Click on the title to listen to the interview that Superstar gave ahead of the premiere on Times Now.
I’m messaging from the premiere of Sivaji. These updates shall continue for as long as my girlfriend is awake and can type them in.
9.45 – Spotted- Aishwarya Rajnikanth, Parthipan, Dharani, Priyadarshan, Thotta Tharani. I realise everyone I know is alloted different theatres. My photographer is alloted Santham, Baradwaj Rangan has got seats in Seasons, Sreedhar Pillai has the seats for Sathyam Balcony.
10:08 – Inside six degrees. Everyone has been given party poppers. Movie yet to start.
10.20 – Trisha is sitting right behind me. Great, I can get at least one quote for my story on Saturday morning.
10.30 – Sultan is Rajnikant’s next film. It’s an animation film directed by Soundarya Rajnikant produced by Ocher Studios. It has music by A.R.Rahman. Thalaivar is animated but Superstar has lent his voice himself. Releasing 2008. The trailer began with showing shoes of a warrior and then goes to reveal Thalaivar with a sword.
10.32 – People burst party poppers spouting out confetti, supplied by Sathyam, as the alphabets S-U-P-E-R-S-T-A-R followed by R-A-J-N-I appear.
10.35 – Thalaivar with a mask over his face gets out of the police van to be escorted to prison as thousands of people watch in horror. His first soundbyte however is inside the van when a police officer politely suggests that he wears the mask lest people get emotional seeing him and we hear: “Um”
10.40 – Superstar plays a software systems architect NRI who has saved up for 25 years before returning to India with noble intentions. Flashback begins with the eligible bachelor sporting an orange tie with a beige suit and jeans, being recieved by his parents and Vivek, his maama, at the airport. With dreams of starting a free medical college and hospital for students. Adiseshan (Suman in Ray Ban) is his adversary, a Jeppiar-like character, who lives of capitation fee collected from students.
10.45 – Nayantara has never looked hotter before. She’s skinny and pretty, two things we didn’t even imagine she could be. She does the opening intro song ‘Ballelaka’ as Thalaivar dances with extras who have their tummies painted with tigers and Thalaivar’s face of course.
11.00 – Bubble gum is the cigarette replacement. Vivek interrupts Thalaivar before he delivers a punchline saying that he shouldn’t bother because every other boy on screen is unable to control his finger movements. And then, Vivek comes up with some cheeky ones that rhyme Katpadi with Deadbody and Pogo with Go Go! (Something like Kozhaindaga Paakurathu Pogo, Sivajiya paathu nee go go). The best one however is “Sixukku Aparam Sevenu, Sivajikku aparam Yevenu?”
11.15 – Shriya sizzled in that ‘Vaaji Vaaji’ song. She is sooo hawt!! And thalaivar’s comedy doesn’t seem to work much, at least not in that scene where he’s washing his mouth after eating a plate full of chillis! Please cut this scene out, Shankar. Not good for his stature.
11.35 – Thalaivar turns white!! That’s a well concealed suprise considering the lyrics are such a giveaway. Listen to the ‘Style’ song again! After seeing the blonde stills we were prepared for the worst but it’s not that bad, trust me. Shriya is well… yummy!
11.55 – Riches to rags. All he is left with is one buck, given to him by Adi who completely ruins him and recommends begging for a future. Thalaivar has tried doing good the right way. That didn’t work. So now he tosses up that coin to let it decide his fate: Heads (Singha vazhi) or Tails (Poo vazhi). No prizes for guessing what it spells out.
12 Midnight – Interval. Interesting interval block setting up stage for a rocking second half but the first half alone, seen in isolation, is just about ok that shines through a few sparklers here and there.
Talking points during interval: The wooing segment is clearly the downer. Thalaivar has often advocated that ‘Thou Shalt Choose One Who Loves You Over The One You Love.’ Now, he does a volte face. Clearly, the one defining quality about all successful films has been that he does not chase the girl. Shankar turns that on its head this time. Like Suresh Krissna did earlier (and unsuccessfully) in Baba.
Also, Shankar knows that colour (or lack of it) is a huge part of the Tamil psyche. He exploits it to create a feel good mood.
The other thing that Shankar totally understands is the impact of corruption on the middle-class. This time instead of focussing on how the middle class are affected, he shows us how difficult it is even for the rich and those willing to do good are impaired by the complexities of bureaucracy and red tape.
12.30 – That coin flipping style is a class act. Thalaivaaaa!!! Only he can reinvent himself like this!
12.40 – Another super punchline when this bunch of goons catch hold of him and say: Thaniya maatikittae paathiya? And Superstar says: “Panningathaan kootama varum…” He then dislodges five of them with one single kick sending them flying all around him before completing: “Singham… single ah varum” *Whistle Whistle*
1.00 – Adhiradi is awesome!! The best picturised Rajni song I’ve ever seen… A Robert Rodriguez guns and guitars tribute. And Thalaivar looks smashing as never before! And Shriya… Slurp!! Trisha behind me surely must be envying her buddy there. Shriya’s simply the single sexiest siren since Simran scorched our screens.
1.15 – There’s also this Peter Jackson visual effects tribute as fx-crazy Shankar sends a Superstar’s car crashing into King Kong’s mouth! Whoa!! I’ve never felt younger before… Thalaivaaaaah once again! I forgot to mention Thalaivar earlier did some wonderful imitations of MGR, Sivaji and yes… Kamal Hasan… Check him out doing Nethu Raathri… 😀
1.25 – Okay, there’s this really corny twist coming up… as cheeseball as it gets in our movies… In fact I saw this coming in the first half of the film when Raghuvaran brings back to life a boy who was electrocuted and soon explains to Thalaivar how that is possible. Lotsa folks out there are gonna roll their eyes when this happens and the biggest critics will call this film trash just because of this twist. But for us willing believers, this is a splendid excuse for Shankar to unleash yet another new look: the mottai boss who’s called not Sivaji but… find out for yourself! *clap clap*
1.45 – Mottai Boss rocks! And the style associated with the character… I can’t stop grinning and I realise I’ve been grinning for the last one hour.
1.50 – Trisha tells me she loved the film. “He’s so hot,” she says. Great, I have my quote.
2.00 – I wait for Baddy till the show at Seasons gets over. Turns out that he didn’t like it much. In fact he called the first half “excruciatingly boring”. For me, I can’t wait to watch it again. And I’m doing exactly that in five hours from now.
*This post was updated only by 5 a.m. because I realised pretty late that my girlfriend did put up a Live Update on the blog before she went off to sleep and hence didnt get a chance to update my messages. Review will be up in 24 hours. Though to be honest, Superstar films shouldn’t be reviewed. Only idiots will look for logic and contest plausibility in a superhero tale. But do come back, ill give it a shot anyway*
MADRAS INK. 