Rajinikanth brings up Ramar in the climax of Petta, which reminds me how his recent movies have been a kind of a vanavaasam from the masala blockbusters of the previous two decades. Petta serves as a much-needed homecoming to the genre. The first half revels in Rajinikanth and several times, the camera hovers around Rajini as if he is an object of attraction. Much of the first half itself is an opportunity for Rajini to flex his style muscle, where Karthik Subbaraj plays to Rajini's strengths. Even though the film abandons these characters and developments as it pivots at the interval point, it remains engaging into the second half.
Unlike Ranjith, who seemed too overwhelmed collaborating with Rajinikanth, Karthik Subbaraj seems to be at ease with solidly staged scenes, great comedic timing and interesting situations, like how Rajini usurps another character's intro song and makes it his own. He brilliantly uses old songs to set up some scenes. The film itself opens with Vantha Naal Muthal, and then neatly wraps this device into the legend of a Kambili Sithar, to belt out even more song situations (Unnai Ondru Ketpen, Mandhian Enbavan Kadavulagalam, and Malarnthum Malaratha, the song that Jigarthanda opened with). Karthik Subbaraj even manages to indulge. There are appearances by frequent collaborators, a throw back to a character from a previous production, a family member cameo or two, and even a mandatory climatic twist ending. But whether the film ends on a high is a question that remains unresolved, even after a second-time watch.
Karthik Subbaraj to his credit does not sacrifice the craft to accommodate these build up scenes. The film is consistently well made, and some moments stand out. A character is threatened with murder during a scene and Vivek Harshan cuts to the meat - in this case to the dead body at a funeral. The film intelligently uses pan shot: first to build tension in the Valentine's day ambush, for comic effect to portray Simha family's inability to take down Kaali, build up to action sequences. Karthik Subbaraj is able to slow down the moment and emphasise the super-starriness in the exciting pre-interval fight and the even more exciting confrontation at the funeral. When Mahendran is initially opposed to his daughter's proposal, Karthik Subbaraj throws in a quirky shot to underline the kind of bond between the characters. Mahendran is oddly framed alone at one end of the frame in a long shot, while his daughter is missing from the frame. Only after he yields to her wishes, the scene returns to conventional framing. This effective and interesting use of the medium elevates an ordinary scene.
The portions before the interval and flashback feature scenes that are well written, well executed and more or less have the tone for a thriller. Poongodi's elder brother is loud and effective in an impressive cameo. While the actors themselves are really good, the characters are not well written. Siddique plays a character that is inconsistently written, but he is able to channel whatever the plot demands. He even becomes a hyena as he prowls across the screen, countering Rajini's "Adichathu yaaru?" punch dialogue and leaves you primed for the last act.
The last act suffers from two main problems, the first of which is overplotting. Things even turn meta and you see the hero plotting way too much to hoodwink the villains. The film shifts from its men on a mission tone and pivots to sell a story to Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi), in the process loses its rhythm. Vijay Sethupathi is really convincing in the scene he believes this story and manages to compensate for the ordinary writing. Second, the attempt at Rajinisms feel forced and further affects the rhythm.
All of this appears to done to achieve a pay off in terms of a wild and twisted climax. The twist itself is good, Subbaraj plays you very well from the very beginning, and in isolation, the resolution of this thread appeared to be well thought out. But the problem is that Subbaraj treats the UP portion mainly a means to this end. As a result, the emotional stakes and tension built at the end of the flashback dissipate. This becomes more apparent during the second watching, and when the blockbuster twist arrives, it feels forced and out of place.Rajinikanth brings up Ramar in the climax of Petta, which reminds me how his recent movies have been a kind of vanavaasam from the masala blockbusters of the previous two decades. Petta serves as a much-needed homecoming to the genre. The first half revels in Rajinikanth and several times, the camera hovers around Rajini as if he is an object of attraction. Much of the first half itself is an opportunity for Rajini to flex his style muscle where Karthik Subbaraj plays to Rajini's strengths, but the film abandons the characters and development as it pivots at the interval point. Unlike Ranjith, who seemed too overwhelmed collaborating with Rajinikanth, Karthik Subbaraj seems to be at ease with solidly staged scenes, great comedic timing and interesting situations, like how Rajini usurps another characters intro song and makes it his own. He even manages to indulge. He brilliantly uses old songs to set up some scenes. The film itself opens with Vantha Naal muthal, and then neatly wraps this device into the legend of a Kambili Sithar, to belt out even more song situations (Unnai Ondru Ketpen, Mandhian Enbavan Kadavulagalam, and Malarnthum Malaratha, the song that Jigarthanda opened with). There are appearances by frequent collaborators, a throw back to a previous production, a family member cameo or two, and even a mandatory twist ending. Most of these elements work well most of the time. But whether Karthik Subbaraj ends on a high, seems like an unresolved twist. Even after a second-time watch. Karthik Subbaraj to his credit does not sacrifice the craft to accommodate these build up scenes. The film is consistently well made. Some moments stand out. A