Sivaji cannot be labelled as an out and out Rajini movie. It does have the characteristic stamp of Shankar, but the talented director seems to have given in to the typical requirements of a Rajini movie, unbelievable stunt sequences and 'punch dialogues', though the latter is kept at a bare minimum, with the superstar mouthing the 'adhuruthu illai' line just a few times.
Rajini's entry this time isn't foot-tapping, which was the case in most Rajini movies in the past decade, except Chandramukhi - which had a 'foot-kicking' entry. This time around its a very toned-down entry for Rajini, behind bars. The movie then goes off to the past, and and for the rest of the first half, we get to view Rajini with a wig that resembles the hair-style he sported during the 70's. The first half is full of comedies. To spice it up, there are song sequences with the scantily-clad heroine. Add to this a cleverly shot action sequence with musical instruments and CGI-delivered fair Rajini, and you have a fun-packed first half, though it does feel a bit dragging. It has its moments of seriousness, with the scene just before the interval setting tone for an action-packed second half.
The second half begins with a bang. Rajini's back to the usual hair style, and from there on, its Rajini all the way. How he gets the bad guys to part away from their 'black-money' and how he uses it to fulfill his dreams forms the rest of the story. The final part has him giving the villain his due, sporting his third hair-style of the movie, only this time there's no hair.
The movie is well directed. The song sequences feature exquisite sets, beautiful foreign locales and lavish costumes. What struck me though was the way the heroines were dressed in the song sequences. Be it Nayanthara and Shreya, for every song, their costumes are bent on exposing their assets, which are either the thunder thighs or the gym-toned midriffs or both (Nayanthara, who was criticized for putting on weight in her previous movies, gets a chance to 'prove it to the critics' as to how good a shape she is in). Though none of the songs sequences were vulgar, I thought it was a little out-of-place in a Shankar movie. The choreography for the songs is average, nothing much to say about it. A R Rehmaan's music actually disappoints. By the standards that his past compositions have set, in my opinion the ones in Sivaji are pretty average.
Rajini looks healthier, though a paunch is visible in certain scenes. Shreya looks stunning. Her eyes are very expressive and she makes good use of them. On the acting front, she scores. Rajini is his usual self.
The stunt sequences are well done too, especially the Matrix-styled one towards the end. But seeing every sequence delivering a little more of the unbelievable stunts than the previous one, one tends to get a bit bored. Dialogues are cleverly written with references to previous Rajini movies, notably Chandramukhi, at many points during the movie. Understandably, Rajini, Shreya, the villain Suman and Vivek have the bulk of the screen-time. Livingston, Saloman Papaiyya, Raghuvaran appear in cameos. Mayilsamy, Chinni Jayanth and Dhamu appear in delightful guest-appearances.
The movie scores on comedy aspect, most of which is attributed to Vivek, though Rajini complements him equally well. The dubbing part suffers a little with the lip-movements of both Suman and Shreya not in-sync with the lines at times. Should have put more effort on that. Kudos to Shankar for having delivered a good movie, which is quite significant considering the pressure that comes with making a Rajini movie, thanks to the expectations of the fans.
Overall, the movie is pretty good, and for hardcore Rajini fans, its a block-buster.
Rajini's entry this time isn't foot-tapping, which was the case in most Rajini movies in the past decade, except Chandramukhi - which had a 'foot-kicking' entry. This time around its a very toned-down entry for Rajini, behind bars. The movie then goes off to the past, and and for the rest of the first half, we get to view Rajini with a wig that resembles the hair-style he sported during the 70's. The first half is full of comedies. To spice it up, there are song sequences with the scantily-clad heroine. Add to this a cleverly shot action sequence with musical instruments and CGI-delivered fair Rajini, and you have a fun-packed first half, though it does feel a bit dragging. It has its moments of seriousness, with the scene just before the interval setting tone for an action-packed second half.
The second half begins with a bang. Rajini's back to the usual hair style, and from there on, its Rajini all the way. How he gets the bad guys to part away from their 'black-money' and how he uses it to fulfill his dreams forms the rest of the story. The final part has him giving the villain his due, sporting his third hair-style of the movie, only this time there's no hair.
The movie is well directed. The song sequences feature exquisite sets, beautiful foreign locales and lavish costumes. What struck me though was the way the heroines were dressed in the song sequences. Be it Nayanthara and Shreya, for every song, their costumes are bent on exposing their assets, which are either the thunder thighs or the gym-toned midriffs or both (Nayanthara, who was criticized for putting on weight in her previous movies, gets a chance to 'prove it to the critics' as to how good a shape she is in). Though none of the songs sequences were vulgar, I thought it was a little out-of-place in a Shankar movie. The choreography for the songs is average, nothing much to say about it. A R Rehmaan's music actually disappoints. By the standards that his past compositions have set, in my opinion the ones in Sivaji are pretty average.
Rajini looks healthier, though a paunch is visible in certain scenes. Shreya looks stunning. Her eyes are very expressive and she makes good use of them. On the acting front, she scores. Rajini is his usual self.
The stunt sequences are well done too, especially the Matrix-styled one towards the end. But seeing every sequence delivering a little more of the unbelievable stunts than the previous one, one tends to get a bit bored. Dialogues are cleverly written with references to previous Rajini movies, notably Chandramukhi, at many points during the movie. Understandably, Rajini, Shreya, the villain Suman and Vivek have the bulk of the screen-time. Livingston, Saloman Papaiyya, Raghuvaran appear in cameos. Mayilsamy, Chinni Jayanth and Dhamu appear in delightful guest-appearances.
The movie scores on comedy aspect, most of which is attributed to Vivek, though Rajini complements him equally well. The dubbing part suffers a little with the lip-movements of both Suman and Shreya not in-sync with the lines at times. Should have put more effort on that. Kudos to Shankar for having delivered a good movie, which is quite significant considering the pressure that comes with making a Rajini movie, thanks to the expectations of the fans.
Overall, the movie is pretty good, and for hardcore Rajini fans, its a block-buster.