The Boss is back!. Review on Sivaji - The Boss Movie

I indulged myself to the first day, first show experience of the latest blockbuster Rajnikant movie, Sivaji:The Boss. The whole experience was exhilirating to say the least. To  state  it very simply, Rajnikant is  at the top of his game like never before. He is now the highest paid actor in India and, believe it or not, second only to Jackie Chan in all of Asia. Quite an accomplishment for an actor who had very humble beginnings (as a public bus ticket collector).

Today Rajnikant is quite the rock star, he has a fan following the likes of which have never been seen before, his fame transcends geographies and he is simply the most charismatic individual Indian cinema has ever seen. At 57, the guy is able to pull off dance moves that even actors several years his junior have a hard time pulling off. And his larger than life screen persona, his patented "style" and his winning punch lines are just fodder for frenzied fans waiting to lap up every second of the action.

Sivaji:The Boss was released among oodles of media hype and after much strategic rescheduling amid fears that conflicts with the ICC world cup would trump its viewership. The move to release mid June was well worth the wait, it would appear, as the movie seems to have taken India, nay, the whole Rajni loving world, by storm.

The theme (I refrain from using the word "story" as there is really none to speak of) is the catch-all "corruption in Indian politics" theme that seems to have manifested itself in several movies that have all been acclaimed blockbusters in their own right. (but unfortunately don't seem to have made a dent in Indian politics). However, the difference with Sivaji: The Boss is the movie is quintessential Rajnikanth weaved in to an all too familiar formula,  good guy wants to save the world, bad guy wants good guy dead, good guy beats bad guy, good guy wins and lives happy ever after.  While the theme has been revisited in many different avatars, director Shankar keeps things light by deftly switching contexts between Rajni's mission of eliminating corruption and his quest to woo the lady of his dreams. In adding the Superstar flavor, Shankar's reached out to the masses to relay the message he seems to want to get across in almost every movie he's directed, which is, fight corruption! And he pulled out all the stops on this one.

The movie goes like so: Sivaji, a "software systems architect" comes back to India after 20 years in the United States where he's amassed wealth that could very well rival the collective wealth of all software systems architects in the world ten times over. His parents and "uncle" pick him up at the airport and almost immediately begin trying to get the poor guy hitched.  While everyone around  is trying to get Sivaji caught up on the advances in India and the advances in its female populace, he still sees an India steeped in corruption and poverty. Touched by the suffering around him, Sivaji turns on a dime and decides to abandon his financially rewarding software systems architecture position in order to pursue charitable causes. So with his incredible wealth at his disposal (~200 crores), he sets off on a mission to build charitable institutions to serve the poor. His admirable quest is met with deterrence from Adiseshan, a real estate mogul who has all of Chennai, including its politicians, by their cojones. After some intial sparring, things get serious when Adi manipulates his political puppets into depleting all of Sivaji's wealth by collecting bribes every step of the way. As if this weren't a story in and of itself, there's a whole other track that's running side by side. It is the all too stereotypical story of the stereotypical Rajnikant character shying away from the stereotypical bevy of beauties to find  the stereotypical simple  traditional girl to share his life with.  The object of his desire this time around is Tamizhselvi, who he bumps into at a temple and then follows home and tries to woo. This dual track opens the movie up for comic breaks where Vivek, who plays Sivaji's maternal uncle, delivers his latest one-liners. The majority of the punch-lines are recycled from Rajni's older movies, but that does not diminish their effect in any way, shape or form. The movie trudges along until  the halfway point in the movie where Sivaji is sitting at a train station with a one rupee coin, his uncle and contemplation for company.  And in true Rajni panache, he vows to take revenge on his detractor by walking the "singa paadhai" or "lion's path", after a coin toss. This sets the stage for a cracker of a second half. The revenge is  predictably executed in a series of carefully planned strategies that defy conventional wisdom but are still "cool, buddy". The action sequences are packed with stunning CGI enhanced fight sequences, and some serious technological gee-whiz  (including phones that send MMS messages and a laptop that's protected by voice recognition software and that speaks Tamil among other things!). Talk about going head to head with 007!! In the end all is good, charity is abound, evil is trampled over (literally) and Sivaji and the girl of his dreams (who, by the way, his half his age) live happily ever after.

Rajnikant, who looks not a day older than 40, is slicker than ever.  Vivek is a fitting complement to Rajnikant on the comedy front. For die-hard Rajni fans, there is much by way of comedy and "style" to keep them on the edge of their seats. Shreeya, who is the new object of Rajni's affection, plays a significant but forgettable role. Suman, who plays Rajnikant's adversary, is effective and has a few lines of his own.

As with most Rajni movies, logic needs to be left at home. Those who try to make sense of the movie and critique its lack of substance should do whatever bakes their noodle instead of wasting time shooting holes at a movie that is clearly not intended for the discerning viewer looking for meaning and depth - it is a great entertainer and should be treated as such. The entertainment value Sivaji brings to the table is simply second to none. With flamboyant song settings, an almost endless supply of punch lines, Vivek's penchant for flawless timing, Rajni's new "style" tricks and some death defying Matrix-esque fight sequences, you have to hand it to Shankar. This movie has all the ingredients needed to scale the already stellar hieghts Rajni has scaled in his career. This will be well and truly be his magnum opus for a long time to come.