Having fans isn’t the same thing as having devotees. I also wondered whether Hindi-speaking audiences would be quite as thrilled if Amitabh Bachchan appeared in a film dressed up as his character from Zanjeer. Rajini flicking his hair would probably be greeted with delirious cheers there, instead of seeming-as it did to me-faintly ridiculous. Though it has shades of the Kamal Haasan-starrer Nayakan, this is one of the stronger passages in the film, showing us how Kabali became the people’s leader on a Kuala Lumpur estate run with Indian labour, then a strongman for a local crime boss and, finally, the boss himself.Īs I watched Rajinikanth as young Kabali, clean-shaven and looking like the Superstar of yore in his trademark shades, I wondered how these scenes would have been received in Chennai. We learn the circumstances of her death in an extended flashback that also serves as the Kabali origin story.
Instead, he’s distracted by visions of his late wife, Rupa Devi (Radhika Apte), and driven by revenge. With Kuala Lumpur having come under the control of his rivals Tony Lee (Winston Chao) and Vijay Singh (Kishore), you would expect Kabali to set about dismantling their empire.
He helps troubled teens and he’s a bird-lover. Once out, he celebrates by going to the home of one of his rival’s henchmen, beating him up (to send a message that Kabali’s back) and freeing a parrot. Even before we get a glimpse of him, he’s a cliché: the gangster with the heart of gold (a police officer argues in favour of his release, saying his Free Life Foundation helps keep Indian children off the streets). The hysteria that has greeted the buildup to Kabali’s release was also evident in a plane decorated with Rajinikanth’s face and flown from Bangalore to Chennai, serving Rajinikanth’s favourite food on board, to bring 100 fans to a “first day first show” screening for the cost of Rs 7,860 (£79).After 25 years in prison, Kabali (Rajinikanth) is released from a Kuala Lumpur jail. When the 65-year-old fell ill two years ago, more than 1,000 people shaved their heads in a ceremony praying for his recovery and there are an estimated 50,000 Rajinikanth fan clubs. Its allure is mainly down to the phenomenon of Rajinikanth, who is one of India’s highest paid actors and inspires fanatical devotion among his fans. Undoubtedly the most hotly awaited film release of the year, Kabali is described as a gangster revenge movie. One company in Chennai said it was easier to allow employees the time off to avoid piled up leave requests to the HR department, while another in Bangalore said it wanted to pre-empt the “sick leaves, mobile switch-offs and mass bunks” by workers desperate to see Kabali.
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