Finally... the wait is over. Am here at Kasi theatre in Chennai and the celebrations are at peak for the first show of Superstar's Lingaa. Very excited. Entered the screen after lot of struggle..... there was a cake cutting...lots of fire works...and as usual aarathi and pal abhishekham. Wondering if the crowd will have energy to scream when the movie starts.....

A temple which is closed for 70 years has to be opened.... and by none other than the young Rajini... who is the grandchild of king Lingeshwaran. But 'Lingaa' is a thief who steals jewels along with Santhanam and Karunakaran. Anushka (as Lakshmi) who is a reporter in a local TV channel is given the job of bringing him back to the village.

Once 'lingaa' goes to the village... There is more in store for him. After some incidents, the leader of the village tells him the long flashback about his grand father Lingeshwaran. Lingeshwaran comes to the village in 1939 as a collector servicing the British. But soon we are told that he is none other than the king of that village who went abroad for studies.

Lingeshwaran wants to build a dam for the people of the village as they have severe shortage in one season. However, this is disapproved by the British and Lingeshwaran decides to build the dam himself. He also resigns from the Collector post. What happens after that is the crux of the film.

The film rests fully on Rajini and his charisma. He is there in every frame and brings the old charm back. However, it's evident that his age is taking a toll.... Not on his looks, but on his performance. Remember, he is 64. But he also shakes his legs for Oh Nanba which is shot stylishly across several countries. There are several scenes where other the actors praise him...compare him to God... And push him to politics. To add.. Rajini himself gives lot of thathuvams... Than any of his earlier films. It's evident that what he mentioned at the audio release function was true.. That he wanted to act in movies with messages in the future. The scene where he cooks for the villagers is a gem. There is a scene for the audience to celebrate his birthday too.

Anushka and Sonakshi do their part well. Sonakshi gets a better role and she delivers the dialogues right. The songs are good but seems to placed continuously in the second half. The cinematography by Randy is good and the long shots of the dam is class. Stunts could have been better... its very evident in many scenes, a body double has been used which could have been avoided.

On the negatives.... The film is very long and there are scenes which could be trimmed... for eg.. the scene where the meeting is called at the palace. There was no need to show everyone entering the palace one by one. The interval scene is not as great as you see in other Rajini films. It could have been better. The climax is exaggerated too much .. But for a Rajini movie... It's fine. The background score is just ok... Guess the time factor has affected Rahman's output. The other factor which pulls the movie down is the villain character - while Jagapathy babu does well..his scenes are limited. Most of the confrontation scenes for Rajini is with a British actor and he is no match for Rajini's status.

Coming to Ravikumar.... you get a feel that the screenplay could have been much better giving more scope for action and performance, leaving you wanting for more. Watching the first show was a thrill with the excitement and crowd but am not sure how many will like this when watched after a week and that's where the film's success stands. But as a Rajini fan.. It's celebration time and will continue for many days.