Movie Review: Kochadaiiyaan

Director: Soundarya Rajnikanth Ashwin

Cast: Rajinikanth, Deepika Padukone, Nasser and Jackie Shroff



So what was the need for a mega budget animated 3D film with Superstar Rajinikanth? As director Soundarya Rajnikanth Ashwin puts it in a pre-movie build up scene, it’s homage to 100 Years of Indian Cinema. It’s an ode from possibly the biggest star of Indian movies to the Indian film industry and its fans. It’s a celebratory mark to all that we’ve come to love and respect in our films. Icing on the proverbial cake is, they've employed the world class technique of motion capture in making this movie. It’s the same technology the west uses while making big ticket productions like Peter Jackson's Hobbit or James Cameron's Avatar. Essentially this film is attempting to put us on the same pedestal as Hollywood. But bridging the proverbial gap is a mammoth ambition. One where even the god-like Rajinikanth stumbles.

For starters comparing Kochadaiiyaan to an Avatar or The Hobbit wouldn't be fair. Not because there's a qualitative difference between us and the west. Because they're not the same kind of films. Cameron's and Jackson's films or for that matter the recently released Godzilla movie are all live action films with stand alone CGI effects. Kochadaiiyaan is an all out animated film. It would be fair to compare it with the likes of Steven Spielberg's Tintin movie. These are the sort of movies where you have to digitally create not just characters but locations, sets, props and even clothes. And yet you have to retain the physical qualities of your actors. Semantics aside, after all comparisons Kochadaiiyaan doesn't quite make the world class cut that it aspires for. But it does become one of the most engaging and detailed animated films to come out of our country. Its 3D is not just effective but at times extremely exciting. The opening credits sequence is just mind blowing.

But the technical aesthetics are grossly inconsistent. Even though the movement of the characters feels authentic, you really feel as if Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone are on screen and not their digital renditions. There's something missing. The level of detail, the way the hair falls and flows, the detail in the background or the way the second character movements are portrayed seem a generation old. That jaded sense of animation really hurts Kochadaiiyaan. If only that had been taken care of, this film had all the trappings of a top of the line product. Even so, there a few scenes that just make you marvel. Scenes where Rajinikanth dances Tandav and the following fight sequence on an armada of boats are top notch. Even the songs between Deepika and Rajinikanth show masterful technique in capturing real life motion and body nuances. Pity then that the rest of the film has such amateur technique.

This is also a Rajinikanth movie and if the past is anything to go by, reams of logic can be left redundant in front of the charisma of the star. But then there’s a difference here. It’s not technically the real Rajni but a mere digital incarnation. Yes he walks like the real man, talks like the real man, but he looks like computer product. It’s just not the same feeling. The same sense of underwhelm hits with Deepika Padukone too. She looks ethereally gorgeous on screen, but her avatar in Kochadaiiyaan isn’t as pretty as the real woman. 

Despite the apparent differences there is so much this film has in common with a quintessential Indian film. There are exotic dance numbers, excellently crafted music by AR Rahman, exhilarating fights, vengeance drama and Manmohan Desai style lost and found themes. If this were a regular masala movie, you’d have to throw a fistful of coins at the screen. It’s a jaded thought, but it also signifies old school entertainment and that’s what Kochadaiiyaan serves up plentiful.

If you are Rajni fan, you have a treat in stored in the climax. There’s promise of a kickass sequel too. All said and done, for best results take it all with a pinch of salt.