Sivaji The BOSS - (B)ox (O)ffice (S)uper (S)tar

I was one of the lucky few to catch Rajini's 'Sivaji' the first weekend, here in NJ! ***THOUGHTS JUST BEFORE THE SHOW - Man, it can't get bigger than this. Rajni, Shankar, Rahman! it is going to be soooo different from the other Rajni flicks. innovative story, racy screenplay, awesome visuals and Rajni's new stylish look! ***THOUGHTS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SHOW - hmmmm! usual masala formula. No innovative screenplay. Great visuals but some graphics were a trifle overdone. RAJNI ROCKZZZ! The movie as such was definitely a disappointment considering the tremendous hype and the story being kept under wraps with great difficulty. It was an outright Rajni formula flick with attractive eye candy being the only contribution from Shankar. We all know Rajni's movies are for pure entertainment and not masterpieces. Those who are shocked by the physics defying stunts are just too naive. We need such movies to relax from our already complicated lives. And there are others like Kamalhassan and Manirathnam to provide thought provoking, revolutionary and uplifting cinema. Variety is the spice of life. Rajni as usual plays to the gallery and enthralls his fans. His electrifying screen presence especially in the climax is unmatchable. The first half was definitely a drag. Comedy seems forced into the script, but Vivek props up this section with his own punch dialogues! The scenes involving Rajni and Shreya too were ill scripted and boring. But i've got to say Shankar definitely knows how to project his heroine as the epitome of glamour. She is smokin' hot in the songs. At the interval, i felt a little let down by shankar, the man who provided the engrossing and equally entertaining 'Anniyan'. Now it was left to the superstar to provide an explosive second half... and that he did. The 'Athiradi' song and the mottai boss fight were amazing. Wish the whole movie was like this! Blaaze's rap number at the end was great. at the end of the day, one gets the impression that Shankar played it too safe and tried to preserve the Rajni formula. I respect Manirathnam for making a gripping movie like 'Thalapathy' despite ignoring this same formula. But what shankar achieved was to cater to the tastes of true Rajni fans. Action, Drama, Comedy, Dance!!! The movie displays the highs and lows of technical finesse! As with many of shankar's earlier films, cheap overdose of graphics like the rocket flying into Shriya's home and the drivein theater fight sequence provide a picture quite in contrast to the 'Style' song and the climax fight. The message that he tries to deliver about 'Black Money' gets lost in the sheer frenzy of the Rajni phenomenon. It didn't make an impact anywhere near shankar's earlier movies like 'Mudhalvan' and 'Anniyan'. It seemed like it had to be there to preserve Shankar's trademark. Maybe the director himself felt that too, as he stuffed the ending credits with his novel ideas, rather than let the hero mouth them. My Verdict (if it matters at all) - Does not justify the hype but projects a suave and explosive Rajni! Let the box office be inundated!

PS: Dancing and Shrieking Fans are an integral part of the Rajni film, and you have got to experience it at least once!

Its Rahmania!!!!!!

Finally finally, a chance to see the 'Mozart of Madras' live in action. The musical genius and his equally talented entourage fired up the passions of thousands of NY area desis. He lives barely a 5 min. walk from my home in Chennai! yet this is the first time i saw him in flesh and blood (though from a few hundred yards away)!The 3 hr traffic congestion ridden drive from jersey to Long Island was really worth it. The moment we reached Nassau Coliseum , we realized the reach of Rahman's music. We could hear a multitude of languages on our way to the entrance. it is true. music transcends barriers! The almost jam packed stadium roared as if on cue, when Rahman appeared for the first time. And then what followed was 3 hours of bliss. There were a few things though which proved to be dampeners. The acoustics were really not worthy of a Rahman concert. Due to last minute changes in the schedule, the troupe had to do a concert in Dallas friday night and perform again Saturday night here in NY.The voices of all the singers sounded strained. And then there were no fireworks.....literally! But despite all this , the kind of energy that flowed amidst the audience more than made up for these! Chanting, Shrieking, tapping, clapping, dancing.....the crowd was alive and kicking! As Rahman was delivering one hindi hit after another, the enormous 'SI-VA-JI' chant thundered! and Rahman yielded. It was pure madness after that! Rahman left out most of his 'staple' hits from movies like 'Lagaan', 'Rangeela', 'Minsara Kanavu', 'AlaiPayuthey', 'Gentleman', 'Kadhalan' ....etc!!!But then u can deliver only so much in 3 hours. Besides, he had to cover his recent hits like 'Guru', 'Sivaji' and 'Rang de Basanti'! He had a generous share of tamil hits to satisfy a big number of tamil fans in the crowd. But if you are a true Rahmaniac like me , you wouldn't care about languages! Blaaze and Sivamani added colour and energy to the show. Neeti with 'Mayya Mayya' left the crowd spell bound. Hariharan did some crazy antics but singing wise he was spot on as usual! Sukhwinder was good but he really has to know when to stop. the white guy with his 'jathi' was awesome!My picks for the best renditions of the night were 'Mayya' and 'Secret of Success'! At the end of the show I wondered if any other musician can cast a spell over the entire cross section of Indians (across languages, regions, musical tastes, age...!)like Rahman did. He is GOD of MUSIC..at least for the current Indian generation!