Ra Ra... RAVING!!!

This will go down in history as the first movie that I've seen before it released in theaters at Chennai! We got to see it in a preview show at IMC6 on Wednesday Apr 13th (few hours before it hit the theaters in India!). I was quite nervous not knowing what to expect from the superstar after a debacle in Baba. I still went with a lot of hope and I was not let down. "Oru dadava daan tavarum... " (a la Padayyappa)!

What's New?

This was a strange movie, with not too many punch lines! A couple of them stood out: "Naan Gundu aana nanna irukkadhu, nee elacha nanna irukkadhu", "doctor daan patientukkaaga kaarthirukkannum, enikkum patient doctor kaaga kaartirukka koodathu", simple yet powerful!

Also, for a change, a song does not introduce the superstar, the first song, "Devu da Devu da" comes when we are well into the first few scenes.

The action sequences that always defy the laws of gravitation and almost any physics you can imagine, are taken to a clearly fictitious height in this movie, which make it very enjoyable and leaves almost nothing to be said. It is along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or the Matrix (of course not the same quality).

The superstar does not smoke in this movie because of a plastic surgery in his lip region. This does not deter his style, one bit. He shifts to Chewing gum instead! "What a Mannnn" (a la Padayappa)

Perhaps the newest thing about this movie is that it actually is a MOVIE, beyond all the masala that we are used to. It is a great product. The suspense is good, and so is the chill factor! Rajini has done a great job in his role as Saravanan. His role is subdued at times compared to his other movies, but considering that he maybe acting in one movie per year, this may just be the apt transition for him into more character roles in the future, still glowing with his usual charisma! Had he done more roles like his senior role in Padayappa, he would have been an even bigger success!

Noticeable:

Age has certainly not caught up with our superstar. Although the punch in his voice is reduced and in close up shots, you can see that he has grown old... all I can say is "ungalukku vayasey aagaley" (a la Padayappa). He looks a lot younger than he did in Baba.

Jyothika has given arguably, her best performance thus far. If her role in Perazhagan can get her an award, this one surely deserves one more. I expected more from the "Ra Ra" dance, going by dance master Kala's comments, but it was a pretty well sung song in any case. Jo cannot match up with a natural dancer in the original version of this movie, "Manichitratazhu", Shobana, who won a national award for the same role in the original. Vineeth has a decent role, which he has performed well. He has danced very well in the Ra Ra song, doing justice to his bharathanatyam training.

Vadivel's comedy along with Rajini is fantastic, albeit monotonous and centered around one theme. He has turned in a very good performance indeed! The super star as such is known for his fine comic timing. He has not disappointed.

Nayanthara who appears in the middle part of the movie, disappears until the last scene. She is an actress eager to please. She shakes it up a little too much in the song "Konja Neram.. Konja Neram", almost bordering on jerks! She has not turned in a very great performance.

The "Konja neram" song was really well picturized. I cannot think of any one song that has stood out like this since the days of Alaypayuthe and Kandukondain. This one was shot in Turkey and was a nice change. The "Athindom" song was well timed too and as has become a practice, this is one thathuvva song in a superstar movie, like "O O O O kicku yeruthey" or "Ra Ra Ra Rammayya" or "Maya Maya ellam Maya". This was a fresh song with some good lyrics and well sung by the evergreen SPB. Another song that was signature Rajinikanth song was of course: "Devu Da Devu Da", the intro song.

Looks like P.Vasu used a lot of similarities with Padayappa, the last successful superhit from the superstar. Some examples are a short director appearance (in "repeattu", it also had a producer and an uppukku chappani). Also he has used some Mumbai or foreign models in "Annanodu Paatu song", (like in Kicku yeruthey). The other similarity is the superstar's life being put at stake by the vamp like in Padayyappa. There is also the "Sivaji" factor that is common to the two movies. Of course I am reading too much into stuff, given that this is a remake of a Malayalam movie, but you can't miss the pattern :-)

You cannot miss the portrait of Chandramukhi in this movie. That in my mind, stands out. I cannot forget the face in that movie, it will be etched in my heart forever :-0) Really classic. I can think of any king that will give up anything for a beauty like that!

You cannot miss the tribute to Sivaji Ganesan in this movie. I believe it was long overdue and it is a shame that no one else did it other than Sivaji productions themselves. Also notable is the RK films like introductory banner of Sivaji productions.

Unnoticeable

The talented support cast ranging from Prabhu, Nassar, Vijayakumar all the way to K.R.Vijaya have been totally wasted. But you cannot help it, this movie has too many stars already albeit in one man!

Verdict

You have gotta watch this movie, whether you are superstar fan or not, you are bound to be entertained! Like S.J.Suryah says, "People in the theaters do not like to be preached at, these are not people that listen to their parents!, so the best thing to do is to provide them with 2.5 hours of entertainment". This is the difference between Baba and Chandramukhi. If you like art movies, look elsewhere, but if you like some suspense, some horror, some comedy and some fun... watch Chandramukhi. Look at the success it is enjoying here in the United States! Tuesday, May 03, 2005 at 7:22 PM

I loved the Chandramukhi painting too. I searched for it in e-bay, but could not find it. I'd pay anything to get that one. 11:26 AM