"Style is the man himself." This quote can't apply apter to anybody but Rajnikanth. The top priority this June, of any die-hard Rajni fan in Tamil Nadu or worldwide, would have been to see his Thalaivar in his latest style-personified avatar, Sivaji the Boss, on the first day of its release in theatres. After watching the movie, the priority would have changed to watch it a few more times. Such is the charisma of the man. Shanker has given every Rajni fan a visual treat which none other than himself can give. All the hype surrounding the release of the movie with the greatest combo ever, has not gone unjustified. An obvious disadvantage with so much hype is that a viewer goes to the movie with amazing imaginations and great expectations, and expects these expectations to be justified. In the likely case that the movie falls short of his huge expectations, comes a blessing in disguise. Having watched the movie once, and his expectations now set in place, he is tempted or rather induced to watch the movie again to appreciate the many nuances present in the movie., which range from the technical brilliance achieved, the dialogues(which he most probably could not hear the first time), to every costume that Rajni wears and every gesture that he carries out with his own impeccable style. No wonder that the man himself has called Shanker the master director.
One could have various interpretations of the phrase "A master director." An Ayn Rand fan would call a director who never gives up his principles and constantly comes up with genuine works of art that satisfy his fans, as a master director. But, a Rajni fan would call a director who adjusts his directorial skills to suit Rajni's image and churn out a mega block buster, as a master director. In the former case, Shanker would not classify as a master director. But in the latter case, he comes out all trumps. It's the latter definition of a master director that Shanker has preferred and justifiably so, considering it's a Rajni movie, and the audience that he's catering to. One can only laugh at the guts of people who dump Sivaji as "Just Another Robin Hood story" For an egalitarian society, the world would always be in need of a Robin Hood, and who better to play Robin Hood in India, but Rajnikanth. Also, the theme of the movie is quite significant to the overall development of a nation, and if considered by the government seriously, it could lead to a much more prosperous India.
Coming back to the movie, one of the biggest pluses of the movie is the way the songs have been picturised. A.R.Rahman's music demanded with such authority that the songs be picturised extraordinarily, or else it would have been a visual disaster. Nothing close to that has happened and can happen in a Shanker movie, especially when Rajni is in it. The sets Thotta Tharani has come up with, and the lighting and camera work that has gone into the shooting, and the visually stunning Shreya(if you care to watch her in the songs), and of course Rajni's get-ups make the songs a strong reason to watch the movie at least 5 times in the theatres. One must say the editing work has been pretty remarkable, what with the delay in the release making the fans very impatient. Shanker has made it a point to cover all segments of the audience, be it those who appreciate comedy, or the families who appreciate sentiments and moral values, or those who are spellbound by gravity-defying stunts. Above all, he has quenched with the best potion the thirst of the universal lot who believe, or rather know that Rajni's style and class is inimitable. Sivaji is certainly the Boss in Kollywood for many more months to come.
