K A B A L I

Before the curtain rose:

The sirens screamed at a feverish pitch. I was puzzled and I listened on. And before I knew it, I was hooked to the song. That was my first brush with what has lately become my obsession, culminating in this review: K A B A L I.

But at the time, little did I know that the song I was listening to, was the perfect prelude for what was to follow. Till that time though, I was oblivious to a lot of things. The next Rajini film or its title didn’t make a difference. The director or music director didn’t evoke an interest. Malaysia and its Tamil populous were all but invisible to me. I just hadn’t bothered.

From there though, madness ensued. My phone ring tone changed. I printed myself a T shirt just for the movie. I sat through a night and booked tickets…. and then, back up tickets. And I have never ever done it for any other movie. If you ask me what got into me, I wont have half a convincing answer. And that fact made me wonder if I was setting myself up for a huge anticlimax.

And in a way, an anticlimax it turned out to be. A day before the movie, I recorded 104 °F of fever! I had a cannula fixed in my hand. Drugs pumped into my veins. And I almost, almost, gave up on the movie.

But destiny would have different thoughts. After all, I didn’t buy IMAX tickets to Kabali at 1:30AM in the night to skip the screening, did I?! So the weather had to clear and I had to get to the movie hall. The one good thing the fever did: It decimated all expectations. I went in there blank. Perhaps partly because the medicines and the fever had me zonked.

After the curtain rose:

I have to say I have never seen such a sedate entrance for the Super Star. No horse drawn chariots, no snakes to charm, no bullock carts riding in from the sunrise or no headers on pumpkins. In fact, the entry was even simpler than what he got in his debut. The only subtle hint of macho was a gentle pull up.

Right after the hero gets introduced, the second hero makes himself heard. The BGM picks up, and Santosh Narayanan says “hi”. More on that, in a bit.

Rajini meanwhile, proves he is old wine in an old bottle. Charming in his natural appearance, in a role befitting his age. His swagger is a bit tired, but swagger nonetheless. I hope this is his second coming in such appearances and a lasting one at that. Needless to say, the story revolves around him, his gang of do-gooders, the rival gang, Tamilians in Malaysia and his family, in that order.

The director has tried to mold two worlds together. One where he aspires to bring out the story of Malaysian Tamils, and one where he has to handle a colossus of an actor and the plethora of expectations that come with it. And he has done a good job by and large. When I walked out of the movie, I had gotten a good dose of the ‘Superstar’ and a good portion of the Malaysian Tamil angle.

In short, Rajini plays a messiah for the Tamils, leads them and fights for their rights. He is briefly undone by the rival gang, his family is separated and is jailed for a long time. He comes back, avenges himself and goes back to fighting the new age problems faced by his kith and kin. In between, he manages to reunite with his family.

The movie has its highs and lows. The plot in itself is solid and Rajini carries it with élan. Unlike a lot of his mass flicks, here he actually has an opportunity to emote. The heroism quotient is kept in check and comes in healthy installments. The movie paints a vague picture of the travails of Malaysian Tamils, but yet acts as an eye opener in that regard.

The narration moves along well, but not without moments of lag. The flash back scenes are a bit of a drag. There are unnecessary elements like the free life salute or unrealistic portrayal of drug addicts. The entire India chapter could have been given a miss. It in fact, dilutes the experience. The portrayal that his wife cannot track a big wig like him does not lend much credence.

The second half reminds us that this is a gangster movie after all. And what is a gangster movie without violence played out on screen? It might have gone a tad overboard but nothing out of place.

Radhika’s Apte’s role as Kabali’s wife is downplayed, yet central to him as well as the story. Her performance is measured and aptly so. John Vijay as Amir, Dhansika as Yogi and Attakathi Dinesh as Jeeva essay decent roles. No other characters stand out much. Nasser and Kishor are wasted.

Santosh Narayanan, as music director, deserves as much credit as Ranjith does as the director if not more. The background score switches beautifully in sync with what is being played out in screen. It accentuates the overall emotion and helps in the packaging. ‘Neruppu da’ is the obvious show stealer. But other tunes like ‘Veera Purandahara’ are not too far behind.

The camera work is simple and elegant. Nothing transforming. But pleasant on the eye.

As for Ranjith’s credit, apart from handling a decent script, he has also made a few brave moves. There is no comedy track. There is not a single duet. There is not much of room given to romance. There is no melodrama. There is very little hero worship. These are usual suspects in any Tamil movie and to keep away from them means a lot of courage. And it has only done good to the film.

So is the movie a classic cult? Unfortunately, No. Does it have the makings? Yes Indeed. What could have elevated this movie to that status? Slicker editing and screen play to begin with. Seemed pretty ordinary and unimaginative. And if they had managed to do away with some of the fluff I mentioned earlier, the movie could have transcended to another level.

Despite that, Kabali lives up to the hype. Rajini enthralls.

PS: It is time Tamil cinema embraced post credit scenes. Given the gun shot before the credits, Imagine a post credit scene with Kabali’s laughter and…. “KABALI DA”!!