Reflections on the week leading up to “Kabali,” and questions about the years ahead.
After the deafening hype, Rajinikanth’s Kabali opened bookings last week, and this created a fresh round of hype. People were glued to their computer (or phone) screens, waiting for theatres to announce show timings. Usually, most theatres open bookings on the same day, but this time, it was a staggered affair. One theatre would pop up on bookmyshow.com or ticketnew.com, and a few seconds later, every single seat would be sold out. Then another theatre would follow. Then another. We were left wondering if someone was hoarding these tickets – maybe the theatres themselves. Because unless you are thalaivar, internet speed in India is certainly not fast enough for thousands of seats to get booked in a matter of seconds. We began to hear news that theatres were selling tickets at the counters at five, ten times the price. One thousand rupees, someone said. Five thousand, said another. Many people looked at me enviously and said, “What’s your problem? You probably have ten tickets!”
But here’s the thing. I didn’t. I contacted people at theatres. I contacted PR people. I told them I needed just one ticket for the first show on the first day, and I waited. This is what many “insiders” did, the ones that were supposed to have easy access to tickets. Till Thursday morning, I did not have a ticket. But as the day went on, people I’d contacted began to get back. One ticket from here. Two from there. Suddenly, I was the one giving away tickets. I have never seen this happen with any other film, and it’s understandable why so many news channels dispatched reporting teams to Chennai to record this phenomenon. I was invited to be a panellist on one of these shows, and a reporter told me that she had come down with her team from Bangalore to Chennai. They’d been doing Kabali stories for a week. She said. “The TRPs are unbelievable.”
“Unbelievable” is a good word to use in this context. The Delhi-based channel anchors would have used another: “Incomprehensible.” Many hours of air time were spent trying to understand “the Rajini phenomenon.” I admit it is hard. I’ve heard it was this way with the Beatles, where fans would begin screaming excitedly at the sight of them. I’ve seen this happen with the second trilogy of Star Wars films – in Attack of the Clones, specifically, when Yoda whipped out a light sabre and got ready to battle Count Dooku. I saw the theatre erupt with cheer when, in the first instalment of the rebooted Star Trek series, Leonard Nimoy made an appearance as Spock. Spock and Yoda are characters that have endeared themselves to us over years, and this partly explains the Rajinikanth phenomenon. When someone has been on our screens for 41 years, he probably becomes as mythical as Yoda or Spock.
He’s equally remote. Like Yoda and Spock, he exists only in the movies, either on screen or on TV. Otherwise, he’s… who knows? Maybe he’s in the Himalayas, as he’s often supposed to be. Maybe he’s right here in Chennai, playing with his grandchildren. For such a mega-mega-watt star, it’s amazing how out-of-sight Rajinikanth is during the intervals between his films. Doesn’t he travel? How is he not spotted more often at airports or hotels? Or does he don a disguise? Plus, he doesn’t do ads. He doesn’t do TV shows, hobnobbing with commoners dreaming of becoming millionaires. He doesn’t even promote his films. I mean, who does that (or doesn’t)? In the whole wide world, do you know another star who won’t give interviews? The mystique (or mystery) that stars had before the era of 24×7 media – only Rajinikanth has that today. This, too, explains why a sighting – even if only on a movie screen – becomes such a hysterical event.
Finally, on Friday, the event that is Kabali opened. The box office went through the roof. (Sample headline on Saturday morning: “Kabali smashes all box office records, collects over Rs 40 crore.”) Heck, even bbc.com carried a story titled “How Rajinikanth and Kabali mania swept India.” But reactions weren’t encouraging. The film was too slow, some said. The film was too un-Rajini-like, said others. Most agreed that the director, Pa. Ranjith, did not know how to “use” a star of this magnitude (though the narrative, at least in the urban centres, began to change from Monday). . Then came this question: Is there any filmmaker today who can make a Rajinikanth movie that will satisfy everyone? In the 1990s, he was just a superstar. Today – thanks to all those Internet memes, thanks to Japan making a blockbuster out of Muthu, thanks to his films being promoted on the outside of airplanes – he is something else: you’d have to coin a hyperbolic word to explain what he is today. With the exception of Shankar, who works in an equally hyperbolic zone, is there anyone else who can “handle” a Rajinikanth movie?
