All things you loved about Superstar are back.
1. Youthful zest: Superstar looks young yet again! Yay!
2. SPB Intro song: Thank you, Devuda!
3. P-P-Paambu sentiment: Snakes ought to be a part of Superstar comedy, so here it is!
4. Return of the native: Superstar always is the son of the soil. Either, he’s a village simpleton or a highly educated youth back from the States, lured home by the smell of the soil. After a string of films playing simpleton, he’s back to his Rajathi Raja days.
5. Friendship sentiment: Prabhu replaces Sarath Babu as the eternal best friend that Superstar will give his own life for. Superstar is always the nanban, the thozhan, the thalapathy!
6. Englees: Nothing works like Superstar English. How is it?? Super! In this one, Superstar throws some psychoanalytical jargon too! Too much ya!
7. Kick the sidekick comedy: Remember Superstar kicking Chinni Jayanth everytime he said ‘Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaan’ in Raja Chinna Roja? Or him getting Senthil into trouble for wearing his silk shirt? This time, it is Vadivelu’s turn. What surprises me is the level of double meaning dialogues in a Superstar movie, that too uttered by Superstar himself! Hmmm!!
8. Special effects: Ha ha ha ha ha! Superstar surely seems to be obsessed with special effects involving a kite… Here we go again! Kidding actually, here it’s just for a song and it works! Oh, and the Matrix style fight sequences. Now… if they don’t give that kind of build-up for Superstar, who will they give it for! Besides, they are called Special effects cuz Superstar uses these effects!
9. Song Picturisation: Pichitaanga!! Super! Excellently wonderfully beautifully choreographed and shot sequences and awesome songs!
10. Timing, style, flair, charisma, magic.
However, what it does not have:
1. No solid punchlines: Superstar seems to have gone on a peace mission. No attacks on anyone! Disappointing!
2. Subdued style: Very very underplayed this time around. No smoking at all, which is a good thing!
3. Fight in the climax! But hey, we are forgetting that it’s afterall an adaptation of ‘Manichitrathazhu’ which never had a single fight scene!
How it compares to the original:
No comparison. Different genres. Different sensibilities. Those who loved the original need to understand that before running down this simpler, dramatised version. Manichitrathazhu is indeed India’s best made thriller and will remain so. The beauty of that film lies in the narrative that explores with great detail the supernatural and the scientific aspects of a person possessed by the spirit of the dancer who died ages ago. The beauty of this film lies in the fact that P.Vasu actually managed to simply such a complicated fascinating tale and easily comprehensible by the lowest common denominator in the audience, by converting this into a typical Superstar movie with all the masala! No easy task this!
Oh, there’s also this small mood piece I wrote after watching the movie noon show on the first day of release. This story appeared today.
Gotta watch this more than once. As it comes in the ‘Devuda’ song… ‘REPEATU’!
MADRAS INK. 