.
Any other character in a Rajini film is there
only for decorative purposes or to fill the blanks
in a non existent story. However Suman makes a
strong impression as Adiseshan. The hero of Telugu
cinema of the 80’s is suave, polished, and
brings a new-world villainic charm to the movie.
Shreya is purely decorative, and delivers her
hip shakes in the songs to expectation and nothing
more. Vivek as Rajini’s cousin is delightful
with his unique brand of comedy, and keeps his
own fan following intact.
On the technical side, the photography (KV Anand)
is consistent and mercifully not flashy. The experienced
cameraman is not intimidated by the sheer scale
of the movie, and is in total control of his craft.
The editing (Antony) is neat and clean and keeps
the movie moving along smoothly without resorting
to his trademark flash cuts lest it takes away
from the superstar’s acting. Art Director
Thotta Tharani’s sets are awesome and humungous
and surely must have consumed a half of the film’s
budget. But above all, AR Rahman's music is a
winner yet again. The melodic "Sahana
Pookal Poothatho" song reminds you of
the glorious 80’s when Ilayaraja ruled the
Tamil Film Industry. It’s picturisation
too with the huge glass set is imaginative and
unique to say the least. On the other end of the
spectrum, the "Oru Koodai Sunlight"
piece is dashing and contemporary, true Rahman
style. It is as if Rahman has reserved that something
special for a special film.
For die hard Rajini fans, Sivaji, The Boss
is celebration time, and for those who have not
seen much of the man, the film is a must see.
As for Director Shankar, he needs to wait and
make a movie with a lesser known mortal, to tell
his stories the way he wants to...
Anand Subramanian is an alumnus of the
Film and Television Institute of India (FTII),
Pune with specialization in Film Direction, 1993.
He has made several corporate films and television
commercials and as acted in films like Mysore
Mallige (1991). He has just completed making
his first feature film in Hindi, Doosra.
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