‘Kabali’ Review: Watch Rajinikanth Give Life to a Bland Movie

Rajinikanth’s introduction scene one of the best moments in this 151-minute film.

Rajinikanth in Kabali. (Photo Courtesy: Kalaipuli S. Thanu)

Film: Kabali
Director: Pa Ranjith
Cast: Rajinikanth, Radhika Apte, Winston Chao

The superstar is back on screen in a new avatar and his fans are going crazy trying to catch Kabali on the first day. After Enthiran, Rajinikanth has had not had much luck on the big screen with Kochadaiiyaan and Lingaa tanking at the box-office. The massive hype for Kabali also stems from the fact that Rajinikanth plays a man closer to his real age - unlike his previous films - and further, makes a comeback as a gangster after decades.

Poster of superstar Rajnikanth’s new film — Kabali. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

In Kabali, Rajinikanth makes a dramatic shift from the romantic hero who woos a twenty-five-year-old to an ageing don who has reformed but seeks revenge. Pa Ranjith’s flick is quite different from the spate of recent commercial Rajini films - no comic sidekick, no glamour and no exotic locales for songs. The director who made films like Attakathi and Madras has focused on the family bond and relationships between people in this movie.

The film begins with Kabali (Rajinikanth), a gangster’s release from Malaysian prison after 25 years. When Rajinikanth saunters out of prison in his grey suit and round glasses, his trademark swag, charisma and style makes his introduction scene one of the best moments in this 151-minute film.

Radhika Apte with Rajinikanth. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Radhika Apte)

Radhika Apte who plays Kumudha, Rajini’s wife, excels in her role and is a great choice. The scenes between her and Kabali are quite endearing and emotional. The director has been able to show their chemistry beautifully as well. But as far as the villains go, the casting could have been better. Winston Chao and Kishore, who are the main villains, don’t measure up at all to the stature of Rajinikanth.

Rajinikanth’s films are known for his punchlines but in Kabali we find very few. Kabali’s trademark dialogue becomes a single word ‘Magizchi’. In one scene when Kabali is asked why his pretty wife Kumuda married him, he replies, ‘Karuppu power!’ (The power of black).

Despite the ‘new’ Rajinikanth we see in the film, Kabali is a revenge story which relies heavily on Rajinikanth. It moves slowly with a long-drawn flashback and is flat. Though director Pa Ranjith has got the superstar in the film, he has sadly not been able to take the film to the next level and that is quite disappointing. But there are some scenes he has been able to make a mark with like Rajini’s intro and Dhansika’s intro scenes.

Filmmaker Pa Ranjith with Rajinikanth (Photo: Twitter/beemji)

The music and BGM by Santosh Narayanan is good. ‘Nerrupu Da’ from Kabali is already a super hit and that is one of the moments in the film that you really enjoy. The cinematography by Murali is noteworthy too. Watch Kabali solely for Rajinikanth who has done his best to give life to this bland film.

Rating: 2.5 Quints / 5