VISITOR COLUMN

STORY (2/2)

Logline (1/1): Ranadheeran plays the double game with both Kalingapura and Kottaipatinam kingdoms to fulfill the last wish and avenge the unfair death of his late father, Kochadaiiyaan. A prodigious hero subject that tailor-suited the mass appeal of Super Star.

Plot (1/1): For a chariot that runs only for 2 hours (thanks to film editor Anthony), Kochadaiiyaan guaranteed theri mass from start to finish! The core story line involved plans and schemes of Ranadheeran to attain his goal (which was leaked in the second half). K.S Ravikumar, the man behind the story planted his writings on the default route of a plot graph. From the introduction to the exposition; from the rising action to the climax, he must have studied and gone through the script repeatedly to eliminate any shortcomings.

SCREENPLAY (1.8/2)

Screen writing for a Rajini film is a complex process. One must know how to mash up action, comedy, drama, tense, songs, screen time allocation, dialogues and romance into a toothsome serving. Thanks to K.S Ravikumar, we got that handled! Scenes were engaging to say the least. The introduction of the palace and the society was good. Rajinikanth’s entrance with his trademark of horses and intro song served justice to his fans. From then on, the film dashed towards what it wanted to show you without wasting much time. You might feel the musical journey hampered the movie’s proceedings a little here and there. It was pleasing to see Nagesh on silver screen. The interval block was predictable though. Before you could even say: “I know what is going to happen next”, Soundarya brings in the past and treats you with another protagonist! The Siva Nadanam was superb. It oozed Kochadaiiyaan’s strength and role. Fight sequences during the ship hijack: Two thumbs up! The way Rana fought with the bunch of fierce lynx and snapped their tooth off, distinguished the 3D viewing effect. All the other characters that participated were given fair amount of frames to appear. Speaking of screen space, we have 2 full hours of 2 Rajinis to enjoy looking at. Although Idhayam hurdles the flow, I wouldn’t have missed placing the song in the movie because it represented crème de la crème of the rest. Be sure to catch the appearance of Kochadaiiyaan’s elder son!

PERFORMANCE & CHARACTERIZATION (1/1)

Kochadaiiyaan was a Rajini, Rajini and Rajini show all the way. It was pretty obvious that Soundarya was super scrupulous when she designed her father, that too in 3 different versions! Characters wise, Kochadaiiyaan and Ranadheeran were both sublimes. They had Xerox copies of charisma, elegance, boldness, style and philosophical instincts. Their screen presence meant a lot for the success of this film.. Deepika Padukone as Princess Vadhana was the everyday heroine but trust me, you do not want to miss the intoxicating stunt act she performed. Nagesh as the uncle was cute as ever with his jocular acts and timing comedies. Sarath Kumar as Sengodagan appeared for a brief moment. I wished they had a proper conclusion for him in the climax. Shobana as Yaahavi made her acting visible during the punishment footage. Jackie Shroff and Aadhi as Raja Mahendra and Veera Mahendra respectively were the secondary villains. Apart from Rajinikanth, Nassar as Rishikodagan had explicit details in his physical attributes. He was the formidable yet weak antagonist for Kochadaiiyaan. The aging effect for Nagesh’s and Nassar’s characters should have been clearer. With that being said, all the characters came in and made a mark.

VISUAL EFFECTS (1.2/2)

Kochadaiiyaan was a ginormous set of notions which required grand production designs and crucial particularity. If it was shot into a life action film, the product would have been great no doubt. But, animation platform supplied limitless potentials and exemptions. The castles, ships, animals and backdrops generated were inventive. Speaking of backdrop, Soundarya was very sure not to leave any stones unturned. Background activities and components were given full attention too. The 3D show carved animation details with further clarity. Nevertheless, one can’t deny at the highest extent, the CGI was mediocre. A film as such takes a minimum time of 5 years to be actualized. I could clearly understand the trouble and pressure Soundarya was in. She could have pulled off a far greater job if she was granted the required period of time but making Thalaivar fans waiting for 5 years was not possible. Coming back, if the characters’ body motions were smoother and eyes were fully functional, Kochadaiiyaan would surely have been a magnificent output in terms of computer generated imagery.

MUSIC (1/1)

Engae Pogudho Vanam with SPB’s voice simply echoes the Thalaivar’s presence! Medhuvaagathaan, Manapennin Sathiyam and Idhayam are in the list of top melodies of the year. A.R Rahman, Vairamuthu and Rajinikanth are inseparable; providing hits after hits since the days of Muthu. Last but not least, at the end of the film when the credit shows up, Karma Veeran accompanied the film making footage. It was moving and inspiring to put it short.

Background Score (0.5/0.5): Be ready to be mind-boggled by the musical extravaganza! It synced perfectly with the fact that it was a story about kings and kingdoms. And music was a must! To watch Kochadaiiyaan’s mammoth empire with Rahman’s score as the strong and robust army guarding it was really something! Sound engineering by ARR’s favorite designer, Resul Pookutty further crystal-cleared the former’s tunes.

DIALOGUE (1/1)

Again, K.S Ravikumar held the responsibility for this section. If not for the dialogues, the movie would have been incomplete, both as a Rajini entertainer and a period film. Although penned in Senthamil (purest form or ancient version of Tamil), the words chosen were clear, heedful and easy to comprehend though appeared complicated.

CINEMATOGRAPHY (1/1)

War sequences, songs picturization (specifically Idhayam), the wedding function, dungeon duel and the fight at Kochadaiiyaan’s ship, were noteworthy!

VERDICT: You have seen him in black and white; Color and 3 dimensional films. Now, witness the reincarnation of Super Star as a photorealistic motion enabled animation effigy! Soundarya Rajinikanth’s valiant attempt, triumphs!

RATING: 9.00/10

RECOMMENDATION: Watch it in 3D!