"Nerupuda!" screamed the theater speakers. I looked around and saw this old mama snoring away. Next to him was an open murukku packet. He probably snuck it into the theater. Unfortunately, there were no more murukkus in it. It was a pitiful sight.
Every where I turn, friendships, relationships and other ships are being questioned based on one's opinion of Kabali.
I watched Kabali after reading all the reviews (sila vishayamlaam anubavichaathaan theriyum). Because I read the reviews, my expectation of the movie was severely lowered. I found myself enjoying the movie more than my family did. Many of the positive reviews that I read, claimed that people need to watch this movie as a director's film and not as a Rajni film. I like to think I tried to embody that.
When we walked out of the theater, quite confused (You too, Tiger?!), my parents were karuchukottifying the movie (I'm sorry, there really isn't an English word that can truly capture the emotion behind 'karuchukottifying').
Amma, who went in with a lot of expectations, was so disappointed, even I felt ashamed. So, to pacify them and to point out how vetti I am, I mentioned the reviews I read and how one should view this as a directors movie.
When I said that, Appa stopped and just looked at me. He asked a very interesting question, "When we go to the store and buy horlicks, we expect it to taste like horlicks, not bournvita!!"
Now, without getting into whether horlicks or bournvita is better (bournvita, obviously), this got me thinking. Many people, like my father, view Rajnikanth as a brand. The actor has his own structure and style. When regular, non-die-hard-fan goes to see a Rajni movie, they expect that sort of image.
Kabali barely had that.
One can definitely justify it and say that Kabali was an initiative to try and go deeper than Rajni the brand and bring out Rajni the actor. All that said and done, in the end, we see him as "Superstar" and the expectation of that image is never going to go away. It's too late to change that.
To put it in another way, in this movie we can replace Rajnikanth with Ajith, Vijay, Kamal, Jayam Ravi, etc. However, can you imagine Baasha without Rajni? How about Annamalai? Arunachalam?
No way!
That is solely because those movies were made for him; for his style and his attitude. He was the perfect fit for that story. However a director's movie, as general as Kabali, can be made to fit anyone.
One might say, that's why the pro-Kabali reviews claim to not view this as a Rajni movie.
Well, that might have been the case, however, this was not promoted as a Pa Ranjith movie, but as a Rajnikanth movie. It was branded with the superstar logo and the hype was all around Rajnikanth (as it should be!). So, like my dad said, you go in expecting a Rajnikanth movie and come out with a Ranjith movie. Obviously that won't sit well with the audience. It's like Kuselan all over again!
Kabali had a very nice concept, however it wasn't a story worth Rajnikanth. Pa Ranjith is a brilliant director, without a doubt, however, Kabali would have probably been a lot better if the main character was played by someone else. Expectations would have been a lot different and the chances for success would have been greater.
I loved the actresses and their roles in the movie. They were all so powerful and so well done. However, I wish they had casted a 'Raghuvaran-esque' villain rather than an international villain. I understand the whole "social" message that was trying to be made, but again, people viewing this as a Rajni film will look for that hero-villain chemistry.
Santhosh Narayanan killed the music. I think, that was the only part of the movie I really enjoyed. The BGM kept the momentum of what was ultimately a slow story and enhanced the grace and style with which Rajni was shown on the big screen. The sound effects were great. The sharp noises when Rajni glanced over and all the gunshot sounds were done very well. Moreover, it was fun to see the sleeping mama startle awake at each action sequence. Unfortunately, that was more entertaining than the movie itself.
Whether you want to compare it to horlicks or bournvita, the fact of the matter is that Kabali is not a Rajni film. It is a disappointment to those expecting the "Superstar" image and hype.
Kochadaiyaan, Lingaa and now this....I am apprehensive to see what's next (Endiran 2?! Kadavule!)
Every where I turn, friendships, relationships and other ships are being questioned based on one's opinion of Kabali.
I watched Kabali after reading all the reviews (sila vishayamlaam anubavichaathaan theriyum). Because I read the reviews, my expectation of the movie was severely lowered. I found myself enjoying the movie more than my family did. Many of the positive reviews that I read, claimed that people need to watch this movie as a director's film and not as a Rajni film. I like to think I tried to embody that.
When we walked out of the theater, quite confused (You too, Tiger?!), my parents were karuchukottifying the movie (I'm sorry, there really isn't an English word that can truly capture the emotion behind 'karuchukottifying').
Amma, who went in with a lot of expectations, was so disappointed, even I felt ashamed. So, to pacify them and to point out how vetti I am, I mentioned the reviews I read and how one should view this as a directors movie.
When I said that, Appa stopped and just looked at me. He asked a very interesting question, "When we go to the store and buy horlicks, we expect it to taste like horlicks, not bournvita!!"
Now, without getting into whether horlicks or bournvita is better (bournvita, obviously), this got me thinking. Many people, like my father, view Rajnikanth as a brand. The actor has his own structure and style. When regular, non-die-hard-fan goes to see a Rajni movie, they expect that sort of image.
Kabali barely had that.
One can definitely justify it and say that Kabali was an initiative to try and go deeper than Rajni the brand and bring out Rajni the actor. All that said and done, in the end, we see him as "Superstar" and the expectation of that image is never going to go away. It's too late to change that.
To put it in another way, in this movie we can replace Rajnikanth with Ajith, Vijay, Kamal, Jayam Ravi, etc. However, can you imagine Baasha without Rajni? How about Annamalai? Arunachalam?
No way!
That is solely because those movies were made for him; for his style and his attitude. He was the perfect fit for that story. However a director's movie, as general as Kabali, can be made to fit anyone.
One might say, that's why the pro-Kabali reviews claim to not view this as a Rajni movie.
Well, that might have been the case, however, this was not promoted as a Pa Ranjith movie, but as a Rajnikanth movie. It was branded with the superstar logo and the hype was all around Rajnikanth (as it should be!). So, like my dad said, you go in expecting a Rajnikanth movie and come out with a Ranjith movie. Obviously that won't sit well with the audience. It's like Kuselan all over again!
Kabali had a very nice concept, however it wasn't a story worth Rajnikanth. Pa Ranjith is a brilliant director, without a doubt, however, Kabali would have probably been a lot better if the main character was played by someone else. Expectations would have been a lot different and the chances for success would have been greater.
I loved the actresses and their roles in the movie. They were all so powerful and so well done. However, I wish they had casted a 'Raghuvaran-esque' villain rather than an international villain. I understand the whole "social" message that was trying to be made, but again, people viewing this as a Rajni film will look for that hero-villain chemistry.
Santhosh Narayanan killed the music. I think, that was the only part of the movie I really enjoyed. The BGM kept the momentum of what was ultimately a slow story and enhanced the grace and style with which Rajni was shown on the big screen. The sound effects were great. The sharp noises when Rajni glanced over and all the gunshot sounds were done very well. Moreover, it was fun to see the sleeping mama startle awake at each action sequence. Unfortunately, that was more entertaining than the movie itself.
Whether you want to compare it to horlicks or bournvita, the fact of the matter is that Kabali is not a Rajni film. It is a disappointment to those expecting the "Superstar" image and hype.
Kochadaiyaan, Lingaa and now this....I am apprehensive to see what's next (Endiran 2?! Kadavule!)
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