Superstar Rajinikanth's Darbar is a cop thriller directed by AR Murugadoss and produced by Subaskaran under the banner Lyca Productions. Nayanthara plays the female lead and Sunil Shetty is the antagonist, while Yogi Babu and Nivetha Thomas play crucial supporting roles. It has music by Anirudh Ravichander and cinematography by Santosh Sivan.
It's been more than 25 years since Rajinikanth donned the Khaki and the first question that arises in our minds is - "Will Thalaivar be able to pull off the role convincingly?" Well, here's a spoiler. Rajini as Aaditya Arunasalam proves that he's still got that unexplainable power of creating magic on the celluloid. He's a vintage bullet bike that has its own rustic charm.
The story starts with Aaditya Arunasalam going on an encounter spree, killing a lot of gangsters in Mumbai. There is a personal motive behind the killings and how he manages to take revenge forms the story. He is not your average cop who does only good deeds. His character is filled with a grey shade which offers strong backing to his actions in the second half. Among the supporting roles, Yogi Babu runs riot with his comedic timing and body language. Nivetha Thomas' acting as Aaditya's daughter holds the film intact during the emotional scenes and plays the perfect foil for our superstar.
The film does justice to the superstar genre, and there are plenty of whistle-worthy moments. These moments are amplified by Anirudh's grand background score. At most places, the BGM is a variant of the Annamalai BGM composed by Deva. However, usage of silence at a few places could have made it a better experience for the audience.
Santosh Sivan, who had last worked with Rajini in Mani Ratnam's Thalapathi has recreated the same magic. Consider Rajini's introduction scene for instance, where Santosh Sivan brilliantly toys with the lighting to give us frames filled with aesthetics and mass in the right proportion. Like most Murugadoss films, the technical work is solid. The film doesn't tire you, but a few romantic scenes between Rajini and Nayanthara could have been trimmed to give us a more crisp product.
The stunt sequences in the film stand out, especially the opening sequence and the scene at the Railway Station. The stunts are choreographed by Ram-Lakshman and Peter Hein, and their styles are seen distinctly in various fight scenes. The former's style is more glossy and over the top, while the latter's style has a tinge of realism to it. This could work in a positive or a negative way depending upon the taste of the viewer. Overall, Darbar does manage to do justice to both the police thriller genre and the superstar genre. It's indeed a neatly written film with excusable minor flaws here and there.
1. Chumma Kizhi
Singers: SP Balasubrahmanyam, Anirudh Ravichander
Lyrics: Vivek
Chumma Kizhi was the first single to be released from the much expected "Darbar" album. Following a brief musical interlude with heavy percussions, the song's starting lines open with 'Chumma Kizhi' dialogue in Thalaivar's voice, and that kick starts a song that carries sensationally upbeat music. The lyrics by Vivek are dripping with Rajini-ism, and the power-packed tune is enriched by Maxwell's Trumpet and Trombone. The percussions by Dipesh Varma are top-notch, pulling you into 'Marana Mass' Rajini mode!
2. Tharam Maara
Singers: Anirudh Ravichander, Arjun Chandy
Lyrics: Vivek
Tharam Maara is a romantic Thalaivar-in-love song, with bubbling music and sprightful lyrics. The lyrics penned down by Vivek alludes to the joyful and lovely nature that actor Rajinikanth usually exhibits when he enacts romantic sequences. Anirudh and Arjun Chandy's expressive singing brings to life the youthful tune of the song. The music of Tharam Maara Single is breezy and sets a pleasant mood with Keyboard and Synth dominating the base tunes.
3. Thalaivar Theme
Music: Anirudh Ravichander
Thalaivar Theme in this album is an all-rounder tune. The tune was introduced in the motion poster, and it strikes hard to implement the strength and power of Rajinikanth's character Aaditya Arunachalam. The theme has shades of Thani Vazhi and Chumma Kizhi, making it indeed a 'Thalaivar' theme.
4. Dumm Dumm
Singer: Nakash Aziz
Lyrics: Vivek
The song opens with a chorus that sends out wedding vibes. In the charming voice of Nakash Aziz, Dumm Dumm is glorified with percussions that accentuate the festive mood, and the guitar tunes by Keba Jeremiah adds a new touch of zest to the scintillating music set by Anirudh. From what we can expect from the lyric video, the song is sure to be enriched by the expressive Rajinikanth-Nayanthara pair.
5. Villain Theme
Music: Anirudh Ravichander
Villain theme set in a 8-beat rhythm has tunes with a shade of mystery to it. The track repetitively brings on the same notes and one of the highlights of this antagonist theme is that it uses some elusive instruments such as Mandolin, Bouzouki, and Oud.
6. Thani Vazhi
Singers: Rap by Yogi B, Anirudh Ravichander, Shaktisree Gopalan
Lyrics: Yogi B, Senthuzhan, Syan
Thani Vazhi is indeed a smashing song that begins with a power-packed rap by Yogi B. Sung in the stirring voices of Anirudh and Shaktisree Gopalan, Thani Vazhi asserts the character and the prowess of the impressive cop Aaditya Arunasalam. The music has the exact amount of energy that is required to introduce Rajinikanth's character in the backdrop of remarkable percussion score and keyboard tunes. Along with Yogi B, Senthuzhan and Syan have penned down the invigorating lyrics.