'Lal Salaam' Movie Review
Cast: Rajnikanth, Vishnu Vishal, Vikrant, Anantika Sanilkumar, Senthil, Jeevitha, Tambi Ramaiah, Nirosha and others.
Music: AR Rahman
Writer - Cinematography: Vishnu Rangaswamy
Producer: Subaskaran
Director: Aishwarya Rajnikanth
After a blockbuster like 'Jailer' in 2023, superstar Rajnikanth has arrived this year with 'Lal Salaam'. He is not the hero in this movie but plays a significant role named Moideen. His daughter Aishwarya Rajnikanth directed this movie and there is not a lot of buzz on this movie in the Telugu states. Let us see how the film turned out.
Story:
In a village where Hindus and Muslims stay together without any fights for decades, differences crop up due to cricket and a few other reasons. A small issue in a cricket match grows into a huge fight which leads to Arun (Vishnu Vishal) slashing his childhood friend Shamshuddin with a knife. Shamshuddin who aspires to play for India one day and grabs a spot in Ranji team loses his hand. Moideen (Rajnikanth) who treated Arun as his own kid till that date develops hatred towards him after his son loses his hand. Shamshuddin too longs for revenge on Arun as his career is entirely gone. Even the whole village punishes Arun by pushing him away. The 'Jathara' which happens every year is about to get stopped due to a few reasons. The Hindu-Muslim fights too get bigger in the village and everything is in jeopardy. At this stage, both Arun and Moideen try to reestablish peace in the village. Did they unite? Did the religious fights stop? What happens to Arun at the end? All these questions will be answered in the movie.
Analysis:
When Rajnikanth is present in a movie, it is no longer just a Tamil movie. Even the superstar himself makes sure that he picks universally appealing scripts in order to satisfy his fans all over the world. The excessive Tamil flavour is not seen in Rajni's films. But 'Lal Salaam' trailer showed us that it is going to be a complete rural setup with rich Tamil culture. It had very few moments that the Telugu audience could connect with. While watching the film, it gives you a feeling right from the start that it is not made for other language people. Also, it is not at all a Rajni film. Though cricket and Hindu-Muslim wars are relatable to everyone, the makers wanted to tell people so much that they failed to deal with everyone one of the threads. The failure in execution and too much of Tamil nativity turn out to be its biggest drawbacks. It may resonate with the Tamil audience but it doesn't engage the crowd from other regions at all.
When we think of Aishwarya Rajnikanth, we instantly remember '3'. Despite making another film after that, she earned a lot of good name with '3' which was a flop at the box office. She left a lasting impact among the audience with that film. She selected a movie with multiple layers this time. Along with showing the rural cricket competitions, she wanted to elaborate on the persistence and passion of a youngster who wants to play international cricket. She showed how Hindus and Muslims can stay together and follows it up with wars in between them and finding a way to solve them. There is Jathara and local politics as well. Apart from that, there are elements like friendship and love too. But Aishwarya struggled to focus completely on any one of these threads. The movie shifts from one layer to another and the irregularities in screenplay makes the film a hotchpotch. The way Vishnu Vishal's character is showcased doesn't impress you and the movie is all over the place.
No matter if he is the hero or did a special role, people expect Rajni mark heroism and elevations. If you expect them in 'Lal Salaam', you are in for a huge disappointment. The superstar who we regularly see is not visible in this flick. There are no small fight scenes but they are forcefully included in the screenplay. As the head of the Muslim community in the village, Rajni plays a mature role. There are a few good dialogues about religious integrity in the movie. There is a very good message and it is good to see Rajni in a different role. We get engaged in the proceedings whenever he is onscreen. The rest of the happenings are quite boring. The cricket matches and fights lacked the required drama. The Tamil nativity during some scenes becomes a disturbance. The fight scene related to the cricket match and Rajni's scenes have been dealt well. The emotions have worked out in places too. Rajni's dialogues about religion and the climax works out too. But the haphazard story and confusing narration along with excessive Tamil nativity work against 'Lal Salaam'.
Performances:
Rajnikanth as Moideen did complete justice to the role. We won't be getting the Rajni we are used to seeing in all his movies. He played the role of an elderly Muslim head who says a few good words and guides everyone. He leaves a big impact on the movie. Vishnu Vishal is quite natural as a boy next door who roams around, plays cricket and gets into fights. Being a good cricket player himself helped Vishal in playing this role. Heroine Anantika Sanilkumar gets very less screen time. She is okay in her role. Jeevitha did an amazing job as the hero's mother. Tambi Ramaiah impresses you as expected and Nirosha appeared on the screens after a long time. She did well as Rajni's wife in this movie. The actor who played the villain's role and other artists were fine as well.
Technicians:
AR Rahman's vintage magic is no longer visible in his recent works and 'Lal Salaam' is no exemption. The songs come and go while the background score is passable. You don't get the feeling that you are listening to an AR Rahman musical. Vishnu Rangaswamy's cinematography is very good. He penned the story of this film too and it has a lot of scope. But director Aishwarya Rajnikanth failed to narrate it in a proper manner. She made a hash of things with her confusing screenplay. There are a few scenes that show her prowess as a director. The way she handled her father's character and the scenes revolving him along with a few other emotional sequences are quite good. But she failed to deliver a satisfying product.
Verdict: 'Lal Salaam' - A Mix Of Many Elements!
Rating: 2/5