Young Rana, the son of Kochadaiiyaan, from Kottaipattinam is separated from his brother & gets caught up in a waterfall. He ends up in enemy country, Kalingapuri where his strength and valor takes him up the ranks and is eventually grandly coronated as the commander-in-chief of Kalingapuri by the King Raja Mahendra. Rana presents the idea of inducting the soldiers of Kottaipattinam, who are imprisoned as slaves, into their army which would give them enough might to take on the massive Kottaipattinam army. Only later does the King realize there is more to Rana’s words than that meets the eye.
Language:
Tamil
Running Time:
124 min
Rating:
U
Release date:
23 May 2014
Directed by:
Soundarya R. Ashwin
Produced by:
Sunil Lulla
Sunanda Murali Manohar
Prashita Chaudhary
Written by:
K. S. Ravikumar
Starring:
Rajinikanth
Deepika Padukone
R. Sarathkumar
Aadhi
Shobana
Jackie Shroff
Nassar
Music by:
A. R. Rahman
Shot by:
Rajiv Menon
Editing by:
Anthony
Distributed by:
Eros International

What’s Hot

  • Hats off the Superstar for giving us two films back-to-back (Enthiran & Kochadaiiyaan) that are not strictly mainstream. Whether he did it at the behest of his daughter or out of his own will, credit should be given where it is due. For the man who was and still is the master of masala entertainers, it takes a lot of guts and conviction to back such projects in spite of the incessant criticism even his die-hard fans subject him to for taking up a varied premise.
  • Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin has been the target of numerous memes & hate-mails for her animation work in the past but in her first film as a director, she shines and her conviction in making this film work is really appreciable. She has harnessed the best out of the actors and masters like K.S.Ravikumar & A.R.Rahman to translate her vision on screen.
  • When compared to the other actors, particular attention has been given to Rajini’s styling and looks and the effort shows as he looks a million bucks on screen. Also, his reverberating magnetic voice which still puts the audience in a spell is captivating as ever. The audiences go ballistic whenever he mouths a punch dialogue. Such is the Superstar’s aura.
  • It would have been extremely different for the plethora of actors involved in the film to act without donning the actual costumes or being in an actual setting. But it does not show, as everyone’s character has some purposeful lines and there is no wasted character. The re-creation of the late comedian Nagesh, is effective and due credit to ‘Nagesh’ Krishnamurthy for dubbing the legend’s voice perfectly.
  • Ace film-maker K.S.Ravikumar shows his experience and class in his powerful lines and taut screenplay that make the film work. Generally, in a quintessential Rajini film one doesn’t expect a complex plot, but in Kochadaiiyaan there is a strong story-line and it is never predictable.
  • The exterior visuals such as shots of the palace and war sequences look spectacular. The action sequences have been choreographed brilliantly and the VFX plays a vital part. The strength of this medium of animation is evident in such cases where a grandeur is required at a minimum budget.
  • After Jodhaa Akbar, this was a rare chance for A.R.Rahman to score in a grand period setting and he has grabbed the opportunity with glee. His score accentuates the Superstar ‘Mass’ factor and his part in the success of this project is equal to that of K.S.Ravikumar.

What’s Not

  • It is safe to say that in spite of the attractive choreography, songs with dance or romance cannot be translated effectively in the motion capture medium. Especially the song featuring Deepika Padukone that comes right after the interval has been very poorly placed. Montage songs alone can work.
  • Except for Rajini, the facial close-ups of other actors do leave a sour-taste and even though that is primarily due to lack of budget, it has to be called a negative until the audience embraces the medium fully.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

With a well-crafted script, aided by fantastic music, grand visuals, impactful dialogues and the presence of ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth, Kochadaiiyaan is a winner all the way. One fervently hopes that people embrace this medium and raise their voice to make the possible sequel probable.