Former jailer Tiger Muthuvel Pandiyan (Rajinikanth) is now a family man. He participates in basic household tasks and spends his days creating YouTube movies with his grandson while also buying produce at the neighborhood market. Police officer Vasanth Ravi, who is Muthuvel’s son, goes missing while trying to track down a group of idol thieves. When the news of his passing is announced, Muthuvel’s wife (Ramya Krishnan) attributes the mess to his straightforward upbringing. Muthuvel, a grieving father, sets out to exact revenge on his son’s killer.
The film’s two hours and forty minutes require some establishing footage. The pace doesn’t increase for more than 40 minutes. This film lacks the cathartic experience provided by the mass introduction sequence that is a staple of every Rajnikanth production. It turns into a Nelson movie at this point. However, the second half’s mass scenes and interval make up for it. Director Nelson, whose most recent feature film was Beast, comes back with his distinctive style of filmmaking, which has a first half filled with subtly humorous dark humor. The first half is actually saved by the humorous banter between Yogi Babu and Rajinikanth. The second half starts off strong with a number of large-scale moments, particularly when the narrative jumps in time to reveal a peek at Muthuvel’s past, but it quickly runs out of steam and leads to a drawn-out, albeit mildly monotonous, and unsatisfying ending.
The movie lacks logic, just like a number of Rajinikanth films in the past. For those who are familiar with Nelson’s prior films and can understand Tamil, the dark humor works effectively. The gags, however, might not translate well into other languages since the movie has been released in five other languages and is not everyone’s cup of tea.
The star value is increased by cameo appearances by celebrities like Shivarajkumar, Mohanlal, Jackie Shroff, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil, and Kishore. For the much-needed drama and excitement, keep an eye out for the conclusion with Shivarajkumar and Mohanlal.
Rajnikanth is a superstar now; he is no longer a hero, and this movie portrays him as such. Nothing more than whistle-worthy Rajini-ism is presented to the audience. The father-son relationship, which is the story’s main theme, is just briefly mentioned, leaving the audience to infer that the father and son have a close relationship. Between the two, there is not a single instance of emotion. Being a talented actor like Ramya Krishnan and having little to say or feel in the movie is disappointing. The entire movie features a single expression from Vasanth Ravi. Vinayakan’s bloodshot eyes put on a spectacular performance. The film is elevated by Anirudh Ravichander’s background score, while the songs are merely mediocre.
