The question over another character’s parentage is, you could say, Thalapathy. His character’s tendency to avoid melodrama - even in the face of a threat to his life - and quiet demeanour could well be an ode to his style of filmmaking. Oh, and quite naturally, Mahendran’s been cast in this film, in a noticeably quiet role. The anonymity of his parents, his very name, and the darkness at the heart of his character is all Mullum Malarum. Kaali’s childlike playfulness in love is reminiscent of, well, you only need to take your pick from a long list of Rajinikanth films. The latter may as well have channelled the inner Abbas in him and said, “What a man!” as Kaali dispatches those in his way. When driven by the desire to eliminate a long-term enemy, he takes with him an overawed youngster (Sananth). Kaali’s thirst for vengeance got me thinking of Polladhavan. “Nallavanaa irukkalaam, romba nallavana irukka koodadhu ,” he says more than once. I instantly thought of Manickam telling his sister, “Unakku seat-u kadachaachi !” in Baasha. “ Velai kadachaachi !” he says, ending the word with ‘ chi’, not ‘ chu’, in his inimitable way.
It’s an exercise in rekindling nostalgia, of getting to see it all come together just one more time. This film is about recreation - of all that we were charmed by the actor for more than two decades. Petta isn’t about reinterpreting the Superstar, or facilitating his transformation into something else. Perhaps it’s not exactly healthy - this worship of an individual, but it’s impossible to curtail your grin right from when the Superstar credits begin rolling, powered by the famous Annamalai music.Īnirudh’s remix of this track may have become popular, but Karthik Subbaraj doesn’t bite into it for the opening credits. Karthik Subbaraj makes this abundantly clear with a disclaimer before the film begins, in which he dedicates the film to Rajinikanth, and credits him for being his inspiration. The film’s a highlight reel, a paean to the Rajinikanth many of us grew up adoring. Petta is Karthik Subbaraj reminding us that the Superstar hasn’t fallen. The question assumes even more relevance when you glance at the preceding lines of this Bharathiyar poem, which go: “ Narai koodi kizha paruvam eidhi, kodum kootruk kiraiyenappin maayum, pala vedikkai manidharai pole naan veezhven endre ninaithayo ?”, which roughly translates to, “Like those aging, with greying hair, who suffer the fate of death, did you think I, like contemptible people, will fall?”
Right at the beginning of Petta, Karthik Subbaraj has Kaali (Rajinikanth) ask, “ Naan veezhven endru ninaithaayo ?”, as a seeming riposte to any doubts over his dwindling superstardom. Kaala and Kabali weren’t too interested in deifying the actor - and for many of us, it was a relief, considering how films like Lingaa and Kochadaiyaan seemed to suggest that perhaps it was time for the focus to be finally shifted to the terrific actor in Rajinikanth who has always gone under-appreciated, thanks to the blinding radiance of his star appeal. 2.0 wasn’t exactly an example to show otherwise. The halo around Rajinikanth, the star, seemed to be on a bit of a wane, it must be said.
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