Rajnikanth at 74 shaking a leg with a much younger Manju warrier or fighting gangsters single handedly is not new to the audience but being reprimanded by Amitab Bachan (who else could do it?) for a dire mistake committed is novel. Big B as he is fondly called is the Supreme Court appointed rapporteur who is tasked to inquire and unearth the truth. A retired judge he strongly advocates against extra judicial killings and firmly believes that justice hurried is justice buried.

Athiyan ( meaning Shiva or the destroyer of all evil ) essayed by Rajnikanth is trigger happy and is on a killing spree until the juggernaut is timely stopped by Satyadev a retired judge who attempts to course correct this brash policeman. There can no bigger human rights violation than an extra judicial killing. So far so good.

However the script then meanders away with very predictable scenes and void of any jerks that is needed to keep the audience on the edge. The director forays into preaching rather than entertaining and fails to engage the audience. He however course corrects at the end with Athiyan lecturing at the police academy about policemen being protectors of the public and not predators. Too little….Too late.

Manju warrier as the heroine is fresh and has more to do rather than just dancing to a tune. The credit goes to the director for this and also for casting the apt actors and utilising their abilities to the fullest extent.

Special mention is due for Fahad Fazil who dazzles in his role as tech sauve petty criminal. His actions and dialogues are a treat to watch. Dushara Vijayan aptly fits into the role of a school teacher and does a neat job. Same must be mentioned about Rithika Singh. In whichever Rajni movie would there be so many characters who leave an impression on the audience? The director certainly takes credit for handling all this.

Anirudhs music is ok. Overall the Thalaivar is back with an engaging entertainer this time around.