Yes folks, Superstar is back and back with a bang, as he announces his supremacy in the box office with his latest crime drama- Kabali, after a two year sabbatical. Written and directed by Ranjith of Madras fame, Kabali is all about an aging gangster, trying to save his gang’s slowly dying grasp over their rival gangs, and the consequences that follow in doing so. The cast of Madras, combined with Superstar and Radhika Apte, enliven this heavy and violent drama.
The film scores in areas of story, direction and screenplay. The story concentrates on the lesser seen side of a gangster, the emotions involved in being such a big and powerful person in the society and the harsh realities that one such person has to face in order to be in that position. The characters are scripted well, with enough depth and drama, as the genre demands. The unfolding of the events in the first half, was handled really well by the director, giving snippets of information about the characters before they are introduced on screen.
The narration of Rajni’s rise to his position and his rivalries during his rise, was neat and descriptive. The cast, does a good job overall, in bringing out the story. Rajni stands out with his performance, and carries himself with the required status and maturity throughout the film. The support cast adequately aid the story and have stood out in their performance. Another plus point was the music in the film, scored by Santosh. It sets the scene beautifully and packs a punch to the stern ideologies projected in the film. Be it Rajni’s intro or his emotion, Santosh always had a ball in the bag for him. Also, a special mention to the costume designer Anu Vardhan, for bringing out Rajni’s stylish and suave look. Overall, the production design work was very neat and showed that a lot of money and effort was put into it.
The film fails in its ability to finish off completely. One might walk out of a theater in the end, with some unanswered questions. The villains in such a film should play a crucial part, but here they fail to satisfy that criteria, as it is more of a Superstar’s show. Kishore role, in particular was well scripted and enacted, but it is not enough as his Taiwanese counter-part becomes a disaster. Also the film sets off well, during the initial half, but does not carry forward the mojo in the second half. The director seemed to ran out of ideas, and dragged the film to an unnecessarily violent ending. Similarities to Tarantino’s works and some older gangster films are smitten throughout the script. The second half as such, was not handled with the same care as done in the first half. An overhaul of violence and emotions and some inconsistencies, do drag the entire affair.
On the whole, Rajni and the story have their moments in this costly and fiery drama, but the fire doesn’t glow with all its glory.VERDICT- THALAIVAR’S NEW ROLE- MAGIZCHI!!!!MY SCORE- 2.5/5
Guest Post: Pranav Chandran
