In what way they are related to each other. You get to know who is Singaar Singh (a fantastic Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Jithu (a terrific Vijay Sethupathi). In the second half, you are shown a flashback of Kaali’s life. Only he can pull off a hostel warden that way.
Rajinikanth is, undoubtedly, back to form with his inimitable style, swag and mannerisms. The storyline revolves around the life of a hostel warden, who has an unforgettable past, and how he takes revenge on those involved in killing his family. Petta promises loads of action and fun-filled moments that any ardent fan of the Superstar could ask for. In swift action and enjoyable not-so-lengthy comedy scenes, the Superstar shines bright, transporting you to the time when he entertained filmgoers of previous generations with clean humour films. Wait for that shot where Kaali says, “veezhvenendru ninaithayo?” (words of Subramania Bharati). What is important is that the filmmaker has written a screenplay that does justice to the Superstar’s stature (which wasn’t the case with Kabali and Kaala), while catering to his loyal fan base. En anubavathula solren.” (Smoking isn’t good for your health, and I’m speaking from my experience). But you wouldn’t have expected Rajinikanth to say, “Cigarette udambukku nalladhu illa. All the familiar swirling of the sunglasses, flipping cigarettes - every quirk of Rajinikanth has been retained. (You look stylish like a young man), and Rajinikanth says, “Style-a irukkena? Naturally!” He does contribute some magic that is hard to explain. You can’t help but smile when Megha Akash says, “Paakradhukku chinnapayyan maadhiri style-a irukeenga. The first half of Petta is a thorough treat, (though it takes time to warm up in the beginning) and you see a jubilant Rajinikanth who dances, laughs, smiles and what not? Karthik Subbaraj has crafted every shot as a die-hard fan of Rajinikanth. We are introduced to Kaali, who tackles college politics and ragging. I wish there were combination scenes for each of them with the Superstar. After many years, you see Y Gee Mahendra (once a regular in Rajinikanth films) again teaming up with the actor (though they have no scenes together), besides Chinni Jayanth and director J Mahendran. Trisha plays Saro, and it is the name of yesteryear actor Madhavi’s role in Thillu Mullu. What is more interesting is Sasikumar’s son is named Anwar (Sanath). Similarly, in Petta, Kaali aka Petta Velan also has a one, Malik (Sasikumar). Remember? Rajinikanth had a Muslim friend in Baashha and his name was Anwar. It was, in fact, considered a ‘revolutionary film’. He was called ‘Kaali’ in J Mahendran’s Mullum Malarum, which turned out to be a milestone in Rajinikanth’s career. Rajinikanth is named Kaali (a hostel warden) in Petta. Most of the scenes, gestures, dialogues and songs remind us of his blockbuster films including Aboorva Ragangal, Baashha, Annamalai, Chandramukhi and so on.Įven the names of the characters are inspired by the actor’s previous films. The director has taken us back to the ‘90s Rajinikanth that we sorely missed for a long time. Petta is a celebration of the man, the Superstar - for whatever he is.
At the audio launch of Petta, Karthik Subbaraj had said this film was made with a lot of love by fans of Rajinikanth and that is true in every sense of the word.