3 / 4 STARS
DIRECTOR: K.S. RAVIKUMAR
ACTORS: RAJINIKANTH, ABBAS
ACTRESS: SOUNDARYA, RAMYAKRISHNAN
MUSIC DIRECTOR: A.R. RAHMAN
STORYLINE:
Rajinikanth plays Padayappa, a student who comes back to his hometown. Here, in this town, his father (Sivaji Ganesan) rules the roost and makes decisions on love marriages. Padayappa's uncle (Manivannan), meanwhile, is planning to steal the family wealth. On top of that, Padayappa's 'morru ponnu' (Ramyakrishnan) is a commandeering man-hater who falls in love with him.
Padayappa rejects Neelambiri's love, and falls for a peasant girl (Soundarya) instead, inviting Neelambiri's wrath. Neelambiri locks herself in a room, building up her rage. At this point Manivannan takes Padayappa's family's wealth and kicks them out onto the street. Unable to leave the home he grew up in, Sivaji Ganesan dies on its steps.
Padayappa, by some stroke of luck, gains a fortune (a piece of barren land he was given has granite on it), and works hard for the entire town. He gains a good reputation, marries Soundarya, and has a good life. He devotes his life to the good of others. He has two teenage daughters.
At this point, Neelambiri exits from hiding and hatches a plan to destroy Padayappa, a plan involving her nephew (Abbas) and one of Padayappa's daughters.
COMMENTS:
Oh no. I can't believe it. A Rajinikanth movie takes 7 Subash Award nominations and a 3 / 4 on the rating scale. Believe me, I am NOT a Rajinikanth fan. I hated "Annamalai," "Arunachalam," "Basha," "Muthu," and a lot of others-- hated them fervently. And at first look, I hated "Padayappa" too.
Padayappa has the usual Rajinikanth masala, making him seem like a god instead of a man (At the end, he even manages to throw a "velu" so that it does a three-sixty in the air and lands on its end). It also has a lot of the usual political propaganda. The storyline is not very special and sometimes borders on the ridiculous (ex. Neelambiri locking herself in a room for that many years or Sivaji Ganesan's ghost making sure Padayappa doesn't unwittingly give away the granite).
So why the three out of four? The seven Academy Award nominations? Well I really hate to admit it but Padayappa was a very fun movie to watch. It's filled with the one-liners kids will be uttering in Tamil Nadu for ages -- or until the next Rajinikanth movie, anyway, the music is brilliant ("Kikku Aerudae" is nothing short of awesome), the comedy is funny, and the acting is very very well done, especially on the part of Ramyakrishnan who makes a ludicrous role seem all-too-believable.
OK, so it's political. But hey, it's entertaining.
NOTE ON THE MUSIC:
Some great great music from the music director who's rocked the nation in the past year: A.R. Rahman. "Empearu Padayappa," "Sutthi Sutthi Vandhiga," "Kikku Aerudae," "Minsara Pooveae," and "Valkaiyil 1000" are all great songs destined to pick you up off your feet with their rousing beat.
RECOMMENDATION:
If you're a Rajinikanth fan, definitely watch it in the theater. Some people say the effect of the colors and the music is not as powerful in video format, but for us non-Rajinikanth-fans, I think video format is just fine.
VIJAY VANNIARAJAN