KAALA:
“All the Rajini Fans” are an orbit of theirs own. The cinema that caters to
them is thus by definition different and defying. This time round the blast is
on with some time to take off but when it does it is full fledged and high
wattage in a way you have come to associate with the Rajini school or the Rajni
shtyle.
The monsoons may not have arrived as yet in Mumbai. For the Rajni fans it has
and how!! The torrent takes a while. The film is a clash between the good and
evil and a good forerunner for a man with political ambitions. The realtor with
eyes on prime land and the poor fighting to save it; the case of cosy
development alongside attractive PPTs Vs. wishing away the poor is the conflict
that is central to the film. Pivoted around the two: Rajini and Nana Patekar
the film is a tad too long and the 166 minutes is predictably lost on the
frills and not centred around the dramatic value of the story.
Karikalan (Rajini) is the Robinhood of Dharavi with wife Selvi (Eshwari) and a
large family of multiple children and grandchildren. His one son Lenin defies
the grandeur of his dad and is a revolutionary of sorts. Living in Dharavi the
entire citizenry swear by the charisma and skill sets of Kaala and have an
unquestionable commitment to his word. The local political Don Harinath Desai
(Nana) is out to grab Dharavi under the guise of cleaning up the largest slum
and expectedly meets with stiff opposition. When his powerful supporter
(Sampath) is killed in an act of vendetta in the monsoon rains of Mumbai, he
decides to change gears and gets in an NGO – builder combination. Heading the
NGO face is Zareena (Huma Qureshi – hopelessly miscast) a one-time resident of
the area, now in designer Handlooms to change the face of Dharavi. Even the
naïve Lenin and his spirited girlfriend (Anjali Patil) fall a prey to it. Not
for long.
The clash comes out into the open. Rajini who has this long been subdued comes
into his own and knows of the large fan base he has to cater to. The dance, the
drama, the emotional one liners, the ace up my sleeve lines, the quick as
lighting movements, the physics defying fights, the chemistry defying romance
are all in place and finally the chef delivers what is expected of him. The
film has many draw backs including the failure of the film maker to prioritise
the Rajini expertise and waste on the support cast. The climax is long drawn
and seemingly seamless and full of chaos. You actually do not know who is
beating up who and who is winning who loosing. Rajini throws in a lot of polish
and grace to his role. This is not his usual stuff. Of course you cannot take
the original Rajini out and Kaala is Rajini, Rajini is Kaala. It remains to be
seen if he falls between the two stools.
When last did you if ever go to a movie with the fans pouring in with a self
stated dress code? All in black. This sure is the fan out doing the impossible
visage of the star. But the Rajini fan is a new species that defies being the
Homo sapien. Go to the theatre not just to watch Rajini but to watch his fans.
L. Ravichander.