Kabali
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Specifications
Year: 2016
Running time: 2 hr 33 min (153 min)
Languages: Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malay.
Crew
Director, writer: Pa. Ranjith
Producer: Kalaippuli S. Thanu
Choreography: Sathish
Cinematography: G. Murali Vardhan
Cast
Rajinikanth
Winston Chao
Radhika Apte
Kumudhavalli
Dinesh
Kalaiyarasan
John Vijay
Rosyam Nor
Kishore Kumar G.
Riythvika
Music: Santhosh Narayanan
Lyricists:
Uma Devi ...
Kabilan ...
Vivek ...
Arunraja Kamaraj
Playback singers:
Ananthu ...
Gaana Bala ...
Roshan Jamrock ...
Arunraja Kamaraj ...
Pradeep Kumar ...
Lawrence Raghavendra ...
Rajinikanth ...
Shweta Mohan ...
Santhosh Narayanan ...
Orchestras
Bohemia Junction Limited ...
F.A.M.E.'S. Project ...
The film
Jul 20 2016 : The Times of India (Delhi)
5 reasons why you should watch Rajinikanth's Kabali
The film was released in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malay .
RAJINI ALL THE WAY
In his 164th outing, Rajinikanth plays a retired gangster whose past comes back to haunt him. Since the film is set in the 80s and the present day, the actor sports dif ferent looks.
SUPPORTING CAST
As Kabali's wife Kumudavalli, Radhika Apte impressed the team with her performance. Taiwanese star Winston Chao and Malaysian actor Rosyam Nor play pivotal roles.
MUSIC
There's probably no Thalaiva fan who hasn't dubsmashed to the chartbuster Neruppa Da. A mash-up video featuring characters of Ice Age: Collision Course and scenes from Kabali went viral.
Synopsis
Thinkal Menon, The Times of India + Surabhi Redkar, KoiMoi.com
A gangster in Malaysia goes in search of his family after 25 years of imprisonment
Tamil migrants work in Malaysia in an area that has been captured by drug lords. Kabali aka Kabaleswaran (Rajinikanth) is a worker who lives happily with his wife (Radhika Apte) and daughter (Dhansika).
Kabaleeshwaran aka Kabali (Rajinikanth), who was born somewhere in Dindigul, is the messiah of Tamil labourers who work in Malaysia, after he fights for their primary rights and wages. His rise to an influential person in the society, in a short span of time, is now giving sleepless nights to a few, which further fuels jealousy and enmity towards Kabali. Veera (Kishore) is one among those jealous, and keeps hatching plans to destroy Kabali's gang, and defame him publicly. He convincingly brainwashes an aide of Kabali and successfully turns him against the latter. After a violent gang war, which takes place unexpectedly, Kabali, being convicted of various false charges, ends up in jail.
Released after two-and-a-half decades, Kabali goes in search of his wife Kumudhavalli (Radhika Apte), who was pregnant when destiny separated them. He seeks the help of his old gang, including Ameer (John Vijay), who are more than happy to help him. Jeeva (Dinesh), an overly enthusiastic youngster, too, joins him as a loyal aide. Thamizh Kumaran (Kalaiyarasan), the son of a yesteryear aide of Kabali, who backstabbed the latter, is another person who promises to help the old Kabali, but is confused. Meanwhile, Veera is ruling the roost in the town, with his own empire and Tony (Winston Chao), one of the dreaded gangsters is his business partner. Will Kabali get his wife back? Will he be able to make up the years that he lost in jail?
Reviews
The reviews were average to lukewarm
The Hindu
Baradwaj Rangan, The Hindu, July 22, 2016
[No star rating.]
It’s interval and I am scratching my non-existent beard, wondering what about this generic gangster script interested either Ranjith or Rajini.
The directorial confidence we saw in Attakathi and Madras is practically absent.
But looking back, it's not as generic as the first half made it seem. But what works against the film is the near absence of emotional beats, a sense of people to root for, root against.
But yes, it is great to see a dignified Superstar, acting his age. He does more for the movie than the movie does for him.
The Indian Express
Shubhra Gupta, Indian Express This Rajinikanth film is a drag
Stars: 1.5
This was the time when Rajinikanth should have reinvented himself for his directors have long stopped bothering about plot and characterisation. For when Rajinikant is on and at it, who cares?... It was a time to witness just how a huge star who still has presence can be on the cusp of fading. If he’s not careful the next time around.
KoiMoi.com
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars (Two and half stars)
What’s Bad: The pace of the film is going to be a major issue. A snail-speed screenplay pulls down this film.
The Times of India
Thinkal Menon, The Times of India:
CRITIC'S RATING: 3.0/5
AVG READERS' RATING: 3.6/5
Director Pa Ranjith won appreciation from all quarters for his previous film Madras, His legions of fans were disappointed with his previous outing, Lingaa… As Ranjith isn't a run-of-the-mill director, and is considered as someone whose screenplay and dialogues have hidden meanings, comparisons with his previous films are but in order. In Kabali, one shouldn't expect the freshness in script and making style which his Madras offered. The flashback portions, on occasions, test one's patience, and lack evenness.
Watching Yogi (Dhansikaa) is a delight, given her stylish makeover and ease in fight sequences. The climax of the film, however, is something that one least expects from a Rajini film. Just when viewers erupt with joy, with Thalaivar finishing off the baddies in style, there comes an unconventional twist.
The songs by Santhosh Narayanan are soothing to watch on screen, too. The stunt sequences and shoot-out scenes choreographed by Anbarivu, with Rajini putting his best foot forward, is sure to give adrenaline-rush to his fans, and are, in fact, among the things that work in favour of the film, in addition to an emotional scene. The story, perhaps, needed a tighter screenplay, but watch it for 'Thalaivar athiradi'. Nothing more, nothing less!
Box Office
Satellite rights etc Rs 200 crore
First day
Rajinikanth’s Kabali box office collection day 1: Film makes earth-shattering start The Indian Express reported in the evening on July 22, 2016. ‘Rajinikanth's Kabali has broken records and brought in big bucks’
As mentioned above, the first shows started around 5am. Kabali was released on more than 12,000 screens across India, and the world, especially the UK and MalaysiaThe first day booking across south India was a sold out and no ticket was to be had for love or money.
First-day domestic ticket sales: Rs 35 crore (estimated) (vs. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo: Rs40.35 crore; Sultan (2016) Rs 36.54 crore)
USA first day: $1,317,288 by 4 pm EST and an estimated $1.45m gross (by late evening). This is the highest for an Indian film. (Bahubali: The Beginning (2015) $ 1,360,201 Telugu + $ 10,850 Tamil + more from the Hindi-Urdu version; total US first day collection= $1,382,076 . Sultan (2016) brought in $786,194.
See also...
...the profiles of all important actresses currently active in South Indian cinema, either by entering their names in the Search rectangle (top right) or by clicking the Cinema-TV-Pop link below.
See also the pages on
...for a detailed storyline, updated box office performance, critical reception, pre-release details and 18 images/ photographs/ stills from all songs of Lingaa.
Kabali
