Kochadaiyaan – Movie Review

Cast : Rajinikanth, Deepika Padukone, Sarath Kumar, Jackie Shroff, Shobana, Aadhi, Naaser, Rukmani, Nagesh & Others. 

Music : AR Rahman

Lyrics : Vaalee, Vairamuthu

Cinematography : Rajiv Menon

Editing : Anthony

Sound Designer : Resul Pookuty

Story – Screenplay : KS Ravikumar

Directon : Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin

Produced by : Sunil Lulla, Sunanda Murali Manohar, Prashita Chaudhary

Banner : Eros International & Media One Global

Release Date : 23-05-2014 

Duration : 01:50:08 

Kochadaiyaan Movie Review Rating : 3.5/5

From a spectacular 45 second teaser named ‘Sultan The Warrior’ that came along with ‘Sivaji The Boss’ in 2007 to writing Kochadaiiyaan movie review now seven years later, the evolution of this 130 crore magnum-opus is a phenomenal story in itself.

Kochadaiiyaan is technically ambitious, aesthetically appealing, visually striking and scarcely unimaginative, all at the same time. The film opens with a short 3 minute primer by Latha Rajinikanth that takes you through the process behind performance capture technology and facial rigging of 3d models aimed at starters and unexampled movie goers.

Simply put, Kochadaiiyaan is a revenge saga. It’s about how the valiant king Rana restores his father Kochadaiiyaan’s dream and lost glory. It’s quite surprising to think of AR Rahman in a narrator role introducing the story to us with his perfect diction. The digital model of Rajinikanth, though a far cry from the real flesh and blood Rajinikanth, takes some time to getting used to in the beginning of the film. But, KS Ravikumar’s engaging story-line and narration keeps the ball rolling and establishes the characters in a neat manner.

The output of the motion capture technique is truly amazing. The interesting fact is that the majestic sets, imperial artworks and gorgeous stage setups have come out extremely good than the real characters in the film. It’s is also a thing to worry about. The film’s story demands conviction and investment in characters which is quite hard and unmanageable with the poor rendering of animated characters. That Kochadaiiyaan is made within 1/10th of Avatar’s  budget doesn’t justify the glitches that leave the audiences appalling.

The asset of Rajinikanth is his immaculate screen presence. Thankfully, Thalaivar’s immortal walk and his idiosyncrasies have been rendered perfectly on screen, which is enough for the ardent and hot-blooded fans who worship him as their idol to root for. AR Rahman’s background score is thumping and sublime and sets the tone for the period setting of the film.

The amount of rich and ingenious detailing infused into scenes capturing the film’s backdrop and milieu is somewhat overlooked in the characters of the film, which is an evident letdown and a telling disappointment.

However, Soundarya Rajinikanth’s dauntless and audacious attempt is as equivalent as the valiant attempt Rajinikanth undertakes in the film to restore his father’s lost glory. She will be remembered by the history books for opening new avenues of film-making rather than being written as ‘Rajinikanth’s daughter.’

The end credits of the film comes with a surprise note – “Thodarum!“

Film’s Highlights

• The most heartening take-away of the film is bringing back the immortal late Nagesh on screen
• Rajinikanth’s spectacular ‘Rudra Thaandavam’ performance is a delight to watch, goosebumps guaranteed
• Deepika Padukone’s fiercely staged fight sequence – thanks to the performance capture technology. Even a digitally rendered Deepika Padukone is shown in a cleavage revealing dress, wonder why!
• ‘Idhayam’ is the standout number among the song. It’s grandly conceived and looks brilliant on screen.
• Watch out for Thalaivar’s epic dialogues!

Follow @MadrasBachelor