King is back
‘Kabali’ is a Rajini film. ‘Kabali’ is a Ranjith film. To be more clear, ‘Kabali’ is a film that strikes a fine balance between Rajini and Ranjith.
Without missing out the mass elements of the Superstar and without losing the touch of the new age filmmaker, the movie serves a satisfying feast to the viewer.
If ‘Kabali’ is a treat for Rajini fans, it is no short of a delight for neutral audience. And for those who look for movies that convey a message or two to the society, this flick has more in store.
Coming to the story, Kabaleeswaran aka Kabali (Rajinikanth) is one among the Tamils who are settled in Malaysia for generations and work for the betterment of that country.
When they are paid less and meted out impartial treatment, Kabali bats for their rights. He also stands against Tamils being (mis)used for illegal activities. This makes him earn the wrath of the powers that be, and more importantly, Tony Lee (Winston Chao), who runs a mafia empire called 43.
Through cunning ways, they send Kabali to prison and also ‘kill his pregnant wife’ Kumudhavalli (Radhika Apte). After 25 years, Kabali comes out of jail to teach them a fitting lesson. In the meantime, he also finds that his wife and daughter are alive.
It’s Rajini show all the way and the Rajini fan inside Ranjith has chisled the Kabali character in an interesting manner. The Superstar shines bright with his looks, body language, gait, smile, dialogue delivery and charm.
Radhika Apte has been given a meaty role and she has done justice to it. So is Dhanshika. Kishore has performed well as the top commander in 43 gang, while Nasser, John Vijay, Attakathi Dinesh, Kalaiarasan, Ritwika and others are adequate.
G Murali’s cinematography has captured the rich locales of Malaysia alive, while Praveen K L’s cuts are sharp. Anuvardhan deserves a special mention for the costumes she has designed for Rajini.
Through this film, Ranjith speaks a lot about the plight of the oppressed. And the way he has used Rajini to drive home his message says the ‘Madras’ man is no ‘Attakathi’.
Kabali – Crown
