Petta Treatser: Five signature Karthik Subbaraj frames that bring back vintage Rajini

A look at the compelling frames in Tirru's cinematography in Petta teaser

The teaser of Rajinikanth's Petta was released a few hours back to mark the occasion of Superstar's 68^thbirthday. With more than 5,000,000 views in real time since its release, the teaser has gone viral.

Here, we give you five frames from the teaser, which while screaming of Karthik Subbaraj also bring out the charisma of Rajinikanth in all its glory.

1. The back silhouette and the torchlit background

In what could be called as the teaser's ultimate jaw-dropper, Tirru's camera captures the scorching on-screen persona of the Superstar in a back silhouette, as he walks towards a mysterious misty frame, which intermittently gets poked by seemingly gleaming fingers of light. As the rays slowly filter down the interstices of the arching dust raised in the rumble, we see a mob of angry veshti-clad men, who look like Rajini's own folks, wielding torchlights, as they pour blows at the rival gang. When Rajini goes on to give the final call to pause the tussle with his signature arm-wave, its sheer goosebumps all the way.

2. The rousing intro

This is Rajini's actual first shot in the teaser, and boy, does it arrive in style! The Superstar's blazing hand-wave segues into a static frame with a board that reads Annanukku Jai (a verse from the iconic Pothuvaaga En Manasu Thangam track from the actor's 1980 film Murattu Kaalai). And in a split-second, Rajinikanth slides into the frame from the left, his eyes planted down and hands carrying a tray. A pause for a few micro-moments follows. And then, when Rajini looks up and faces the camera with his piercing look, magic happens. Yes, really. The super-nostalgic Superstar title card reels out, complete with an improvised trumpet version of Deva's fiery theme music. Try resisting the drawn-out wolf-whistle!

3. The trademark half-jive

Karthik Subbaraj brings back the sprightly Rajini of the nineties in this segment, when Anirudh's Marana Mass smoothly segues into the electrifying beats of Superstar's theme track. The Superstar, sporting his stylish nonchalance on his sleeve, wades through a sea of ebullient college students - breaking into a cheery jig in the process - to enter the fresher's party premises. And as we watch the man disappear into the lights, Rajinikanth ends things on an all-time high, unleashing the now-patented happy hop. That's some superstardom on display.

4. The handlebar mush swag

This shot, seemingly set in Madurai, where a silk veshti-clad, visibly radiant Rajini, with a carved-out handlebar mustache, is seen strolling through a big feast, has a very celebratory ring to it. It's tough to take your eyes away from the star. And if you manage to, the presence of Bruce Lee's painting in the background wall, and the fact that this sequence gets intercut with the bearded Rajini's walk to the college party hints at quite a scorcher of a flashback.

5. And finally, the swirl of the shades