Lingaa Review

What is it all about?

Magnum Opus or Magnum oops.. fuss. The Hindi (dubbed) version of superstar’s most awaited avatar in flesh and bones after the ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ motion capture got released today and sadly even for his Hindi speaking fans ‘Lingaa’ is a badly dubbed disappointing super mess.. a waste of enormous resources and the big screen magician called Rajinikanth.

An incoherent waste of super talents ‘Lingaa’ is a non conceptualized (at the story screenplay level), muddled insipid celebration of the phenomenon called Rajinikanth that stumbles due to weak storyline by Pon Kumaran and feeble direction by KS Ravikumaran.

The Hindi version is trimmed making it 2 hours 27 seven minutes from the original 3 hours from the Tamil, Telugu versions but still it feels long and boring even the heroics of superstar couldn’t save ‘Lingaa’ from disappointment.

Further the magic and charm of ‘Thalaiva’ is below the expectations (maybe because they have trimmed superstars OTT scenes believing that Rajini form of worship is different in North..now God knows who gave them such an idea to reduce the only saving grace and reason to watch ‘Lingaa’).

Ravikumar and Rajini come together again for another double for Rajiniknath who plays a father and grandson.  With nothing much to distinguish between them apart from costumes and the moustache fickle.

It’s circa 1939 India is fighting its freedom from the British. A civil engineer and a Maharaja (Raja Lingeswaran) enters a village harassed by nature comes as its Collector. The people fetch their water by stopping passing trains.

A demand for a dam to make their life better falls on British establishment’s deaf years.  Raja Lingeswaran takes charge of the dam and manages to defeat all odds to make a strong dam, but in the bargain Raja Lingeswaran is stripped from his palace, land and the temple as the Englishman plays dirty tricks and is able to label Raja Lingeswaran as a traitor.

Its 2014 and Rajai’s grandson Lingaa (of course the superstar again) is a smart thief. Circumstances lead Lingaa to the village where he has to come back and reopen the temple which the villagers have shut as a self imposed punishment after realizing their mistake of misjudging Raja Lingeswaran.

Unaware of this fact Lingaa reaches the village and how circumstances play a part in the transformation of Lingaa who like his grandfather once again saves the village, the damn, the temple and its people from another treachery.. This time by a local politician.

Superstar is terrific and his fans will enjoy him but sadly not the film. Its Rajini mania only that stays beyond the film and its disappointing special effects.

The ladies do their part well. Sonakshi in her Tamil debut impresses and Anushka manages to have her say in the movie dominated by Rajinikanth.

Other technicalities minus CGI are apt. production values are fabulous. The dubbing is poor and doesn,t match the lip sync. AR Rrahman’s music doesn,t provide any inspiration either.

Conclusion: 'Lingaa' - with the resources it had it must have being in a league of its own but sadly this disappoints even after falling in the superstar and his fans comfort zone.