Kabali - Visitor Column

When was the last time, you sat in a Rajinikanth's movie and were afraid that he may die in the middle of a fight? Don't remember? Been a long time, right? How could he die? He's always been invulnerable, powerful and could handle any number of goons and threats.

Ranjith.Pa tries to pluck away that comfort zone from the star and you, and even succeeds to a level. But, the director's confusion is clearly visible. He struggles between his own formula and the commercial one, between The Godfather-esque style and the Indian hero-centered style. The pressure on his shoulders is high, a 2 film old director with a super star, how would that be easy?

Surprisingly, emotions are handled way better than action in this gangster flick. "What if, my wife is still alive?" "What if, my daughter was born?" "Where would they be living now?" "What would she think of me, when she sees me after this many years?" The audience could feel these questions along with the star. The nervous feel, when he waits for her, transfers to the viewers beautifully.

Santhosh prefers silence for these scenes and it works out well. I always love female actors, who don’t try to look beautiful when they cry. Radhika Apte is a boon, as the lovable and commanding wife. It is hard for us to notice that there is no lengthy conversation between the pair, the small cuts of her proves enough for their beautiful chemistry.

Dhansika too fits in strikingly well. On the contrary, to other's belief that Ranjith wasted his chance with the super star, I think that he used his chance to show the portions of Rajinikanth that other directors have forgotten for some time. But, even after all these, the overall satisfaction that we had in 'Madras' is missing here.

The promotions were clearly misleading, so don't expect,
- a mass masala,
- a racy screenplay,
- Baasha part 2 or
- an invincible Rajinikanth.

Overall - Wonderful Characterisation for Rajini with a messy, unbalanced screenplay.