Rajinikanth, Kapil Dev amp up star value of Aiswarya's 'Lal Salaam'

CHENNAI: With Tamil mega star Rajinikanth making an extended cameo in his daughter Aiswarya's third film, 'Lal Salam', the film is being hailed on its opening day for its message of communal amity.

Kapil Dev, Team India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain, also has a substantial role in this cricket-centric movie.

Aiswarya, who is helming a movie after a seven-year hiatus, is being lauded for her excellent direction, but the screenplay at times moves a tad too slowly.

Nonetheless, the 150-minute movie has opened to a huge response with the mega star entering in style as Moideen bhai.

Rajanikanth's 2023 film, 'Jailer', which made Rs 607 crore at the box office, is rated by IMDb as the third highest-grossing Tamil movie of all time, the first being Shankar's film '2.0', featuring the mega star in the lead.

Made by Subhaskaran Alirajah for Lyca Productions, the film manages to touch a responsive chord with viewers.

Fans speaking after the early shows have predicted that the film will be a resounding success.

Its second half particularly transports viewers to a different level with Tamil actors Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth putting in superlative performances. The funny acts of the Tamil film industry's ace comedian, Shenthil, also liven up the movie.

The music is by A.R. Rahman and he has, as expected, done justice to the theme. Vishnu Rangaswamy does not disappoint with his camera work, nor does Praveen Bhaskar on the editing table.