Kabali Tamil Movie Review

Countdown for hugely-awaited #Kabali begins… UNPRECEDENTED craze for #Rajinikanth starrer… All set for an EARTH-SHATTERING start at BO.

This is Ranjith’s third film and we can’t imagine the pressure on the director for casting a superstar like Rajinikanth. It seems it is this pressure itself that makes him lose his way in the film which is stuck between being highly commercial with its story and dialogues, but at the same time realistic with its setup.Kabali does not live up to its hype. In spite of Rajni’s smashing persona, the film fails to make an impact. A 2.5/5 for this Rajni ride.

Riding on so much hype and Rajinikanth’s star power, Kabali turns out to be a huge disappointment. Though Rajinikanth keeps on saying Magizchi (Cheers! in English) in the film, there is very less to cheer about anywhere in here, even for his die-hard fans. Only watch the film if you want to know why there is so much craze over Rajinikanth.

Kabali is more of a Ranjith film than Rajini’s. Some of the scenes and characterizations do remind you of the director’s previous film Madras. One should say the screenplay could have been tighter. Usually, when a new director works with a big star like Rajinikanth, they tend to adjust the flow of the film for the hero’s stardom but Ranjith has extracted what he wanted for his script without compromising much. Verdict: Rajinikanth in a different dimension, but Kabali might not work for everyone. Theatres which are known to reverberate for Rajinikanth, seem a lot more silent for Kabali.

Though Rajinikanth’s stardom subverts his ability to perform, only a few infallible directors have done justice to the star and the performer both. Even if it’s a triumph for Pa Ranjith to bring back the actor Rajinikanth in Kabali, the film falls short of a hardcore story. While this dialogue aptly captures Rajinikanth’s return to the silver screen as an actor, Lord Rajini-worshipping fans will inevitably miss the star Rajini in Kabali.

Even if we overlook these inadequacies for the sake of the brilliant scenes scattered in between, it’s very hard to forgive the last half an hour, which comes across as a definite dampener, with forced ideological dialogues and a complete lack of imagination. But beyond all that, you need to give to Ranjith for the sheer guts of having conceptualised that climax for a Rajini movie. To be happy seeing the Superstar in this new avatar where he absolutely kicks ass transporting us to his ‘raw-actor’ days or feel frustrated thinking about the innumerable ways the movie could have been scripted and staged better… the choice is yours!

Rajinikanth delivers everything you expect from him — the classic punch lines, the style, and plenty of emotion. You may wonder at the logic in some of the scenes, but who cares about that when there’s so much Rajini magic going around? Every time he delivers one of his dialogues, you get chills. The story of Kabali is simple and nothing you haven’t seen before. It’s also clichéd in many aspects. But what drives it is Rajnikanth. And it’s well worth another watch.

Thanks to bay area cine industry friends, I got to watch a preview show of Kabali. I went in with no expectations and came out with mixed feelings. Kabali is paisa vasool for Rajinikanth fans while others can have equal fun mocking the aged superstar go through his paces.For a Rajini fan, this will all give him/her goosebumps. Slow motion walks, stylish poses, crisp dialogues are all there, and theatres will explode with applause each time Rajini does his carefully choreographed routine. There are flashback scenes where he looks “youth” that is sure to make his fans feel nostalgic. Director Ranjith has ensured that the larger than life image of Rajini has been preserved. In essence, it feels like a lifetime highlights of various Rajini movie scenes re-enacted. Ranjith could have made a better film on the plight of the Malaysian tamils. May be that was his original plan.