Lal Salaam

The movie in the first half feels very dragged but in second half they give you the story, that time it grabs your attention.

Coming to the first half, the main mistake I felt was right after the hero entry with an intense build, we get to see his girlfriend and then cut to song. I felt that breaks the attention that was getting built up for audience. The other mistake is having many fight scenes in the first half just to extend movie time.

In second half, we get to see story, but one mistake was when they go back to past, I feel they should have written "few months back" because it was a sudden jump, and it was confusing. But they do show "today" after the past scene is over.

Overall movie - was fine, not a great story. Acting wise everyone did a great job. Seeing Rajnikanth sir first time as a Muslim person was absolute joy. He did full justice to his role. The hero and supporting actors everyone did a great job. Cinematography was also really good with some scenes focused on the village (and more, I don't want to give spoilers) Definitely, one time watch for the actors' beautiful performance.

As I've titled 'why so much hatred' for a film which denounces Hatred..? A movie which conveys religious harmony with no vulgarity excess bloodshed item songs seems like doesn't connect with nowadays audience i suppose....! Yes certainly flaws are there but most of the reviews are personal & flawed....!! Anyways it was a good watch on ott.. An extended cameo for rajnikanth who looked every part of the role appropriate..!! A movie which showcases both the religions finer sides...!!! One thing that was irritating was that every scene had either a BGM or a song playing in the background i mean literally every scene which i felt little heavy on the ears...!! Coz the unwanted music was eating into the seriousness of the scene which means most of the scenes ends up making no impact..!! Anyways a nice attempt by the director to convey a message which seems to be the NEED OF THE HOUR.

The Plot -------------------------

Thirunavukarasu (Thiru) and Shamsuddin, two talented cricket players from Murrabad, a village where Muslims and Hindus coexist with each other, are central to the story. Under the pretense of a cricket match, local politicians take advantage of Thiru and Shamsuddin's animosity in order to spark communal unrest ahead of the next elections. During the match, Thiru hurts Shamsuddin's right hand out of rage, which leads to a major confrontation between the Muslims and Hindus of Murrabad. The plot unfolds as they navigate this communal conflict.

The Review -------------------------

If this film does become super hit, which I somehow feel it will, it will be purely because of Rajinikanth. I am confused though, can you call this a special appearance if Rajinikanth is in the majority of movie? The only time he is not there is in the middle few scenes but he is present mostly throughout the film. In any case, he is the saving grace of this film. We all know why he's in this film, his daughter is the director, but his presence elevates the film to a whole another level. He provides emotion to scenes that if he wasn't in it, would have turned out to be dull and exhausting. He provides energy to the film and I applaud him for that. I also liked the execution of the film's politics.

Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth provides decent enough performances. They gave what was required of their characters. The supporting cast did a fine job as well. However, I did feel that there were some unnecessary characters in the film, with the most noticeable being Vishnu Vishal's love interest Nandhini, played by Ananthika Sanilkumar. Even the antagonists were executed poorly and are very forgettable. Kapil Dev also has a cameo appearance in this film but he adds nothing of value to the story.

The soundtrack is fine individually but doesn't have the emotional impact when woven in as part of the narrative. It's good to listen to on YouTube but as a narrative device, it's passable. Pravin Baaskar's editing and Vishnu Rangasamy's cinematography are nothing to write home about and both lacks style.

There are logical flaws in the films as well. For example: Thiru hurts Shamsuddin's right hand out of rage, which leads to a major confrontation between the Muslims and Hindus of Murrabad. As a result, Shamsuddin's right hand needs to be amputated. This guy, around one or two nights after the surgery, ties a noose around a fan in an attempt to delete himself. How did he tie the noose with one hand in such a short time without anybody noticing? If another guy tied it, why was he not punished in the movie and if he was, why was it not shown?

Despite all of it, I strongly feel that the biggest issue with the movie is the screenplay writer and director herself, Aishwarya Rajinikanth. She doesn't add anything new to distinguish this movie from the rest as the film's primary focus on religious unrest and the Hindu-Muslim divide have already been done in older films. She could have, at the bare minimum, provided a more nuanced way of resolving the conflict instead of the one we got which felt more like a piece of convenient writing. Her direction is also mediocre as the pacing in this movie is very lethargic. There are scenes in the first half that drags on long after it's served its purpose resulting in a motionless story. Most of the second half was boring as the movie failed to provide an effective emotional connection to the situation.

In the end, if you haven't already watched this movie in theater, then I recommend waiting for the OTT release and skip the theater. This is a one time watch just for Vishnu Vishal and Rajinikanth.

That's my opinion on Lal Salaam.

Lal Salaam: a great film with a very important social message. I don't know why people are giving such bad reviews about this film.

Pros: Very engaging screenplay, Rajinikanth's character was well written, great performance by Vishnu, Vikranth and Thambi Ramaiah. BGM and songs were good Cons: Cinematography could've been better, Fight scenes could've been better.

I'm so happy that Rajnikanth took this role because the impact was so special when Rajnikanth spoke about "humanity is above religion" It is important to remember that we are all ONE, we're aren't supposed to be separated by Religion/Caste.

Jai Hind

Overall: 7/10.

Despite the negative reviews I had to watch this movie, simply because you cant miss a Rajinikanth movie as a Tamil person & I didn't regret it. His role in this movie is a special appearance similar like in the movie Kuselan (2008). I really like this kind of settings for Rajini, where he isn't the main focus. It gives a very different vibe to the movie, which you normally won't get when he plays the main role.

The movie itself has its moments of weakness, especially in the first half. But in overall it is well written and thoughtful presented. Also the whole cast did a phenomenal job portraying the characters.

Definitly not as bad as all those negative reviews suggest. Watch it & make your own conclusion!