character is threatened with murder during a scene and Vivek Harshan cuts to the dead body at the funeral. The film intelligently uses pan shot: first to build tension in the Valentine's day ambush, for comic effect to portray Simha family's inability to take down Kaali, build up to action sequences. Karthik Subbaraj is able to slow down the moment and emphasise the super stariness in the exciting pre-interval fight and the even more exciting confrontation at the funeral. In the midst of a conversation with his daughter, Mahendran states why he is opposed to her proposal. At this moment he is framed alone in a long shot, but the composition is odd because he is placed at one end of the frame, whereas the daughter is still outside the frame. He yields to her wishes and you see them together in the next shot. The portions before the interval and flashback feature scenes that are well written, well executed and more or less have the tone for a thriller. Poongodi's elder brother is loud and effective in an impressive cameo. While the actors themselves are really good, the characters are not well written. Siddique plays a character that is inconsistently written, but he is able to channel whatever the plot demands. He even becomes a hyena as he prowls across the screen, countering Rajini's "Adichathu yaaru?" punch dialogue and leaves you primed for the last act. The last act suffers from overplotting, so much so that things turn meta and you see the hero plotting way too much to hoodwink the villains. The film shifts from its men on a mission tone and pivots to sell a story to Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi), and in the process loses its rhythm. Vijay Sethupathi is really convincing in the scene he believes this story and manages to compensate for the ordinary writing. And the Rajinisms feel too forced. Take the attempt at recreating the rolling chair sequence in Baasha. What if you insert a shot to let the villain admire Rajini, ask for a cigarette? What if Rajini provides him one, but not before doing his thing to the cigarette? What about a on-the-fly personalized warning about smoking from the super star? That's how Karthik Subbaraj lets his indulgences go overboard and lets the tension fizzle. All of this appears to done to achieve a pay off in terms of a wild and twisted climax. The twist itself is good, Subbaraj plays you very well from the very beginning. The first time I watched Petta, I got too ahead of the plot, and the resolution of this thread in isolation appears to be well thought out. But the problem is that Subbaraj to an extent treats the UP portion mainly a means to this end. As a result, the emotional stakes and tension built at the end of the flashback dissipate. This becomes more apparent during the second watching, and when the blockbuster twist arrives, it feels forced and out of place. Rajinikanth brings up Ramar in the climax of Petta, which reminds me how his recent movies have been a kind of vanavaasam from the masala blockbusters of the previous two decades. Petta serves as a much-needed homecoming to the genre. The first half revels in Rajinikanth and several times, the camera hovers around Rajini as if he is an object of attraction. Much of the first half itself is an opportunity for Rajini to flex his style muscle where Karthik Subbaraj plays to Rajini's strengths, but the film abandons the characters and development as it pivots at the interval point. Unlike Ranjith, who seemed too overwhelmed collaborating with Rajinikanth, Karthik Subbaraj seems to be at ease with solidly staged scenes, great comedic timing and interesting situations, like how Rajini usurps another characters intro song and makes it his own. He even manages to indulge. He brilliantly uses old songs to set up some scenes. The film itself opens with Vantha Naal muthal, and then neatly wraps this device into the legend of a Kambili Sithar, to belt out even more song situations (Unnai Ondru Ketpen, Mandhian Enbavan Kadavulagalam, and Malarnthum Malaratha, the song that Jigarthanda opened with). There are appearances by frequent collaborators, a throw back to a previous production, a family member cameo or two, and even a mandatory twist ending. Most of these elements work well most of the time. But whether Karthik Subbaraj ends on a high, seems like an unresolved twist. Even after a second-time watch. Rajinikanth brings up Ramar in the climax of Petta, which reminds me how his recent movies have been a kind of vanavaasam from the masala blockbusters of the previous two decades. Petta serves as a much-needed homecoming to the genre. The first half revels in Rajinikanth and several times, the camera hovers around Rajini as if he is an object of attraction. Much of the first half itself is an opportunity for Rajini to flex his style muscle where Karthik Subbaraj plays to Rajini's strengths, but the film abandons the characters and development as it pivots at the interval point. Unlike Ranjith, who seemed too overwhelmed collaborating with Rajinikanth, Karthik Subbaraj seems to be at ease with solidly staged scenes, great comedic timing and interesting situations, like how Rajini usurps another characters intro song and makes it his own. He even manages to indulge. He brilliantly uses old songs to set up some scenes. The film itself opens with Vantha Naal muthal, and then neatly wraps this device into the legend of a Kambili Sithar, to belt out even more song situations (Unnai Ondru Ketpen, Mandhian Enbavan Kadavulagalam, and Malarnthum Malaratha, the song that Jigarthanda opened with). There are appearances by frequent collaborators, a throw back to a previous production, a family member cameo or two, and even a mandatory twist ending. Most of these elements work well most of the time. But whether Karthik Subbaraj ends on a high, seems like an unresolved twist. Even after a second-time watch. Karthik Subbaraj to his credit does not sacrifice the craft to accommodate these