Darbar Movie Review, Rating: 3.5/5
Tamil directors seem to be celebrating Rajinikanth who is nearing his seventies. Darbar is yet another eighties styled Rajini movie after Karthik Subbaraj’s Petta. Here Murugadoss tries to bring out the Rajini fan in him in each and every scene.Aditya Arunachalam (Rajinikanth) who describes himself as a bad cop is after Mumbai drug and women trafficking mafia killing each and everybody in his sight. There is a very long flashback for Aditya to turn into a maniac. His only daughter Valli (Niveda) gets killed by an unknown villain and Aditya is unable to identify who killed her. So he starts eliminating every bad person in the city. The film does justice to the superstar genre, and there are plenty of whistle-worthy moments. These moments are amplified by Anirudh’s grand background score. At most places, the BGM is a variant of the Annamalai BGM composed by Deva. However, usage of silence at a few places could have made it a better experience for the audience.
Lyca Productions Subaskaran presents
‘DARBAR’
CAST: Superstar Rajinikanth ,Nayanthara, Nivetha Thomas, Suniel Shetty ,Yogi Babu, Thambi Ramaiah, Sriman , Prateik Babbar, Jatin Sarna , Nawab Shah, Dalip Tahil
CREW:
Written & Directed by AR Murugadoss
Banner: Lyca Productions
Music: Anirudh Ravichander
Cinematographer: Santosh Sivan ASC. ISC
Editor: A. Sreekar Prasad
Art Direction: T Santhanam
Stunts Choreography: Peter Hein, Ram-Laxman Chella
Dance Choreography: Brinda, Raju Sundaram & Shobi
Lyricist: Vivek
Executive Producer: Sundarraj
Sound Mixing: Suren.G & Alagiakoothan.S
Costume Designers: Niharika Khan, Anu Vardhan
Stills: Sitrarasu
Publicity Designs: Vinci Raj & Kabilan
DI: Prime Focus
VFX: NXGEN Media
Digital Partner: Divo
Music On: Rubax
PRO: Riaz K.Ahmed & Diamond Babu
Streaming Partner: Gaana
Santosh Sivan, who had last worked with Rajini in Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathi has recreated the same magic. Consider Rajini’s introduction scene for instance, where Santosh Sivan brilliantly toys with the lighting to give us frames filled with aesthetics and mass in the right proportion. Like most Murugadoss films, the technical work is solid. The film doesn’t tire you, but a few romantic scenes between Rajini and Nayanthara could have been trimmed to give us a more crisp product.But, the narrative settles after a wobbly start initially. It picks up and maintains a decent pace until the pre-interval. The romantic song followed by the interval block sets the perfect tempo. While it raises the anticipation from the second half, we can also feel a weakened impact. The whole “block” could have had a terrific effect, but we get only a tampered feel of it instead of feeling the entire fire. The second half starts alright. The first shock in the narrative comes when Lilly’s (Nayanthara) brother comes to meet Aditya Arunachalam (Rajinikanth). The conversation is unexpected and takes one by surprise. It is okay. Things get back on track with an action block, but it again slides down. Unfortunately, there is no coming back from this point. The tempo of the movie nosedives entirely in the second half. While there are a couple of fan blocks on the way, the overall narrative never recovers from the fall. The turn taken by AR Murugadoss gives a jarring feeling.
Darbar alters between a masala and mass movie, offering very little substance for the demi-god that is Rajinikanth. It is a yet another depressing case where the star does more to the script than what it does to him. However, here is the flip side to the movie: it is, if anything, a celebration of a man who is nearly 70, and has been entertaining fans for four decades. There is a brief stretch in the second half, where Aaditya literally prepares for the final showdown. This involves Rajinikanth flexing his muscles and lifting heavy weights — reminding you of a dialogue from Padayappa.One really wishes that filmmakers would stop trying to bring back the “old Rajini”.