Darbar

A personality who is being cherished by three different generations and being celebrated as a ‘superstar’ even today is something phenomenal. It is also something unique and Kollywood is lucky to experience this phenomenon in the name of ‘Rajnikanth’. We’ve seen him rise and fall, not only in his movies but in his real-life too and how he makes a comeback justifies the superstardom that he has rightfully earned.

Rajni’s latest, ‘Darbar’ is directed by another blockbuster specialist, AR Murugadoss. I had my doubts when I heard the director’s name when the film was announced, as Murugadoss suffers from poor consistency in giving hits. His films cater to the masses and he has the potential to churn out a hit. Sometimes he goes overboard and repetitive. However, with films like Ramana, Ghajini, and Thuppaaki under his belt, he is more than capable of handling a ‘superstar’ film!

Darbar is the story of IPS Adhithya Arunachalam (Rajni), who goes on an encounter spree to avenge for his daughter’s (Nivetha Thomas) death. There’s a happy backstory and an action-filled present story that had ample doses of masala with action and sentiment sprinkled all over the proceedings.

HITS:

1. The obvious charisma laced style and swag of superstar - as he says that 70 years is just a number and it's all in the head that counts.


2. The story that acknowledges superstar’s age - though there were some romantic escapades between Rajni and Nayanthara, we were thankfully spared from any nonsensical and detailed romance. The story had some brains in acknowledging the age factor of the superstar, which came across well.


3. The father and daughter sentiments between Rajni and Nivedha worked out like a charm.


4. Railway station action block - the style and swag have been very well leveraged and this particular action block with a song was a treat for the fans.


5. Anirudh’s scintillating music and BGM are a pillar of strength for the movie.

MISSES:

1. One man army - though it is a superstar film, we don’t get the hang of it until the flashback kicks in as the logic went for a toss.


2. People like Yogi Babu and Nayanthara were forgotten conveniently at various points and we realize that they are in the movie once they reappear at the end.


3. The villains - Sunil Shetty and Nawab Shah were puppets. Their charisma was no match for the superstar.


4. Rajni flexing his abs in the second half was an eyesore and required some serious fan worship to walk over that particular scene.


5. AR Murugadoss’s recurring patterns from his previous movies:




1. Rajni gets mentally disturbed after the loss of his daughter and goes on a rampage - draws a parallel to ‘Ghajini’, where Suriya ‘forgets’ and goes on a rampage to avenge for his girlfriend’s death.


2. Database matching technique to find out the villain and his background - used in ‘Ramana’ to find out the revolutionary hero and his past students.


3. Villain's son dies, thereby provoking him - in 'Ramana' it was the famous scene where doctors treat the dead for money and in 'Darbar', it is due to an identity exchange.

Like any other previous Rajni movie, this too serves as a treat for the superstar fans. AR Murugadoss has done full justice as a fan himself. Some questionable logical loopholes and scenes test our rationale. However, we tend to fall for the stylish swag of the septuagenarian as the 'bad cop' in the first half and the 'mad cop' in the second!