Darbar
Darbar
Darbar STORY:
Aaditya Arunachalam (Rajinikanth ) is this outlandish, fear-none trooper who wears his overweening attitude with unabashed delight. And now, he has been entrusted with the responsibility of solving a 27-year-old case in Mumbai and catching the drug lord, Hari Chopra (Suniel Shetty) –an episode that had brought shame to the police department and caused them irreparable damage.Darbar REVIEW:
All of us have watched some top-notch cop dramas – serious, hilarious and even the no-brainers – and ‘Darbar’, as much as we love Rajinikanth for his machismo and inbred charisma, is not one of them. Written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss, this action-thriller is entertaining yet very middle-of-the-road both in its storytelling technique and the overall execution. The first half is mostly dedicated to building up the antagonist of the film – played by Suniel Shetty – but when he finally arrives in the second half donning his well-fitted jeans and cleavage-showing designer shirts, you instantaneously know it is all downhill from there. The friction between the two central characters is not portrayed in an organic fashion and the verbal combat seems forced at times. Not to mention, the lack of a strong (read final) showdown between Rajinikanth’s Arunachalam and Suniel Shetty’s Hari Chopra makes this cop flick a tedious watch. And its screenplay has been dragged beyond two hours and 30 minutes – it is absolutely criminal to stretch a movie that lacks conviction for so long and make matters worse for everyone involved. The music by ‘Why This Kolaveri Di’ composer Anirudh Ravichander is congenial to the narrative and renders the right amount of peppiness as and when required to move the plot forward. The action sequence, which is supposedly the USP of ‘Darbar’, is by and largely dated and feels like a replica of the kind of ‘laafas’ and ‘dishooms’ we have already watched in the 90s and early 2000s.
Rajinikanth’s act as an imprudent cop, who also exhibits the characteristic traits of a tender coconut when the situation demands clemency, is the kind of cinema that made him ‘Rajni – The Superstar’ in the first place. He is feisty, speaks his mind without an iota of hesitation, and manages to charm all those who cross path with him. Looking at the flow of the script and the larger-than-life persona of Rajinikanth’s Arunachalam, it is safe to say that Murugadoss’s ‘Darbar’ is an ode to the veteran’s mammoth fan-base. Nayanthara, as the cop’s much younger, pliant love interest, is a sight to behold – draped in gorgeous South Indian sarees, the actress looks splendid on screen but has very little to offer in terms of plot progression. Nayanthara’s Lily remains underexplored throughout and is reduced to a mere prop in the second half; disappointing. Suniel Shetty tries to come across as a frightening anti-hero, but with that sculpted body and fancy clothes, he ends up just looking dashing on screen.
‘Darbar’ is undoubtedly a celebration of the enigma that is Rajinikanth and the extra half rating is for all the thalaiva fans out there!
Darbar TRAILER
Darbar Cast
- Rajinikanth as Aadhithya Arunachalam
- Suniel Shetty as Hariharan Chopra "Hari Chopra"
- Nayanthara as Lily
- Nivetha Thomas as Valli (daughter of Aadhithya)
- Prateik Babbar as Ajay Chopra (Ajay Malhotra)
- Jatin Sarna as Police Inspector
- Nawab Shah as Vinod Malhotra
- Dalip Tahil as Chief Secretary
- Yogi Babu as Kaushik
- Sriman as Lily's cousin
- Shamrata Anchan as Police Inspector
- Raneesh Thyagarajan as Police Inspector
- Sanjay Raghavan as Police Inspector
- Manasvi as Lily's niece
- Raajesh Chintu
Darbar SONGS & TRACKS
Hindi:-
Thalaivar ThemeNapde KilliAane WaliDumm DummDil Toh Cute HaiVillain Theme
Telugu:-Thalaivar ThemeDhummu Dholi Pratyeka Margam Dumm Dumm Nanytalo Marpu Single Villain Theme
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Darbar Release date and marketing
The first look poster, announcing the film's title was released on 9 April 2019, through the official Twitter handle of the production house. The poster was decked up with police instruments and equipment, with the punchline, "You decide whether you want me to be good, bad or worse. The second look poster was released on 11 September 2019, featuring Rajinikanth with two different shades. Another poster was released as a Diwali special on 26 October 2019.
The motion poster along with the theme music was released on 7 November 2019, by Kamal Hassan, Mahesh Babu, Mohanlal and Salman Khan in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi respectively.
The film had its worldwide release in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi on 9 January 2020, coinciding with the season of Thai Pongal.
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