
And he gives Rajini fans their Thalaivar in the way they have been dying to see him, celebrating the Rajinisms. What the director brings in are mainly his technical proficiency - there is the unmistakable visual flair, and this is certainly the best looking Rajini film since Thalapathy (Tirru is the cinematographer) - his entire company of actors, and fanboy zeal. Petta is more a Rajini film and less of a Karthik Subbaraj film. And soon, Kaali has to take on Singhar Singh (Nawazuddin Siddique), a right-wing politician, and his violent son, Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi) in Uttar Pradesh. But there is more to him than meets the eye. Kaali (Rajinikanth) joins a college as a hostel warden and sets things in order in his own playful way, playing Cupid to a young couple (Megha Akash and Sanath), romancing the girl's mother (Simran) and putting the rowdy boys, headed by Michael (Bobby Simha) in their place. Petta succeeds where Lingaa failed - it sticks to the formula, but it also makes it feel fresh. But Karthik Subbaraj introduces minor variations into this template and keeps the film from turning predictable. The basic plot is a reinvention of the Superstar's biggest hit - Baashha.

Karthik Subbaraj, a self-confessed, die-hard fan, understands this. where he was an entertainer first that put in a league of his own. It was the films like Murattu Kaalai, Moondru Mugam, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Annamalai, Baashha, and Padayappa.

True, Rajinikanth is a fabulous actor in a certain kind of role, like the ones he played in Mullum Malarum or Aarilirunthu Arupathu Varai, but come on, let's be honest, they are not what made him THE Superstar.

After Endhiran, at the turn of the decade, the Superstar did Kochadaiiyaan, a motion capture animation film Lingaa was a commercial film that turned formula into a parody and of course, Pa Ranjith's Kabali and Kaala, which brought back the actor in him, couldn't decide if they wanted to be a Superstar film or a director's film. Petta Movie Review: The last few years have been unkind to a Rajini fan. Petta Movie Synopsis: A hostel warden becomes the target of a dreaded politician and his gangster son, but little do they realise that it is they who should fear him.
