Kabali had to be watched in the movie hall, I had decided as soon as I saw the first trailer. The hype that followed all but ensured that polarisation would happen, but I honestly didn’t care what the reviews said. Rajini’s “Kabali daa” in the trailer, to me, felt like a guarantee.
(via)
It isn’t a typical Rajini film, most people seem to agree on that. For instance, here I was, ready to jump up, whoop in joy, and throw a coin during the entry scene, and in an underwhelming introductory shot, he appears, the embodiment of calm in what’s touted as a gangster movie! And yet, in a few seconds, the movie started delivering on what I’d come for – the spellbinding swag that only Rajinikanth can pull off on screen! (“Koodave poranthathu, ennikkum pogadhu” 😀 #youremember) There are enough of those scenes in the movie to have kept the fan in me very contented.
But the movie did more than that for me, and that’s why this has now become my favourite Rajinikanth movie. Despite itself, I watch Baasha every time it appears on TV, and it has taken 21 years to dislodge it from the top spot. Only Padayappa came close, and it had Ramya Krishnan! In many ways, it is the villain that makes the hero. While we were waiting to get into the hall, I was telling D how difficult it is to find a credible villain for Rajinikanth. The demands on stature are near impossible to achieve. Even the menacing Danny Denzongpa had to give way to Chitti (the robot who turns antagonist – played by Rajini) in Enthiran. That brings me to the ‘more’ I mentioned at the beginning of the paragraph.
In Kabali, Winston Chao just about manages to be the face of villainy, with very good support from Kishore. But to me, they are just the tangible evil that must be destroyed, and devices that make sure that the gangster revenge drama storyline is well taken care of. Rajini himself has played the well meaning gangster earlier, fighting as much against the ills of society as against a clear villain. Many others have too. For instance, I can remember at least a few films taking on the flaws in the education system. But here was a Maratha, born in Bangalore and idolised in Tamil Nadu (and beyond) using the full power of his stardom to throw light on the troubles of Malaysian Indians. (a must read in this context) Even if there is some shrewd commercial thinking involved, that, to me, is statesmanship. Civil rights, opportunities denied, skin colour, class wars, drugs that are as much a result as they are a cause, vicious cycles – many relevant things find a place. I think the writer-director Pa.Ranjith deserves equal credit for this. The film is pretty much a chronology of the plight of Malaysian Indians in a country that they consider their own.
A set of people, of an ethnicity different from the natives, who have been living in a geography for decades, if not centuries. It is understandable when the natives feel an angst stemming from resources/opportunities being taken away from them. The angst on the other side – when the ‘migrant’ set feels that they are denied opportunities, and are oppressed – is equally understandable. I remember being similarly conflicted when thinking of Lanka and Eelam. Indeed, across the globe, from the most developed to the developing countries, this friction and conflict is becoming manifest. As I wondered in another post to do with privilege and prosperity, where does the moral right lie? And in this context, how long before civilisation can go beyond the idea of a nation state and solve problems that affect humanity as a whole?
A Rajini film that, beyond the standard awe I was promised, made me think. That’s the ‘more’. And thus the last word in the post is a tad predictable, isn’t it? Magizhchi. 🙂
“While we were waiting to get into the hall, I was telling D how difficult it is to find a credible villain for Rajinikanth.”
When Anna and I were discussing Rajnikanth, Kabali and the inevitable Baasha comparison, she said the same thing- how his role is enhanced when he has had a strong villain character as the foil.
I was inclined to agree, till it struck me that his role is enhanced when he has a strong supporting character, not necessarily the villain. For instance, I compare his acting in Kabali with Thalapathy where he had Mammootty playing Deva.
I’d still say antagonist. The supporting character might have worked a few years ago, but barring Kuselan, if you look at his recent movies, it’s always been a villain.