Rajnikanth’s Darbar Looks Dated & Tacky

When will the  superstars  of Indian cinema  grow up?Whether it is Salman Khan in Mumbai or Rajinikanth in  Tamil Nadu  they continue  to  live in a time warp playing  unvarnished  variations  of their  personality in film after  film.

When I heard  of  A  R Murogadoss coming together with  Rajinikant  for  the  first time I thought they would do something different together. Yes, sparks do fly in the trailer of Darbar. But the flash and  lightening are  all on the surface. The  film looks as dated and  dreadfully stale  as Salman  Khan’s  Dabangg act.

Much is   being made about  Rajinikant playing a cop after many  years. But how does  that make  any difference? He is still beating  up 27 goons  at  the same  time, still romancing  heroines more than   half his age(Nayanthara who is   one  of  the  more intelligent actresses  in Tamil cinema, should know  better than agreeing to simper for the Thalaiva in a saree), still doing what his fans want him to.

I am sure the Rajini-clan will be  more than happy with what Murugadoss seems to have served up in the name  of entertainment . But the sloppy attempts to make the super-hero  remain relevant in a larger-than-life space, is  deeply mortifying. How can a legendary actor be  happy just pandering to  puerile  tastes.

Joining Rajinikanth from the  opposite  end  of   the  moral spectrum is Suneil Shetty as  the  

villain . It is a   wink-wink situation  for Rajinikant . He  gets  to do  everything that his fans want  him  to be without having to  stretch  himself in any  direction  as an actor.

Yes, Darbar will make  a truckload  of  money. But  is  that enough for an actor who defies  gravity?