Lingaa

Lingaa is definitely not a Padayappa or a Muthu, so don't expect the same kick out of this Rajni-Ravikumar-Rahman combo. But luckily this is not a Baba too. So what is in store for you when the wild crowd settles down after the opening diamond "Super Star Rajni" title? Perhaps, even the director seems to have been unsure about it. Somewhere amidst a weak script, below par making, average music, and a perceptible lack of confidence in the old man Rajni, a grand plot is lost. Who says people are not ready to hoot and whistle when Rajni utters a punch dialogue? Sadly, KSR presumed so and ended up de-Rajnifying the script and disappointing the Rajni fans. Probably, it is part of an overall scheme of things to ensure smooth transition of the super star from his trademark movies to more normal movies, bereft of his firepower but loaded with drama and plots. But if it were so, at least the other core aspects of the craft should have been executed extraordinarily well to make us sail pleasantly through such a paradigm shift.

The script is the Accused No.1. There is not a single sequence that will make your pulse racing or make you go 'wow''. All you have is only missed opportunities and under-played scenes. The over-sized flashback makes you wonder, whether it was just a past episode presented to establish some strong plots or is it the actual story and the live episodes are just hanging there to support the past. Nothing wrong with an elephantine flashback as such, but the audience need to be prepared for that in some way. It may be done by cutting to the present in between the lengthy flashback or it may be by opening with the flashback and cutting back and forth as in Alaipayuthey or in any other way the textbooks may prescribe. But nobody seemed to have bothered about it. Also, there is something called a 'character' in a script. Though the movie acts like an old age home filled with all the 50+ veteran artists of Kollywood, ranging from the evergreen naattaamai Vijayakumar to Manobala to Nizhalgal Ravi to Radha Ravi to R.Sundarrajan to Ponvannan to Ilavarasu - not a single soul has anything new or just anything that will stay with you. My mind is still fresh with Annamalai Radha Ravi - that character had life. In Lingaa even the villain does not have a life. By the way who is the villain? Why is he a villain? The script has also failed amazingly in exploring the super star's potential. What good is a mass hero without a real, good villain like Mark Anthony or Nilambari.

Right before we entered the theatres we knew not to expect much from the music department. But in a corner of the heart, one expected the song visuals to somehow make up for the average numbers and cast a Rajni spell. It does not happen. The songs picturisation, just like the climax and the initial diamond heist, reflect a creativity drought. There is nothing entertaining about the songs. What should have been at least as energising as "Vetri nichayam..." or "Vetri kodikattu...", turns out to be a thorough dud though a mega dam gets constructed over the patriotic song sequence with loads and loads of side artists singing in chorus. There is no power or punch to it. The central song of the movie just fails to take you into the story. The same can be said about the dialogues too. But for a few sparks here and there, the director has forgotten the potential of the star he is working with. It just takes a few days to run through the scores of Rajni mails and messages to find some good punch lines. No one expects something like "Nann oru thadava sonna.." these days, but at least something as simple and cool like "Boss...motta boss!" would have been a treat. The theatre was charged, waiting for that opportunity to go berserk, but it never came. We came back.

Santhanam needs special mention for almost carrying the movie on his shoulders in the first half. Well done! So what is the super star doing in Lingaa? He has done full justice to what he has been told. But a time has come for Rajni to decide between the singa paadhai (lion route) and poo paadhai (flower route). But the star should decide it soon; and decide it now. It should not be a hesitant straddle in the no-man's land. Either he has to go full throttle in the Sivaji-pattern with grand sets, style, songs and stunts, or he should lend himself to the youngsters of Pizza and Aaranya Kaandam, but to perform a tight rope amidst the likes of KSR and P.Vasu anymore...well, we all understand. But, when you don't expect the same musical magic of Muthu or Sangamam from Rahman these days, it is plainly not fair to expect a Baasha from Rajni. Let's face it.

A dream. A dam. Betrayal. Redemption. Rajni double act. What a script it could have been!

(PS: In another eight hours, I am catching up with Lingaa for the second time.)