Warning: Spoilers Ahead

It was a weekend of sorts. A fruitless set of crashes and zilch bug fixes and later, I had called it a week at work. As it happens with “This hasn’t been my week” scenarios, I had decided to fall into the weekend, before forecasting the brunt on Monday. However, the sun-drenched weekend and the company of pals had abetted to fine tune my crushed temperament.

Having traveled a hundred miles and smothered myself with the seldom effective water-proof sunscreen, I was all set to endeavor the crazy rides at the six flags theme park on Saturday. Considering that I was the only dare devil in the group of five, the formidable mammoth-like roller coasters were conveniently ignored, and the day was spent in the gamut of water rides.

Many screeching tube falls and sliding plunges from the air boats and later we had indulged the churned stomachs to some exorbitantly priced mediocre pizza and fries. The zealousness continued with the cascades laden, swamping lazy river ride and hours of fun work outs at the slides and artificial wave pool. The washed-out day, in the literal and figurative sense, had ended with some Boston cream pie flavored ice cream.

We hardly had time to catch up on that beauty sleep, on Sunday morning; when we scurried to find that perfect seat for Rajni’s latest commercial extravagance – “Shivaji”.

Beyond my well adhered cloak of ‘non-Ranji’ frenzy and contestations of the flick being yet another atypical heroism, I had thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie of the much hyped charismatic man.

I couldn’t agree less that the story line was copiously predictable; but how the entire crew had pulled it off is something worth a watch. I am sure that this cannot be written away as another one man show, but a pepped picture with enough to laugh and be absorbed. One can’t miss out the consummate obscenely lavish settings, costumes and the faultless camera and graphics, which is indeed a new high for Kollywood.

Further the crux of the movie did not carry impractical villains born out of vulgar bashing while protecting lady love from unannounced and uncalled for eve teasers. It was a pleasure to watch Vivek hold enough volume of the screen with the domineering man and yet make an impression so bold with his wit and humor alike. The hilarity based on incepts from ‘Chandramukhi’ were a class apart.

It goes without saying that the glamour ingredient provided by Shriya was as flawless as expected and she blends into the ‘sati-savitri’ and ‘ultra-hep’ mode perfectly. Nevertheless, the array of get-ups and strenuous make-up delivered for Rajni were painfully yet wonderfully carried by him. And coming from the maestro himself, the music falls short of his older hits, but as it is about the AR Rahman effect, when the first time you hate the song; second you start to hum it; and by the time you are on the third it simply grows on you!

Apart from the negatives of incongruous spacing of numbers, repugnant commercialization in the first half, banal plot and an unsupportive spouse role of Shriya ; this movie carried everything a Rajni movie is expected to encompass, in terms of ‘style’, ‘humor’, ‘songs’, 'punch dialogs' and the easy heart-felt cheers in the theatre of “Talaivar talaivar taan da!”

End of the movie, I had not fallen prey to Rajni fanatics, but was awed for a moment or two about how the Indian cinema thrives on movies of every class, wit and range; and yet every pic is an entertainer of its own. In an uncanny way, I felt at home and memories of Satyam theatre swept past.

Later, I melted down the nostalgia with some delicious lunch buffet at ‘kabab factory’. The weekend had ended late and my beauty sleep is still pending before I make the tough week tick at work!