The last time Rajinikanth set foot in Mumbai for a film, he was Kaala, the good-hearted gangster taking on the might of Nana Patekar's Hari Dada and his political clout.
This time, in what clearly looks like AR Murugadoss' tribute to the SUPERSTAR, Rajinikanth plays a cop taking on gangster Suniel 'Anna' Shetty in Darbar
But before we see the ultimate showdown where Rajinikanth defies his age in a lion-like pounce, we first see his shadow lurking in the villain's den.
In what is reminiscent of the iconic coin scene in Murugadoss' Kaththi, starring Vijay, we see Rajinikanth break his way through tables, chairs, glass bottles, and what-nots.
The following shot shows us the man slicing his way through his enemies with a katana sword like a samurai.
As is masala cinema tradition, we first hear about the star before actually hearing from him. 'Police-a saar avan... kolaigaaran' (He is not a cop... he is a killer). This sets the right tempo for us
'Aditya Arunasalam... Commissioner of Police, Mumbai'. The trademark speed is back.
The iconic gait is back.
Even though the delivery of his crowd-rousing speech about police doesn't exactly land, the charisma of the Superstar, which we loved seeing during his Padayappa days, more than makes up for it.
While there is no doubt that Darbar is a star vehicle, we need to see the other machinery that helps run it. This is facilitated in the trailer through SPB's rousing rendition of Chumma Kizhi.
Say hello to Lady Superstar Nayanthara, who looks like a million bucks, and this is a fact acknowledged by the raised eyebrows of the Superstar as his Aditya Arunasalam lays eyes on her for the first
As SPB continues to remind us why he is the best playback singer for Rajinikanth, we see the trademark twirling of the sunglasses, and that mischievous smile we loved seeing during Rajini's Muthu days
With style and romance in place, it is time for the conflict to finally be introduced? Well, Suniel Shetty 2.0 has been a revelation on social media for the past couple of years.
Anna hits hard right from the word go in the 105-second Darbar trailer.
Suniel wants to take on the Mumbai police, and there are no points for guessing who's at the forefront of these cops — Aditya 'Bad Cop' Arunasalam.
This showdown in the climax is bound to bring the roof down.
Is the shot of a distraught Nayanthara a result of something bad that has happened to the Bad Cop himself?
But doesn't that just mean that Aditya will come back... badder and meaner? Of course, we know he will, after all, he is the Superstar!
And he shows us why age is just a number as he rocks the khaki as well as he rocks the double-breasted suit.
The man is all swag and full points to AR Murugadoss for giving us a Rajini that reminds us of his Baasha days.
Oh, that lion-like pounce, in what seems like the climactic showdown, is a treat to watch
And prepare for the crowd to explode when Aditya Arunasalam reminds us that the Superstar before being the quintessential Tamil hero was a villain who had too much fun.
And prepare for the roof to go down when Aditya Arunasalam reminds us that the Superstar before being the quintessential Tamil hero was a villain who had too much fun.
Just when it rekindled the memories of Rajinikanth's Annamalai days, we have that evil maniacal laugh he perfected in Enthiran.
And from the look of it, AR Murugadoss seems to be back to narrating a story rather than doling out a flurry of messages.
And Santhosh Sivan seems to have got the cop and thrills feel right just like in Thuppaakki.
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