Kabali (2016)

the audience applauded

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It'd be wrong to say I absolutely enjoyed Thalaivar's latest outing. However, it must also be said that 'Kabali' isn't a flick that follows the typical goofy and over-the-top masala entertainer template (of the actor himself) from his earlier years. There is neither any forced comedy, nor any catchy one-liners or Rajni doing any totally insane stunts (like the one we saw towards the climax in 'Lingaa'). Director Ranjith's stamp is evident throughout as he limits the action to only wherever the necessity arises. The movie is a subtly nuanced low- brow drama for most part before the interval, post which we are handed out some bloated gangster scenarios and sheer bloodbath.What I liked most about Kabali is the fact that Rajni, for a good part of the run-time, held the elegant demeanor of a normal family- man (husband, father) and Pa Ranjith needs to be given a pat on his back for reminding us of the'actor' Rajni we'd been missing out all this while. Few scenes that involve the combination of Rajni-Radhika Apte and Rajni-Dhansika are executed sufficiently well. Both the ladies bring in their unique styles and warmth to the otherwise grim proceedings. Winston Chao looks dashing in his velvety suits but I am not exactly sure if he was a great villain or not. The fault therein lies in the screenplay for making his character and many others look like cardboard cutouts with barely anything substantial to add to the storyline other than the obvious. Almost all characters are portrayed in shades of black or white.Few characters exhibit shades of grey as well such as the one played by Kalaiyarasan but leave lesser impact than intended. What I found pretty boring are the flashback portions in the first half. It shows the rise of Rajni as a rebellious don yes, but where it fails head- over- heels is the fact that unlike what Ranjith and much of the pre- release hype claimed, the movie barely focuses on the wrongdoings done to Malaysian Tamils on a bigger canvas when it had the perfect opportunity to do so. Just one scene where Rajni blurts out (in English) the need for 'equal pay for all' to an estate manager wasn't exactly all that convincing to buy any sort of empathy from me as viewer.The songs by Santhosh Narayanan are amazing but mostly relegated to the background, as if every track was initially added as BGM and later reworked. Cinematography was quite alright, and few drone shots were interestingly pulled off. What Pa Ranjith could've turned into a benchmark of a gangster film looks sortof jaded and mediocre because of the strictly subpar screenplay, unlike his earlier 'Madras' or 'Attakathi'. There is nothing particularly impactful happening in the first half of the movie until the interval block. These scenes could've been rewritten or reworked with another experienced writer and maybe, just maybe they would've worked wonders. The supporting cast (Dinesh, Nasser, John Vijay, Kishore etc.) give in their all to make the film look really polished on the outside. If Ranjith could've diverted some of the attention from the (seen-before scenario of) drugs, murder and extortion to the real wrongdoings done to Malaysian Tamils, the film would have left an even bigger impression. Agree the film would look more docu-dramaish than it already is, but at least it would've been a movie that drove home a solid point.In this case, the viewer just GETS TO KNOW that Ranjith had a REAL STORY to tell, but lost focus since he had to cater to SuperStar's massive fan-base and ultimately ended up fully satisfying neither the fan nor the general viewer. At best, Kabali is a one-time watch for Rajni's on-screen charisma and Radhika Apte's womanly charm.Handed out lavish budgets and big stars to work with, quite a few small-time Tamil directors seem to have experienced setbacks in their recent ventures. Take a look at 'Puli' by Chimbu Deven or '10 Enradhukulla' by Vijay Milton or 'Masss' by Venkat Prabhu or 'Billa 2' by Chakri Toleti. 'Kabali' is by all means few notches above these films but when it could've been a sureshot trendsetter, it just seems content with being an 'OKAY' film.

Movie: Kabali (U)Rating: 4.5/5So finally after a lot of struggles, I got to watch KABALI in Hindi. It really doesn't give the feel of a dubbed film. It's made very well with all titles in Hindi giving a feel of an original Hindi film. The title KABALI itself is very interesting. This is after a long time you get to see Rajinikanth in a different and offbeat film plus role. It's not fully his regular stuff, but is filled with enough masala of his kind to entertain one and all, and of course, the fans.The most talked about film of the year, KABALI has everything going in favour of it. Good acting, visuals, action, cinematography, music, story and screenplay and what not. Everything is perfect in this film. It's a clean family entertainer too. Rajinikanth is nothing short of a superhero in KABALI. His performance is top notch. Dinesh, Dhansika, Radhika Apte etc all are first rate when it comes to their acts. Other actors also impress.The music is good and doesn't look like dubbed. The cinematography and locations are just so excellent that they can't be described in words. The action is a major highlight of the film and is excellent. The story is also good and direction by Pa Ranjith impresses big time.Overall, KABALI is a different Rajini film but has loads of entertainment. Don't miss this Superhero (KABALI is a new addition to Indian superheroes) flick! A must watch!

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.

I'm afraid there's no other way to say it: Kabali is a drag. And that's because the man, oops, the Superstar of Superstars, a phrase used for Rajinikanth minus any irony, comes off same-old. Everything that Rajini does to spark untold hysteria amongst his die- hard fans is in here: the dress code ( three piece suits ), the dark glasses, the lines only Rajini can say, the kicks and punches only he can deliver. But the formula is now frayed and tired: there's neither swag nor swagger. There comes a time when even Rajini has to reinvent, and this is it. He has been playing In and As to such adulation for so long that his directors have long stopped bothering about such things as plot and characterisation. When Rajini is on and at it, who cares? Actually, let me amend that. Kabali does make an attempt at a plot. Kabaliswaran aka Kabali is the firebrand leader of a group of Tamil indentured labour in the Malaysian rubber plantations. A skirmish between the owners and the labour turns into a tragedy, and Kabali transforms from regular guy into an grizzled gang-boss. There could have been something there, given the history. But the treatment is both half-baked and half-hearted. Despite it being shot in Malaysia (new locations), the arch-villain being a local (new face), and the superstar given not one but two pretty young women (Apte as wife, Dhansika as daughter) as adoring satellites, this bloated, overlong enterprise cannot hide the fact that the superstar is distinctly slower, less nimble on his feet, making the holes in the film much more visible.