Favorite Rajni Film Scenes - I

"The Unmasking" - Baasha

While Annamalai may be my favorite Rajni movie, Baasha is probably Rajni's most popular movie among fans and non-fans alike. Though featuring a larger-than-life role as always, the film had realistic violence rather than cartoonish stunts and lacked his trademark comedy or politics, which probably makes it the most universally liked Rajni film among his recent films.

While Rajni films are usually dismissed as disposable entertainment, it is undeniable that Baasha is a real trendsetter. Its story of a man living in anonymity before his very different past is revealed, has since been copied numerous times. But none of the imitations have come close to matching the power of intensity of the original.

My favorite is the pre-intermission scene where everyone finally learns that there's more to the meek auto-driver Maanickam than meets the eye. Everything in the movie builds up to this scene and it doesn't let us down. From the moment Rajni sees the blood on his sister's lips, the adrenaline starts flowing. And it never stops. We almost feel the impact of the punch as Rajni lashes out at the first henchman who approaches him and as he flips his shirt back and stands with his hands on his hips, we get goosebumps. The "Ulle Po!" to his brother is uttered with such fierceness that we flinch and the subsequent fight sequence is pretty raw and realistic. Finally, as Rajni utters the immortal line "Naan oru thadavai sonnaa... nooru thadavai sonnaa maadhiri" with the streetlamp shining only on him, the film announces the intermission on an incredible high.