Title: Annaatthe
Cast: Rajinikanth, Nayanthara, Keerthi Suresh, Meena, Khushboo, Soori, Jagapathi Babu and Prakash Raj
Director: Siva
Rating: 3.5/5
Michael Lachimiah
Annaatthe is Rajinikanth’s 168th movie directed by Siva. The film was two years in the making, due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in India.
This is a mega movie produced by Rajinikanth, Nayanthara, Keerthi Suresh, Meena, Khushboo, Soori, Jagapathi Babu and Prakash Raj, with nearly half of the cost going to Rajnikanth’s salary.
The music score was by D. Imman, cinematography was by Vetri Palanisamy, and Dhilip Subrayen was in charge of the stunt choreography.
Keerthy Suresh, Soori, Nayanthara, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Meena, Kushboo and other supporting actors appear alongside Rajinikanth.
The movie revolves around Kalaiyan, played by Rajinikanth, who is the president of a tightly-knit village community in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, and the undying love he has for his sister, Thanga Meenakshi (played by Keerthi Suresh). She gets married and is forced to settle in Kolkata under rather strange circumstances.
Annaatthe’s central plot revolves around Kalaiyan and his efforts in trying to rescue Thanga from the Kolkata underworld, who are hell-bent on destroying her.
Director Siva succeeds in getting the viewer emotionally involved in the brother-sister relationship.
Rajinikanth has not lost his unique screen presence and charisma, which he uses to his full potential in Annaatthe. The costume and make-up departments deserve special mention as they have gone out of their comfort zone in transforming him into the actor who ruled the screen in the 1990s. His hair and make-up are top class.
He excels in the first-half comedy scenes, which had cinema patrons in stitches. He was ably assisted by comedian Soori, who elicits laughter whenever he appears on screen alongside Rajinikanth. Keerthi Suresh proves yet again why she is the most sought-after actress in India.
Nayanthara plays Rajinikanth’s love interest and she complements the star adequately. Yesteryear heroines Kushboo and Meena add some light comedic relief in the first half. It was a pleasure to watch these two actresses sharing screen space with Rajnikanth after decades.
Stunt choreographer Dhilip Subrayen has learnt the ropes well from his dad Super Subrayen. He has done justice to the action sequences – where the stuntmen were exposed to high-risk fight scenes.
Vetri Palanisamy shows why he is a pro when it comes to capturing the visuals on the big screen – with excellent camera angles, lighting, and filters.
With a run time of just over 2 hours 45 minutes, your eyes are glued to the screen in its entirety thanks to the excellent cinematography.
D Imman’s background score and music with singers Sid Sriram and the late great SPB belting out melodic songs, will bring a lump to your throat when you realise that the opening song by SPB was the last he recorded until his death last year.
Annaatthe is a great family entertainer. It has comedy, action, emotional content, and, of course, the presence of Rajinikanth.
* Lachimiah is an MC and motivational speaker with an interest in Kollywood movies and music.