'Lingaa' Review: The Positives and Negatives of the Rajinikanth Starrer

Rating:2.5

Rajinikanth's much awaited film "Lingaa' released on 12 December. Expectations from the superstar's movie are always high and this time too fans were hoping for something spectacular. 

"Lingaa" is a treat for Rajini fans who go to watch his larger than life avatar and antics but the film was missing a good script. The story of the movie had nothing exciting to offer.

The film is set in two eras and revolves around King Lingeshwara and his grandson Lingaa, both played by Rajinikanth. Contemporary character Lingaa is a petty thief who is poor and has disowned his heritage because his grandfather, King Lingeeshwara of Kodayoor (a princely state in British India), did not leave anything for his future generation.  But things change for him when the third generation of the king's subjects call the contemporary Lingaa to save them from the evil curse of a dam built by the king. Rest of the film revolves around how Lingaa understand the value of his royal forefather and he defeats the odds and protects the dam.

The film failed to impress in terms of what was expected from a Rajinkanth - Ravikumar movie, though it was filled with all the required elements of a Rajinikanth movie.

The review of the movie would be incomplete without pointing out the merits and demerits of the film.

POSITIVES

1.Rajinikanth as King Lingeshwara

The film is a complete Rajinikanth movie. Though, Rajini plays a double role in the movie, it is his role as King Lingeshwara, which impresses the most . The style and mannerisms of the star show why he is the ultimate superstar, who can make the impossible look easily plausible. His ability to indulge audiences with his screen presence and stardom is something that only he can offer. 

2. Grandeur of a Rajinikanth Movie

KS Ravikumar has made sure the film has all the grandeur of a big budget Rajini movie. The locations, sets and mass feel of the songs contribute to the feel of a Rajinkanth movie.

3. Cinematography

Cinematography by R Rathnavelu is probably one of the few things that stands out in the movie. He has managed to capture the superstardom of Rajinikanth in the required doses through his shots and angles. His frames contributed well to the narrative style of the movie.

4. Art and the Visual Effects

A special mention has to be made of the art department of the movie for all the sets which made the movie look appealing. The huge sets, especially for the songs and the sequences of King Lingeshwara in the British Period, are commendable.

5. Stunts

Fights and stunts of the film are well choreographed with some fast moves. The computer graphics add to the authenticity of the stunts, especially the fight sequences of King Lingeshwara with bandits on top of a train.

6. Comic Timing of Santhanam and performance of Sonakshi Sinha.

Though, the makers attempt to bring in comedy elements in to the film with some cliché dialogues, it is only Santhanam who offers some relief. His comic timing and dialogues are the only things which saved the script from being a disaster.

Sonakshi Sinha has managed to give a convincing performance in Tamil and looks glamourous.  This might not be her best role but she does stand out after Rajinikanth in the movie.

NEGATIVES

1. Poorly packaged Movie

The film lacked consistency. The songs, fights and even dialogues hit audience by surprise in as they either they came too early or they came too late. The director failed to bring out the emotionl connect and the bond which Lingaa had with King Lingeshwara or his past.

2. A feeble script that was stretched beyond a point

"Lingaa" failed to impress in terms of  scripting. Film was stretched and needed better editing. The extreme lag  in fact spoiled the Rajini effect of the movie. Some unwanted sequences also eroded the smooth flow and narration.

3. Rajinkanth as young contemporary Lingaa

Going with the popular notion that nothing is impossible for Rajinikanth, the film somehow failed to do that. His role as young contemporary Lingaa spoiled the charm of the star. Yes, his sequences had all elements of the "Style Mannan", but looked something that was impossible for him, especially the climax sequences. They would have probably looked more convincing if these scenes were in his previous film "Robot" as you know Rajinikanth plays the role of robot which can do anything.

4. A good star cast which remained unexplored

The film had a good star cast but the script did not allow them to show their prowess. Except for Santhanam, Sonakshi  and Anushka, it felt like the rest of star cast had nothing much to do.

5. Music

The music of the movie did not have anything much to offer in the film.  It did not lift the mood of the film.  Though some songs of the movie like "Mona Gasolina" had earlier received positive reviews, they did not contribute much to the storyline of the movie but looked like  random sequence,s which came from nowhere. AR Rahman's music disappointed.

To conclude, watch it if you are a die-hard Rajinikanth fan, otherwise the film has nothing interesting to offer.