Lingaa review: Superstar Rajini's back, and that's all that matters

December 12th, all Rajinikanth fans spent a sleepless night. With shows scheduled at 1 am and 4 am, everyone was set to welcome Lingaa on the big screen. And what a welcome the Superstar received! From paal (milk) abhishekams to aarthis and larger-than-life cut-outs, fans had everything ready for this big day. Director KS Ravikumar, who has directed and scripted Lingaa, has cast Rajinikanth in two roles – one in modern-day India where he plays a petty thief called Lingaa and the other in the 1930s, where he portrays his grandfather Raja Lingeswaran. Keeping in mind these two personas, Ravikumar has cast Anushka Shetty as Lakshmi, a reporter and the love interest in present-day India, and Sonakshi Sinha, Raja Lingeswaran’s love interest. [caption id=“attachment_1847289” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Superstar Rajini is back in Lingaa. Courtesy: Facebook[/caption] A local politician wants to make money by destroying a dam built by Raja Lingeswaran in the village of Solaiyur, so that a new dam can be built. Lingaa, the petty thief, is forced to return to his native village and help the people. Since he has royal lineage, only he can take his people forward to prosperity and happiness. Lingaa is aided by two friends, played by Santhanam and Karunakaran, who provide the comic relief in the film. Like all Rajinikanth movies, the star’s intro has to be with an opening song sung by SP Balasubramaniam and Ravikumar has ensured this tradition is upheld, with a bang. As soon as the Ferrari Amusement Park in Dubai comes on screen, you know that it’s time for Lingeswaran - alias Lingaa – to show face. And Rajinikanth does it in his imitable style! He gets out of the limousine with a flick of his coat and his head, struts down and turns to give his signature look – and the audience erupts! Lingaa is a Rajinikanth film all the way. There is not an iota of evidence that he is 64 years old and was away from films for four years as you see him sing, dance and romance Anushka. He delivers his dialogues with the same élan as always and has enough punch lines to keep his fans happy. For example, Rajini as Raja Lingeswaran says, “I haven’t failed; I have only postponed my success.” Where Ravikumar flounders is with his run-of-the-mill screenplay, which is filled with strong traces of Rajinikanth’s previous films and a sense of déjà vu starts to creep in. What could have given the movie far more gripping would have been a climax with better visual effects. Lingaa also lacks a good villain. Jagapthay Babu and Dev Singh Gill fall flat in this film as the bad guys. Where is the Nilambarai of Padayappa? Where is the Adi Seshan of Sivaji? The last blow is the film’s soundtrack. In most Rajini films, the music always lifts the film, but AR Rahman hasn’t managed this. While “Mona Gasolina” and “Lingaa” sound catchy enough while you’re watching the film, they’re lost even before you leave the theatre. Despite these flaws, Lingaa is a must watch. Don’t watch Lingaa because you want a logical film or a screenplay that is award-worthy. Go watch it because you are a Rajinikanth fan and because you love Tamil films. In fact, go watch it even if you are not a Rajini fan or like Tamil cinema. You’ll come out smiling and feeling good. That’s the power of Superstar Rajini.