2.0 review: Shankar's grandeur, Rajini's style

S. Shankar, Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar have struck a 'birdie' with the gizmo grandeur '2.0' – just a notch better than par if you rate it in golfing parlance.

Teaming up with Superstar Rajini after the success of his 2010 sci-fi 'Enthiran', it was only natural for Shankar to stick to the fail-proof formula from their previous outing - the plot, man vs machine.

In 2.0, he gave the plot an update in the message, something which made the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) panicky even before the release and made them move the court seeking ban on the movie – the true Rajini effect.

The adverse effects of mobile tower radiation on birds and one man's, ornithologist Dr Pakshirajan (Akshay), extraordinary fight to end it is the central theme of '2.0'.

Shankar's craftsmanship turns this man vs bird fight into a stand-off between robots - Chitti, 2.0, Kutti (Rajinikanth)– and a departed soul seeking vengeance.

Shankar has assembled the most expensive Indian film till date without a villain or a heroine. Still the movie has fights and thrills in epic proportions. Though Amy Jackson is there throughout the movie, her loyal subscribers are made to wait till the credits roll in to see her shake a leg to A. R. Rahman magical 'Endhira Logathu Sundariye...' and let's tell you it's worth it.

Behind the 3D camera, Nirav Shah remains invisible as a cinematographer. Rahman, with the background score, and the sound team, including Resul Pookutty, make us believe every ounce of action on screen - the magic that happens when skills of aces meet cutting-edge 4D SRL (Shankar, Resul, Lyca) sound technology.

The computer graphic imaging (CGI), which was supposed to be the highlight of this Shankar directorial, fails to impress at times. Though logic is not something one would heed about while going in for movies in sci-fi genre, graphics create a make-believe world for viewers. In 2.0, graphics oscillates to extremes and fall flat at crucial moments including the climax scene. 

2.0 would make the Malayali audience proud - Kalabhavan Shajohn has given an impressive performance as a corrupt telecom minister. Akshay, as Dr Pakshirajan, was the only match he had when it came to performance. Do not be surprised if he gets busy in other language films.

Shankar failed to make use of the 'style mannan' quotient of the Superstar in '2.0' leaving the Rajini fans, still celebrating Kabaliswaran and Karikaalan, disappointed.