Executed in a hurry

Fans are angry over Lingaa, but nobody can save a film with weak content

A fan celebrating in front of a poster of 'Lingaa'

A reliable source narrated a believable snippet in the aftermath to the tepid box-office response received by Manmadhan Ambu . When distraught distributors approached the director Ravikumar for help he dismissed them saying, “I didn’t direct the film. Go ask Kamal.” The director later was at the receiving end of a telephonic verbal lashing from the hero. Kamal’s key point was why Ravikumar didn’t acknowledge that he ghost directed their previous efforts like Tenali , Avvai Shanmughi , Panchathanthiram and Dashavatharam which were all blockbusters. Who will Ravikumar blame for the lackadaisical response that Lingaa has received? Will it be the writer P. Kumaran or the superstar himself for enthusiastically green signalling the project in a hurry. When I once asked Kamal about accusations of his being a ‘closet’ director he replied, “I have to step in when I sense ineptness. Ultimately, it’s my neck on the line.”

Lingaa was a film planned and executed in a raging hurry and it shows. The superstar was forced to don grease paint even before a comfortable period of convalescence. Reliable rumours suggest Rajni was haunted by the losses the aborted Sultan, Rana and the stillborn Kochadaiyan suffered. He offered his longtime friend Rockline Venkatesh the mantle of producer and hired Ravikumar known not to waste time or money and with whom he’s produced box-office bonanzas. The buzz in the trade increased when Ratnavelu and Rahman were signed. Another Padayappa was foreseen by fans. Rajni wanted the film to be completed in six months and it was. The film was reportedly snapped up for a whopping Rs. 130 crore by Eros International who in turn sold it to various distributors. The budget of the film is said to be less than half of that, of course without Rajni’s remuneration. Expectations spiralled skywards with the superstar looking dapper in posters. There were around 300 shows on the first day in Bangalore alone. For the first time, multiplexes had early morning shows. A fan flew to Chennai because he wanted to catch the 2 a.m. show. A call early in the morning was from a disappointed fan during the interval hoping fervently for better fare in the latter half.

“I’m a puppet of my fans,” Amitabh Bachchan told me on the sets of

Inquilab . Yes, stars are puppets on a string manipulated by admirers with unreal expectations. The flipside is that fans alone, however large in number can never ensure the success of a superstar’s film. It’s after the fanatics have cried themselves hoarse, when the common man with no expectations start trickling in that a film can be declared a hit. Also God forbid the fate of the film when the diehard fan is disappointed. That’s what has happened with

Lingaa . They’re not blaming the superstar but have turned their ire towards a hapless Ravikumar. The fact remains that nobody can save a film with weak content.

The premise holds promise but you can see that ample time has not been invested in the screenplay and dialogues. The duration of a film is never a problem till you start looking at your watch. Scenes seem stretched till you squirm. Rajni looks uneasy as the petty thief, a role he’s played with élan in films like

Guru Sishyan . It’s in the pre-independence days, in the role of a selfless king that the superstar is in form. Again there’re lengthy scenes which convey very little but the characterisation befits the star’s image. Yes, the flamboyance is fading. The panther like gait has slowed down a shade and the dialogue delivery lacks the characteristic punch but the charisma remains unmatched and inexplicable. A strong protagonist needs a worthy antagonist who will test his abilities, physical and mental. That’s what is missing in Lingaa . Rajni seems to be fighting fate rather than a wily foe. Rahman’s songs and background score are unbelievably prosaic. It’s only Ratnavelu and Sabu Cyril’s work that stands out given the constraints. All said and done you can’t imagine enduring this film without the superstar’s presence. It’s the film that disappoints.

The fare does justice, neither to his immense talent nor his unmatched popularity. A friend of mine, a loyal fan said he rushed home after Lingaa and watched Shivaji simply to forget the film. If only more time had been invested and a more relevant subject chosen nobody would have minded waiting. He does not have to struggle to look young or romance girls his daughter’s age. I’d like to watch him in films like Taken or the recent Denzel Washington starrer, Equalizer .

“I’ve not failed. I’ve only postponed success,” says Rajni in the film. I hope he’s called director Shanker. Take your time but make the wait worthwhile.

sshivu@yahoo.com