Rajinism fully loaded
STORY:
Kaali (Rajinikanth) joins as a warden in a college’s hostel in Uttar Pradesh. There, he sets right things in his own style, takes on a gang led by Michael (Bobby Simha), enjoys life in a playful way and spends a whale of time with students.
He comes across a lover couple (Megha Akash and Sanath). As the girl requests him to convince her mother to accept her affair, Kaali meets Mangalam (Simran) and strikes a chord with her.
But, Kaali is a man of secrets and we are introduced to a powerful politician in Uttar Pradesh, whose name is Singhar Singh (Nawazuddin Siddique). He also has a son Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi).
Kaali now has to handle Singhar Singh and Jithu. Interestingly, Kaali and Singhar have a bitter past and it takes us to Madurai, where Kaali led a colourful and powerful life.
What made Kaali shift his base from Madurai to Uttar Pradesh? What is his mission? Whether he accomplishes it or not? How he taught a lesson to Singh and Jithu? You can find answers to these questions in Petta.
ANALYSIS:
Right from the word go, Petta is a movie that is fully loaded with Rajinism. The Rajini we saw in the 1980s and 1990s and the Rajini we missed from late 2000s (after Sivaji, to be precise) is back in full form.
Kudos to director Karthik Subbaraj, for bringing out the full mass potential of the superstar. A die-hard Rajini fan that he is, Karthik has allowed the filmmaker in him to celebrate Rajini to the fullest extent possible.
It is a delight for fans to watch Rajini in his chirpy best in a jovial and casual manner. And the transformation is awesome and there are plenty of goosebump moments across the movie.
And, Rajini. What an man and actor he is. The energy he oozes in this age and his performance, are ‘vera level’. You have to watch the movie to realise this.
Both Simran and Trisha have roles to play, while Nawazuddin Siddique, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha and others deliver goods. The twist involving Vijay Sethupathi is smart. But it’s Rajini show all the way.
Anirudh has come up with his best BGM till date. We are not talking about his songs which are already chartbusters. Tirru’s cinematography is trendy and colourful. Editor Vivek Harshan has made the movie racy.
The film’s template is based on Baasha and many other successful Rajini films of the past. Also, the second half is lengthy and certain scenes (especially those involving the college) are dragging.
But, Petta is certainly the best Rajini film in the recent years and the credits go to two persons- Rajini and Karthik Subbaraj.
Rating: 4 out of 5
