Kabali, a real-life script with real emotions, believable scenes, and a plot that can be categorized only as an action-drama.
If you go into the movie with this expectation, you will be more then content and will have definitely got your monies worth. I am a die hard Rajni fan, since the 80's. I've watched the actor evolve, mature and take on challenging roles.
It is no surprise, to his fans, the build up and hype surrounding the movie, was unparalleled to its predecessor's, i.e., Baasha, Padayaapa, Thalapathy, Muthu, Annamalai etc. I feel this movie could have offered more, if some of super star's signature elements were added, but PA Ranjith, has made it clear -he would not fall into that trap. The risk is, doing it too much and I'd rather have less of his superior mannerisms then over-doing it.
The movie has a slow pace, with smooth transitioning between scenes. You will find Rajni acting with real emotions, in better words, its the real-live Rajni. A Rajni that I've been craving to meet. You get to see a Rajni, that expresses emotions with facial expressions rather then sly-hand movements, strategic body movements instead of fast-paced unnecessary sequences that loose credibility. The director, although relatively young to directing, focuses on the overall picture, not just a single actor. Equal spotlight is given to each actor. The supporting cast have done a phenomenal job, however, some scenes lack depth and proper connections. Still, the movie delivers a lot more then the last few Rajni movies.
A gangster script is tough to pull off, for many reasons, you name it -its been done. To do something new in a genre that has been overdone, with an actor that has done many such roles, the weight on Ranjith's shoulders were heavy to begin with. This movie easily achieves a 7 out of 10, but why it gets a 8 out of 10 in my books, is easy to explain, Ranjith pulled it off! He made me believe Kabali exists, a Rajni that was used in a new way, like he said in an interview "Rajni...is like clay, you can mold and shape him to your liking". Every scene with Rajni -I loved. Not a single scene did I feel skirmish about, felt bad for Rajni, or made me think twice about the movie's worth.
The script is a gangster movie, but more about a single man's struggle through his life. I only wish that they would have kept the movie at its original 3hr length and I'll tell you why. The only downfall I noticed, was that the movie overall felt rushed, hence the director made the wrong call on the length of the movie. If he had the extra 30 min, he could have pulled of a Godfather. Any gangster movie has a past, present and future, and to pull off perfection, equal time must be given to each time period. They spent too much time in the present and squished the past and future together, making it at times incomplete, the audience end-up filling in the blanks, some relationships between the characters on screen -were not established well enough, causing the script to have some gaps. Its almost if they cut out some scenes that were crucial to the audience regardless of the script. This is where you can see the downfall to having a younger-new director. He lacked, perhaps the courage, to say no -keep it at 3hr's.
Rajni's actions are there, his feelings shine through in scenes, glimpses of Baasha can be seen, but in words. Every line has a purpose.
Overall, its a movie I will see again.
You'll need to see the movie twice to see the beauty behind his acting.
Cowsi
If you go into the movie with this expectation, you will be more then content and will have definitely got your monies worth. I am a die hard Rajni fan, since the 80's. I've watched the actor evolve, mature and take on challenging roles.
It is no surprise, to his fans, the build up and hype surrounding the movie, was unparalleled to its predecessor's, i.e., Baasha, Padayaapa, Thalapathy, Muthu, Annamalai etc. I feel this movie could have offered more, if some of super star's signature elements were added, but PA Ranjith, has made it clear -he would not fall into that trap. The risk is, doing it too much and I'd rather have less of his superior mannerisms then over-doing it.
The movie has a slow pace, with smooth transitioning between scenes. You will find Rajni acting with real emotions, in better words, its the real-live Rajni. A Rajni that I've been craving to meet. You get to see a Rajni, that expresses emotions with facial expressions rather then sly-hand movements, strategic body movements instead of fast-paced unnecessary sequences that loose credibility. The director, although relatively young to directing, focuses on the overall picture, not just a single actor. Equal spotlight is given to each actor. The supporting cast have done a phenomenal job, however, some scenes lack depth and proper connections. Still, the movie delivers a lot more then the last few Rajni movies.
A gangster script is tough to pull off, for many reasons, you name it -its been done. To do something new in a genre that has been overdone, with an actor that has done many such roles, the weight on Ranjith's shoulders were heavy to begin with. This movie easily achieves a 7 out of 10, but why it gets a 8 out of 10 in my books, is easy to explain, Ranjith pulled it off! He made me believe Kabali exists, a Rajni that was used in a new way, like he said in an interview "Rajni...is like clay, you can mold and shape him to your liking". Every scene with Rajni -I loved. Not a single scene did I feel skirmish about, felt bad for Rajni, or made me think twice about the movie's worth.
The script is a gangster movie, but more about a single man's struggle through his life. I only wish that they would have kept the movie at its original 3hr length and I'll tell you why. The only downfall I noticed, was that the movie overall felt rushed, hence the director made the wrong call on the length of the movie. If he had the extra 30 min, he could have pulled of a Godfather. Any gangster movie has a past, present and future, and to pull off perfection, equal time must be given to each time period. They spent too much time in the present and squished the past and future together, making it at times incomplete, the audience end-up filling in the blanks, some relationships between the characters on screen -were not established well enough, causing the script to have some gaps. Its almost if they cut out some scenes that were crucial to the audience regardless of the script. This is where you can see the downfall to having a younger-new director. He lacked, perhaps the courage, to say no -keep it at 3hr's.
Rajni's actions are there, his feelings shine through in scenes, glimpses of Baasha can be seen, but in words. Every line has a purpose.
Overall, its a movie I will see again.
You'll need to see the movie twice to see the beauty behind his acting.
Cowsi