Sivaji Experience

Photon organized the Sivaji show at Abirami. All employees got tickets to the movie yesterday. I managed to collect a few more for my family from abstainers.

I like Rajni and Shankar movies for the sheer experience. Sivaji does a lot more than just fulfilling this expectation. The crowd was great. The situation was just right for a Rajni movie. Pardon my crude comparison - the energy is comparable to the one of the crowd to 'Govinda' chants at Tirupati or the Arohara chants at Palani. For them Rajni is a God, so the comparison is not all that crude.

First opinion was - I loved the experience, wouldn't mind watching it couple more times.
Now to the details - It didn't touch like a Mudhalvan or an Anniyan - for the hero is not a common man - but a superman.

The movie is probably more perfect than the earlier movies in terms of details. The attention to detail is mind boggling. In the song 'Sahana', there is a piece 'theneer kondatho'. The visual had Rajini and Sreya having tea - in a transparent cup - without milk. The shot lasts for about 1-2 seconds. Still, the detail is so good that I can remember it.

Sometime last year, the small club house adjoining the tennis court near my house was painted.
A board with the sign "Velachery Police Station" was placed. For the next day and a half, the area had festive look. Rajni, Manivannan and others were there shooting a police station scene. When I watched the movie, there is exactly one reference to Velachery - Vivek mentions that TamilSelvi is from Velachery. The scene shot in my area comes for about 5 minutes, mostly indoor. For a second or two, just to set the context of the place there is a shot showing the outside of the police station. The shot didn't show the name board that I mentioned. Well, the point I'm trying to make is it just shows the attention to the details. It also means why this was the most expensive movie ever made in India.

I hope to collect the DVDs of Shankar movies to train people on what it means to show attention to details.

Everything about the movie is worth writing about - be it Rajni, Shankar, Sujatha or Rahman - upto Muthkalai who appears in just one scene. The casting is perfect for the side roles. Shankar probably is specializing in the casting of government employees. Right faces are picked for them, the auditors, the hit-men and the cops. Shanmugarajn (Peykkaman of Virumandi) is probably specializing in the corrupt cop role!