Sivaji: The Boss

Can you believe the hype and the publicity this movie has generated? I had my first glimpse of this hype when the album was released. By Rahman's standards, it seemed an unremarkable one. The songs were reasonably catchy but none of them seem to leave a lasting mark (remember "Antha Arabi kadaloram..."). And then a few months ago, the second wave arose, with mainstream media and the blogworld abuzz with news about potential release dates. Shankar, as is his wont, let the word of mouth do the publicity for him, by keeping things close to his chest and postponing release dates. In the process, I imagine he also managed to screw up the release plans for countless other movies. As the relase date got finalized and we approached D-day, things seemed to reach a feverish pitch. I couldn't open a desi blog or web-site without catching a news item or photo of the Boss. The worst part was the day of the release when various bloggers started reviewing the movie. I had tickets for the next day (Friday - June 15th), and had to really try hard to stay away from reading these. Growing up, I've always been a huge Rajni fan. But as maturity, and the accompanying burden of logic and cynicism set in, I couldn't get myself excited about 'thalaivar' movies anymore. But now, inexplicably, I was caught and swept along in the frenzy. I keep shouting "superstar" and "thalaivaa" to my Sindhi-Gujju wife. She just thought I was plain crazy. For someone who's never known the Rajni phenomenon, its hard to explain. How do you make her understand that its not about the looks, the acting or even great movies. Its all about the STYLE!!! Anyways, let's move on to the movie review.

When news got out that Shankar and Rajni are coming together, people went ballistic. There is a simple reason for that. Currently in Tamil cinema, noone does things bigger and grander than Shankar. Ofcourse, he's not all glamor and glitter. He pays attention to a good script, usually churns out a pretty tight screenplay and explores social issues. But his biggest selling point is his ability to bring in the best talents in every department and get them to seemlessly work together to create perfect masala movies. However, questions arose whether he would be able to work with Rajni. In the past, Rajni movies have been directed by servile directors who only had to pander to the wishes of legions of thalaivar fans. And the movie would be a surefire hit. Everyone knew Shankar had a huge ego, and that he got his way with his actors. So who's movie is 'Sivaji' gonna be?

By now, everyone and his aunt knows the story. Sivaji is a foreign return (a software architect, no less!) who comes back with cartloads of money and wants to do good to society. He wants to miraculously provide free education, hospitals et al to everyone. Ofcourse, there are bigwigs like Adisheshan (Suman in a useless role) who want to stop him. Sivaji encounters corruption at every level. After initially scoffing at the suggestion, he's eventually forced to bribe officials at various levels to get his order through. But Adiseshan has other plans and even changes governments (at a cost of just a 100+ crores, this sounds ridiculously easy!). Sivaji is left without a dime on the street. Like any good cornered tiger, he fights back using negative tactics. He accumulates an army of goondas, gathers information on everyone who has loads of black money and then goes about extracting this from them, launders them and is on his way to creating a social revolution. Eventually, he's arrested. Then follows the most absurdly illogical medical scene (CPR after a few hours!), a new and smashing avatar of Rajni and a gripping climax sequence. Shankar thinks he's just handed out a working solution to the corruption/black money problem, and continues to dole out advice while credits roll on screen.

Let's start with what I did like about the movie. Its a complete entertainer. And Shankar has delivered exactly what thalaivar fans usually crave - style, explosive action, good comedy and great punch lines. I thought Shankar set the first half up perfectly, especially the part where Sivaji turns to corruption himself. The comedy is good in parts, with Vivek really kicking ass in some sequences. However, some things are in poor taste - like the 2 dark-skinned sisters. Rajni's histrionics to turn fair are enjoyable to some extent, but could have been tempered. Shreya is hot hot hot! Oh, and did I mention she's hot? Shankar has really managed to make Rajni look remotely like a youngish guy, which is a pretty tough task. I liked his 80s kind of hairstyle. His wardrobe is pretty classy while retaining the slightly jingchak style the frontbenchers associate with thalaivar. And yes, the songs! Shankar proves once again that there's noone in Tamil cinema who can beat him at song picturization and grandeur. "Adhiradi" where he's simulated Venice (along with the mandatory masks, latino villains and great stunts) is a visual treat. So too is "Vaa jee" where Shankar has almost created a palace of the order of a vegas casino. But my favorite was Oru koodai sunlight". I loved Blaaze's voice, and the picturization was creative and hilarious. I couldn't help wondering if Shankar and Rajni were putting thanni while discussing and finalizing this song. They've both had a ball! And the best part, undoubtedly, is the "mottai boss" who comes for the cllimax sequence.

This brings me to the place where I have to part ways with the hardcore fans, and actually mention some things I didn't like about the movie. On top of this list would be the fateful car fight sequence in the drive-in movie theater. What the hell was that?? After the first half of the fight that left me scratching my head, Rajni takes a breather and taps his fingers on his wheels while Shreya and his enemies look on. I thought "machan, thalaivar's coming up with a plan. He's gonna do something really cool and smart". And before I realize it, thalaivar just drives through and sends all the other cars flying. Excuse me!!! ithu romba over... I would've expected something better. This fight sequence should've been completely avoided. The crux of the movie is the bit where thalaivar extracts blackmoney from corrupt businessmen/politicians and launders this. You would think Shankar would put more thought into making this believable. Instead we see, thalaivar simply employing some goondas to get everything done. The whole "please wait in the office" sequence is pretty funny. But when this forms the backbone of his comeback, there should be slightly more logic. After completely stereotyping muslims (money laundering/foreign contacts), thalaivar lands in New York and asks a bunch of desi/ABCD folks to split the 150 crores among themselves, take it with them and write out donations to Sivaji foundation. Ah, how very original! If only the income tax could figure out this masterplan... And ofcourse, they don't. I felt these sequences could have been handled with a bit more maturity and logic by Shankar. I can already hear some of you mumuring that logic should be left outside the theater while watching Rajni movie. Believe me, I tried. But when Shankar is involved, I tend to expect something better than that. But the bit that completely knocked me out was when Raghuvaran revives thalaivar through CPR a couple of hours after he stops breathing. Are you kidding me??? Any self-respecting doctor would hang himself after watching this scene.

So is this a Shankar movie or a thalaivar movie? Sure, the actual story follows Shankar's tried and tested formula - expose social issue, hero gets affected and wants to bring about change, honest ways don't work, hero is frustrated and takes the negative route, people come on board and hail him as savior etc etc. You know the rest! While in movies like Gentleman, Mudhalvan and Indian, Shankar has followed up this formula with a great script, screenplay and dialogies, his handling of the Boss is actually a letdown. He's explored the bribery issue very superficially, and there are gaping holes in every scene. But in the end, the movie works because of Thalaivar. Nothing else in the movie matters. If there's one thing that Shankar has done right in the movie, it is understanding what makes Rajni ticks and then delivering exactly that to his fans. And yes, over the top. Its a complete "paisa vasool".

When the movie got over and we were walking out the theater, I called my wife (who understandably decided to skip the movie 'coz of lack of subtitles) . She picked up the phone and let out a "thalaivaaaa..." that had me in stitches. That, for me, summed up the movie. Its Rajni riding towards the sunset of his career, at his boldest, baddest and best. Nothing in Tamil cinema can come close to this phenomenon!