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It’s going to be a Petta Pongal in Tamil Nadu come January 2019. Rajinikanth’s new flick, directed by Karthik Subbaraj and starring Vijay Sethupathy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Simran, Trisha and Bobby Simha promises to deliver. Here’s my reaction to the trailer.
It’s been a while since Rajinikanth played the ‘Superstar’ on screen. Right from Sivaji (2007) to Endhiran (2010), to Kabali (2015) to Kaala (2016) to 2.0 (2018), Rajinikanth has played multiple avatars, each distinct. But none of them have truly catered to the masses like his films from the 90s.
That there have been no punch dialogues worth mentioning or mouthing for over a decade in a Rajini film, it’s both a measure of Rajinikanth’s sheer courage in experimenting; and a kind of a let-down for die-hard fans, who expect ‘that something’ on screen.
Petta’s trailer offers all of these;
A form of sweet nostalgia beginning with the superstar’s look of the 90s; and three wholesome punch dialogues that stay with you. What started with Baasha, Muthu and Arunachalam reached the zenith with Padayappa (1999), the character of the superstar ‘Thalaiva’.
And right after that dialogue, Rajinikanth beats up some bad guys in a fight sequence beautifully choreographed by Peter Hein, a mainstay of fights in Kollywood and Tollywood cinema.
Vijay Sethupathi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui as anatagonists.
Simran and Trisha as female leads.
Bobby Simha and Sasikumar adding ‘character’ to the arc.
Each of them are lead actors, capable of handling their own films. In fact, they all have hit films to their credit, and a loyal fan following across the state. The casting clearly points the way to the only foregone conclusion; One Thalaiva to Rule them All.
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