Kabali

Rajini is always seen as a larger-than-life superstar on-screen but in Pa.Ranjith's Kabali, he seems to have turned into a complete actor. Well, I feel that Kabali is the right film for Rajini the actor. After Thalapathi, he has much scope to perform rather than smashing the bad guys and attract the audience with his stylish walk and mannerisms. There are still fan moments in the film but it's much more a drama than a mass entertainer. Pa.Ranjith has utilized Rajini's acting ability and made him perform a role of his age. He even looks stylish with that grey beard which remembers me of the famous Neelambari's dialogue in Padayappa. Unlike the mass feel that the teaser created, the film is a complete drama that revolves around Kabali, a Malaysian Tamil gangster who is in search of his lost family. The film goes deep into the character exploring the emotional side of a stylish gangster. Well, it's fresh to see that Rajini has stepped out of his comfort zone to fit into a much performance-oriented role. I personally really enjoyed the scenes where we get to see him emote deeply for his loved ones. Pa. Ranjith has made a film that dives into the underworld which is very well explored in this gangster drama. Especially, after Rajini, we have so many actors to remember in Kabali. We have Radhika Apte, Dhanshika, Kishore, and Winston Chao who played their characters convincingly. Santhosh Narayanan's album and background score are the right elements to make the film connect with the audience. Pa.Ranjith's Kabali feels a bit refreshing but still has a lot of flaws that could have been avoided for the betterment of this gangster drama. The film is really slow. It takes so much time to establish the platform and the characters. Apart from Rajini's characterization, we don't have much excitement in Kabali because it feels less engaging and even less impactful. Even the climax was a bit rush and completely out of the context. The Neruppu Da theme is added in every mass scene of Rajini which is strictly for Rajini fans. Honestly speaking, Kabali can't be a film for Rajini fans because apart from the few mass moments that Ranjith added for Rajini, this is definitely not the typical mass Rajini film. Overall, Kabali is a Pa.Ranjith film filled with Rajini moments.

Lot more expected from Kabali however it didn't meet my expectation. Please do not show this movie to your young kids. Too much violence. Interesting fact that NOBODY in the theater clapped or praised Rajni or any scenes after starting the movie till end. Everybody kind of so desperate. I don't know why Rajnikant decided to accept this character and story. There are few good messages in it, though overall it promotes violence. First half is completely boring. Sorry dear Rajni fans, its my honest opinion. I love Rajni movies and Tamil movies. Rajnikant did his role pretty well in this movie as usual. No doubt on it, however the director trying to impress all kind of viewers by adding unnecessary scenes.

I liked, by far, not the best of the Indians, but the joint production with Malaysia yielded a good film, some uncomfortable and artificial situations, almost vexatious, but it involves and captivates us ...

I used to be a hardcore Rajini during my teenage days. But after sometime the craze went off because actors are not real life heroes. I still like Rajini and his movies. After seeing this movie all I understood that Rajini wanted to do something different from his usual way of stereotype movies and this movie is definitely reality based and gangster movie which is the real smartest move Rajini has done after a very long time. Though the movie has more of emotion than the regular type but this is what is happening in the real world and that's what the director has told us through this movie. A Tamil man in another land working for his livelihood and fighting with the authorities to get equality for him and his people and gets it done and from there he becomes a revolutionary turning to become a gangster (and does social service) who loses his family because of the enmity and jealousy of his rival gang and then he is caught by the law and is judged falsely and sent to prison and then comes back to avenge his family's death only to find out that his family is still alive. He then gets released and with the help of his old gang members not only gets back his family but he avenges by finishing off all his rivals (typical 'Godfather'style movie ending). It is a very good movie and Rajini has shown good acting in this movie. Though there are certain scenes which could have been improvised by the director but still looks good for the audience. The action is really class apart with a solid blood shed violence for which the movie should have been given PG15 (but has been given Ú' certificate). On the whole in my opinion it is not an really excellent movie (but it could have been if the scenes were improvised) but a really very good movie on the whole and it will surely be a blockbuster as Rajini has come back with a bang in this movie. Magizhchi (Cheers!).......

Kabali is not a usual Rajni film to begin with. It doesn't have any of Rajni's tricks which have made him famous. Nor it shows Rajni as a young ageless man romancing some heroine one third his age.

Rajni finally plays his age, a 60 year old gangster, out of jail in search of his missing wife and seeking revenge for those who destroyed his life. And this is good part of the film because it great to see Rajni the actor and not Rajni the star.

However, the issue I found with Kabali is writer director is not clear whether he should make a gangster or a serious drama film. There are times where Ranjith is telling us about the underworld in Malaysia run by Chinese and Indians. He also highlights the racial tension between the Indians and Malaysians. But on the other hand, he is also depicting a husband having visions about his wife and searching for her.

One of the main reasons Godfather II is considered one of the best gangster films is because it tells both the stories which such ease without losing its core - the life of Michael Corelone and the revenge story of Vito Corelone.

But unlike the Godfather series, Ranjith adds too much of emotions leaving us confused. So there are two beautiful scenes where Kabali meets his daughter for the 1st time and when he meets his wife after 25 years. Both scenes are very high on emotional quotient. Plus there is a long and meaningless climax and a twist in the end which I felt was not required.

Another problem with Kabali is the villain. Rajni's movies have strong villains. But Kabali lacks strong villains. Winston Chao and Kishore are neither menacing nor convincing and end up as any normal cartoonish villains thanks to the poor writing. Chao especially looks funny wear purple suits with funny expressions.

Apart from Rajani, the saving grace is his women co-stars. Radhika Apte is mind blowing as his long lost wife. Apte who is 30 years old gets into the skin and with ease plays the role of 50 plus year old. She and Rajani share a nice sweet old world charm and chemistry.

Other hand, Dhansika plays Kabali's long lost daughter who is also a contract killer. She also put up a nice performance.

Finally, Kabali is not the usual Rajani film. Its different. However, it had the potential to be a great Rajani film.