Annaatthe is a film written and directed by Siva, and bankrolled by Kalanithi Maran under the banner Sun Pictures. The film has Superstar Rajinikanth, Nayanthara, Keerthy Suresh in the lead roles while Meena, Khushbu, Soori, Sathish, Sathyan, Jagapathi Babu and others play supporting roles. The film has music by D Imman and cinematography by Vetri Palanisamy.
Rajinikanth is a name that has reached every village, street and household in Tamil Nadu. It is not just his commercial success that has made him the star that he is, but also the kind of films he chooses. And it is films like Annaatthe, through which, people look at him as one among them, and at the same time, a superstar. While you look at a tree and see how high it's leaves and branches have grown, Rajini reminds you that it is also necessary to look at the roots and see where you've come from. And by doing exactly that, Rajini gets an elevation from the superstar status, to a phenomenon.
The film has a very simple plot. Rajini plays the role of Kalaiyyan, the Village President of Soorakottai in Thanjavur, and has extreme love for his sister Thanga Meenakshi, played by Keerthy Suresh. When Keerthy Suresh gets married and moves to Kolkata, she faces a lot of trouble, and it is upon Kalaiyyan to save her. How he does it forms the plot of the film.
Annaatthe is the kind of the film that we call as a template film. The first half consists of scenes that establish the bond between Kalaiyyan and his sister Thanga Meenakshi, while the second half is dominated with a series of action blocks. Director Siva's strength is in creating emotional scenes out of thin air and it is these scenes that save the film apart from the superstar's unparalleled charisma and brilliant acting. His antics and acting in the first half are enjoyable, and the scenes alongside Prakash Raj are the pick of the lot.
The film almost has the same technical elements as Viswasam. D Imman's background score comprises of a proper mix of folk beats for the action scenes and melodies for the emotional scenes. Vetri Palanisamy's visuals in the Kolkata portions remind you of the lighting in Mumbai portions of Viswasam. But both the visuals and music complement the narrative well.
The issues mainly begin with the pacing which is slow. For instance, immediately after Keerthy Suresh is introduced, we expect the scenes involving her and Rajini to begin immediately. But the film spends time in exploring the romantic angle between Nayanthara and Rajini which doesn't have any pay-off till the end. However there's not much to complain about, when compared to the second half. A fight sequence based on a Thiruvizha alone seemed exciting on paper.
Another issue with the film is the dialogues which reeks of melodrama. They're highly predictable, and that's mainly due to the repetitive nature. Jagapathi Babu comes off as another stereotypical villain but looks menacing. However in the action scenes, none of the villains seem to excite you because of their weak characterization. Keerthy Suresh and Nayanthara have good screen space in the second half, and a lot of Soori's jokes work.
Overall, it's a template driven formulaic film that's high on brother-sister sentiment. One unique aspect is that the film doesn't want to entirely depend on Rajinikanth. The director wants the sentiment to work out, with Rajini being a medium for it. Whether it's successful or not is a question for another day. But for a festival film, this might be a good option to celebrate with your family members.