Review : Lingaa – A Huge Disappointment

Review : Lingaa – A Huge Disappointment

A new Rajinikanth release is like a festival for his millions of fans across the world. There is lots of excitement and hype. Most of his films live up to the expectations and he manages to captivate movie lovers with his sheer charisma and star power. His latest film ‘Lingaa’ has released today in similar circumstances. Can Rajini do it again? Check out our review of the film.

Story :

The movie revolves around a small village named Singanooru and a dam that acts as its lifeline. The MP of the village, Nagabhushanam (played by Jagapathi Babu), has plans to destabilise the dam for his own selfish motives.

A young Rajinikanth is introduced into the story as Lingaa. He is a petty thief who dreams big. He also harbours a lot of resentment towards his grandfather Raja Lingeshwara (Rajinikanth once again), because the Raja leaves his successors penniless.

An unexpected event brings Lingaa to the village of Singanooru and he is tasked with the re-opening of a 70 Year Old Shivalayam that was built by his grandfather, Raja Lingeshwara. Lingaa also learns about the greatness of his grandfather through the village elder (Played by Vishwanadh).

Humbled by the legacy and greatness of his family, Lingaa decides to redeem himself. He learns about the MP’s evil designs and with the help of TV Reporter Lakshmi (Played by Anushka), he exposes the MP’s true colours and saves the dam as well as the village.

That is the story of ‘Lingaa’.

Plus Points :

- Rajinikanth’s stardom and screen presence are the biggest assets for the movie. He has tried his best to shoulder a weak script and his impressive performance in the flashback episode is a testament to his prowess.

- The flashback scenes have been shot well. Though this track is needlessly long, there is some good emotional drama in the proceedings. The art department deserves praise for coming up with some good sets for this flashback episode.

- Cinematography is very good and the visuals look quite rich. Anushka and Sonakshi Sinha have done well, within the small roles that have been written for them.

Minus Points :

- A poor first half and very slow narration never let the film takeoff. The scenes written for the young Rajinikanth are very amateurish and superficial. Rajinikanth’s fans expect a lot of heroism and thrills from their Thalaivar. There are none in the movie. Except for a hair twirl here and there, there are no special mannerisms that are usually found in Rajini’s films.

- The flashback scenes should have been trimmed significantly. The entire episode could have been showcased very elegantly in about 30 minutes. Instead, it is dragged out needlessly.

- A ridiculous climax is the ultimate insult for Rajini’s fans. Sure, Rajinikanth is expected to do impossible feats and spectacular fights. But not like this. Very poor VFX work only makes things worse.

- Though Jagapathi Babu looks good, he has been given a very poorly conceived negative role. Santhanam’s comedy fails to work. Brahmanandam is also wasted in a brief episode that does not elicit much laughter.

The finer Things :

Rahman! Did you really score the music and background score for this film or did you just leave it to your assistants? It is quite hard to believe that Rahman came up with this kind of work. Poor music is a big minus for the movie.

K.S. Ravi Kumar’s direction is bad. He could not handle Rajinikanth’s heroism in the right way and his handling of the story is also quite dated. Cinematography is excellent and the visuals look very rich.

Verdict :

‘Lingaa’ will disappoint fans as well as family crowds alike. It is quite painful to see Rajinikanth in such a poorly conceived role that does not do justice to his image. This is a film that Rajinikanth will probably feel bad about, when he looks back at his career a few years down the line. His super stardom and screen presence are the only reasons why this poorly directed film will make some noise at the Box Office.

Critic’s Rating – 2.5 /5