I consider myself one of the many thousands of lucky people who got the chance to ride the first crest of new phenomenon that is sending ripples throughout the world. I got to see Sivaji - the boss on its opening day - first show too! And it was totally worth it. The movie lived up to its expectations, the media hype and the expensive billing. I shouted my throat hoarse everytime Superstar came on screen. So, to cut a long story short (go to Indiaglitz for that long story penned by people more professional than me) it was a mega entertainer, and Shankar, and Rajni and Rahman and AVM have struck just the right notes to keep their fans and wallets contented.
The Kamal camp, the self acclaimed refined moviegoers, usually write off Rajnikanth as a mass appeal artist, with very little talent. My only recommendations to them is, go and watch the boss. Rajni pulls off some tricky scenes with panache, and his facial expressions, body language and intonations suggest a creative genius that may not be on par with Kamal, but is certainly miles ahead of most other would-be's in Tamil cinema today. He is also a classy performer, whose naturally comic disposition makes his scenes with Vivek, somehow more realistic than contrived. One personal observation about Rajni: his acting is natural. Its how you and I would behave under similar circumstances. It does not get mired in the trappings of trying to emote, and trying to elevate a dialogue to more than what it is, a conversation between a few people. That's the greatness of Rajni. There are other actors who give us unforgettable scenes with their dialogue delivery and expressions which blow your mind away, and probably stay in mass memory for a long time. But, come to think of it, would someone behave that way in real life? So, in that sense, Rajni portrays a part of us. Where he does take you to that larger than life arena is in his style and gimmicks, which not only add to the beauty of his on-screen presence, but also complement his life-like image. We would like to do that coin trick he does in the boss too, wouldn't we?
So, what about Shankar? Obviously, he's created a secure niche for himself in the Tamil film industry as an advocate for social causes. He deals with corruption, nepotism, red-tapism and social apathy towards these issues in all his movies. And he gift wraps these potentially volatile topics with stunning visual effects, mind boggling sets, creative songs and a wholesome richness that makes you happy when you go see a Shankar film.
So, I guess what we need to do when we go and see Sivaji the boss again (which I definitely will), or for the first time, is just go and get awed by the superstar as he has never been shown before. And what we should take away from the movie is not so much the social message (it would be good if people with black money did, but I'm not insisting), but to come back with the one thought: "summa adhirudhu illa."