build up scenes. The film is consistently well made. Some moments stand out. A character is threatened with murder during a scene and Vivek Harshan cuts to the dead body at the funeral. The film intelligently uses pan shot: first to build tension in the Valentine's day ambush, for comic effect to portray Simha family's inability to take down Kaali, build up to action sequences. Karthik Subbaraj is able to slow down the moment and emphasise the super stariness in the exciting pre-interval fight and the even more exciting confrontation at the funeral. In the midst of a conversation with his daughter, Mahendran states why he is opposed to her proposal. At this moment he is framed alone in a long shot, but the composition is odd because he is placed at one end of the frame, whereas the daughter is still outside the frame. He yields to her wishes and you see them together in the next shot. The portions before the interval and flashback feature scenes that are well written, well executed and more or less have the tone for a thriller. Poongodi's elder brother is loud and effective in an impressive cameo. While the actors themselves are really good, the characters are not well written. Siddique plays a character that is inconsistently written, but he is able to channel whatever the plot demands. He even becomes a hyena as he prowls across the screen, countering Rajini's "Adichathu yaaru?" punch dialogue and leaves you primed for the last act. The last act suffers from overplotting, so much so that things turn meta and you see the hero plotting way too much to hoodwink the villains. The film shifts from its men on a mission tone and pivots to sell a story to Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi), and in the process loses its rhythm. Vijay Sethupathi is really convincing in the scene he believes this story and manages to compensate for the ordinary writing. And the Rajinisms feel too forced. Take the attempt at recreating the rolling chair sequence in Baasha. What if you insert a shot to let the villain admire Rajini, ask for a cigarette? What if Rajini provides him one, but not before doing his thing to the cigarette? What about a on-the-fly personalized warning about smoking from the super star? That's how Karthik Subbaraj lets his indulgences go overboard and lets the tension fizzle. All of this appears to done to achieve a pay off in terms of a wild and twisted climax. The twist itself is good, Subbaraj plays you very well from the very beginning. The first time I watched Petta, I got too ahead of the plot, and the resolution of this thread in isolation appears to be well thought out. But the problem is that Subbaraj to an extent treats the UP portion mainly a means to this end. As a result, the emotional stakes and tension built at the end of the flashback dissipate. This becomes more apparent during the second watching, and when the blockbuster twist arrives, it feels forced and out of place. Karthik Subbaraj to his credit does not sacrifice the craft to accommodate these build up scenes. The film is consistently well made. Some moments stand out. A character is threatened with murder during a scene and Vivek Harshan cuts to the dead body at the funeral. The film intelligently uses pan shot: first to build tension in the Valentine's day ambush, for comic effect to portray Simha family's inability to take down Kaali, build up to action sequences. Karthik Subbaraj is able to slow down the moment and emphasise the super stariness in the exciting pre-interval fight and the even more exciting confrontation at the funeral. In the midst of a conversation with his daughter, Mahendran states why he is opposed to her proposal. At this moment he is framed alone in a long shot, but the composition is odd because he is placed at one end of the frame, whereas the daughter is still outside the frame. He yields to her wishes and you see them together in the next shot. The portions before the interval and flashback feature scenes that are well written, well executed and more or less have the tone for a thriller. Poongodi's elder brother is loud and effective in an impressive cameo. While the actors themselves are really good, the characters are not well written. Siddique plays a character that is inconsistently written, but he is able to channel whatever the plot demands. He even becomes a hyena as he prowls across the screen, countering Rajini's "Adichathu yaaru?" punch dialogue and leaves you primed for the last act. The last act suffers from overplotting, so much so that things turn meta and you see the hero plotting way too much to hoodwink the villains. The film shifts from its men on a mission tone and pivots to sell a story to Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi), and in the process loses its rhythm. Vijay Sethupathi is really convincing in the scene he believes this story and manages to compensate for the ordinary writing. And the Rajinisms feel too forced. Take the attempt at recreating the rolling chair sequence in Baasha. What if you insert a shot to let the villain admire Rajini, ask for a cigarette? What if Rajini provides him one, but not before doing his thing to the cigarette? What about a on-the-fly personalized warning about smoking from the super star? That's how Karthik Subbaraj lets his indulgences go overboard and lets the tension fizzle. All of this appears to done to achieve a pay off in terms of a wild and twisted climax. The twist itself is good, Subbaraj plays you very well from the very beginning. The first time I watched Petta, I got too ahead of the plot, and the resolution of this thread in isolation appears to be well thought out. But the problem is that Subbaraj to an extent treats the UP portion mainly a means to this end. As a result, the emotional stakes and tension built at the end of the flashback dissipate. This becomes more apparent during the second watching, and when the blockbuster twist arrives, it feels forced and out of place.
