Film: 'Silambattam'; Cast: Silambarasan, Sneha, Prabhu, Kishore, Sana Khan; Direction and cinematography: Saravanan; Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja; Rating: * and a half
The self-styled 'little superstar' Silambarasan apes the mannerisms and diction of Tamil superstar Rajnikanth in 'Silambattam' (stick fight), but sadly, the young actor lacks the senior icon's charisma.
Silambarasan attempts to keep catcalling frontbenchers happy with a generous dose of vulgar jokes and scenes, but it is enough to make family audiences squirm despite the censors' scissoring.
The routine storyline revolves around an ordinary, law-abiding Brahmin youth Vichchu (Silambarasan) morphing into a one-man vigilante army following the violence unleashed by a politician (Kishore, who is wasted in the role).
The politician is attempting to corrupt the youth by building a beer factory in the countryside.
Then a local rowdy, Dorai (Prabhu), emerges on the scene from a long incarceration, introducing a tepid mystery element to the storyline as Vichchu is a look-alike of the jailbird's sibling, who was murdered earlier.
The vendetta unleashed by the so-called good guys makes for a predictable climax.
Despite his aping efforts and risqué jokes, Silambarasan has breathed life into his character.
The hackneyed script, prop-like roles of the heroines Sana Khan and Sneha snag the proceedings.
Director Saravanan has acquitted himself slightly better while wielding the camera.
The background score is passable. Though all the songs belong to the latest Tamil music genre called 'Kuththuppaattu', comprising a fast beat and lewd movements by performers, the attempts of Yuvan Shankar Raja fail to evoke adequate responses from the audience.
There is nothing to write home about in this routine film except that it is a wasted attempt by Silambarasan to ape another star Ajith during the climax - an act that would certainly irritate the latter's fans.
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