Raja Chinna Roja (1989)

Any film with an excellent Devdas reference will always be a winner for me, no cap. Plus, it also has Rajinikanth on the cusp of his demi-god stature doing a meta satire on what it takes to achieve stardom, while also being an excellent friend to kids who need a gentle hand to help them more than anything else. And then there's Gauthami with her amazing screen presence (too bad all that talent is now being sucked out by BJP) and of course, the kids, and especially Baby Shalini being the wise middle-child, yes that is exactly the plot point I have waited to see all my life. Basically, it's difficult to get bored while watching this movie- it's filled with so much action, jokes and romance that you are entertained one way or another. And there's Raghuvaran as the villain to spice things up, more with his killer good looks than anything else. I also actually really liked the way they incorporated social messaging into the narrative. It might seem too extra and obvious, but I can see why it would have worked, especially considering Rajini saar's massive crowd-pulling powers. The messaging's intention was also in the right place, which is more than what I can say for... certain contemporary movies.

In conclusion, MUBI was being a bitch while streaming this movie, but it's okay, we made it. Shalini mass forever, come back to cinema already ma'am!!

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