A stylish look of Rajinikanth in Petta
Rajinikanth in Petta.PR Handout

Amid huge expectations, Rajinikanth's 'Petta' graced the big screens all across the world on January 10, 2018. Directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the film also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Simran, Bobby Simha, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Trisha in other prominent roles. During the launch of the movie, director Karthik Subbaraj had confessed that he himself is an ardent fan of Rajinikanth, and he made it clear that this film will be a real treat for Superstar fans.

Did the film live up to the expectations? Check out our Petta review below...

A usual revenge story

There is nothing much to say about the storyline of the film. Rajinikanth plays the role of Kaali, a hostel warden. At one point in time, he encounters a team of goons with who he shared dark past. The remaining storyline portrays Rajinikanth taking down goons in style.

Karthik Subbaraj used to experiment a lot in his movies, but in this flick, he has chosen a usual revenge story. The film is basically set in two different locations; one in a hill station, and the remaining portions in Mumbai. The scenes in hill stations were visually rich, just like a dream, while the Mumbai portions were raw like Ram Gopal Varma films.

The first half of the movie is completely loaded with mass elements, and in many scenes, we can see Rajinikanth recreating some of his popular scenes from yesteryear blockbusters. In this half, the director narrated the story in such an engaging manner, but things did not work well in the initial moments of the second half. However, the director regained his form later and ended the movie with a brilliant climax.

It should be also noted that Karthik Subbaraj has stored a shocking surprise for the audiences, but it cannot be revealed as it could turn out to be a spoiler.

Pure Rajini swag

Rajinikanth's previous films 'Kaala' and 'Kabali' tried to exploit the actor in him, while '2.0' was a pure Shankar show loaded with intense CG works. However, when it comes to 'Petta', Karthik Subbaraj has successfully brought back that vintage Rajinikanth which we have seen in movies like 'Padaiyappa', 'Baasha', and 'Arunachalam'. To make things clear, 'Petta' can be considered the most stylishly packed mass masala entertainer from the Superstar since the release of Shankar's 'Sivaji'.

Beginning from the title card, the film is a pure Rajinikanth show, and all other actors were sidelined by his immense screen presence. Even versatile actors like Vijay Sethupathi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui failed to mark their presence when they shared screen space with Rajinikanth.

Simran and Trisha Krishnan who played the roles of lady leads had nothing much to do. Anyhow, it was a sheer grace to see Simran back on screen after a long time.

Anirudh Ravichander's scintillating music

When Rajinikanth ruled the screen with his style, Anirudh Ravichander's background score acted as a catalyst that elevated Superstar's visual charisma to new heights. The songs are composed well by the young musician, and they were placed well in the movie by Karthik Subbaraj.

Final Verdict

As the director promised, 'Petta' will make anyone Rajinified. This film is a high voltage Rajinikanth show that you should not miss in theatres.

Rating
Petta