People keep trying. Rajinikanth’s daughter tried to make an animated superhero out of him in Kochadaiiyaan. The film bombed. KS Ravikumar, a director from an older generation, tried shoehorning Rajinikanth into British India in Lingaa. The film bombed. And now, a promising new-gen filmmaker like Ranjith says he wanted to present Rajinikanth as an actor, the actor everyone admired in films like Mullum Malarum. But Mullum Malarum was released in 1978, when Rajinikanth was just… an actor. His “persona” hadn’t yet calcified. Two, there were audiences then that were ready to watch a slow-paced, character-driven drama. If we are able to appreciate Rajinikanth’s acting in this film, it’s because of this pace, the attentiveness with which the character was written. Today’s audience is completely different. They begin to hoot the second a film slows down. They just seem to want variations of “Rajini style.” The slo-mo walk. The staccato laugh. A few punch lines. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Then there’s his age. Rajinikanth has finally begun to look old on screen. Indian audiences (and especially Tamil audiences) have always demonstrated an exceptional ability to suspend disbelief when it comes to their male stars (never female) enacting characters who are a few decades younger, but who do you cast opposite him? In Kabali, Radhika Apte, who plays his wife, looks like his granddaughter. None of this will matter, of course, when it comes to Rajinikanth’s next release, which is Shankar’s sequel to Endhiran/Robot (even if the heroine of this 65-year-old star is, gulp, 24-year-old Amy Jackson). But afterwards? What kind of story do you write around a star who’s nearing 70, whose fans still keep imagining him as a young man who can do anything, everything? Going back to myth, I keep thinking of the Sita swayamwara episode from the Ramayana, where mighty kings try to lift that big bow, and keep failing. Like Sita, Rajinikanth (and his fans) keep waiting.
An edited version of this piece can be found here. Copyright ©2016 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
brangan
July 30, 2016
I’m so glad I got this picture of Rajini because this was one of the “still shots” I was talking about in my review.
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Jetlagged
July 30, 2016
I wish there was something Like Godfather for Rajini. Say Young Rajini played by someone like Vijay Sethupathi, and older Rajini by thalaivar himself……that would be a treat…and the legend would continue……In Kabali itself, would have been nice to see if VS had played the young Kabali……..I think we can suspend that disbelief as well in terms of looks…….just to get back that charm and energy back….nee pannu thalaiva…naanga paakarom….
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Jetlagged
July 30, 2016
something like Apocalypse now as well……the movie itself slowly building up for the last 20 minutes ends with 20 minutes of Thalaivar extravaganza…..the writing has to be punchy enough..its not the screen time that matters….what matters is how much justification is done in bringing about of the legend that we expect to see….basically okkara vechu azhagu paakanum……vaati vadhaikka koodadhu….
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brangan
July 30, 2016
Jetlagged: Haha, I like the Apocalypse Now idea, but theatres will burn if you bring Rajini in around 2/3rds of the film 🙂
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lightsshadowsg
July 30, 2016
Probably a director like Mani Ratnam who was relevant and knew the audience pulse then in 1985 and continues to read it almost perfectly even now, could create something like a “thalapathy” of modern times or a “Sarkar” Amitabh type role…
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sanjana
July 30, 2016
Please delete my comment which is off the topic.
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nirmalhenry
July 30, 2016
In the whole wide world, do you know another star who won’t give interviews? – Ajith Kumar
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thulasidasan17
July 30, 2016
Can someone just remake Yojimbo to Indian sensibilites and get Rajinikanth to do the Toshiro Mifune role? Problems solved. 🙂
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ajayvig
July 30, 2016
What’s “failure” in this context ? If it’s a box office comparison to Linga and Kochadaiyan then Kabali is a smashing hit, and Ranjith has delivered what Rajini/Dhanu expected out of this movie, ultimately. If it’s the film’s sensibilities or whether it “clicked” at a personal level, yes it was a bit of a let down in terms of pace and number of subplots, but Ranjith is still a far better director than the crude Shankar (racist: exhibit A- Angavai Sangavai) and KS Ravikumar (misogyny), this is by far the best Rajini movie in the last 10 years. Anyway, as a regular reader/lurker here, thanks for creating a space to engage in interesting discussions.
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Amit Joki
July 30, 2016
BR: What is your view on my previous comment regarding in the Kabali thread?
Disgusting? Imaginable? You-are-out-of-your-mind reaction?
I have developed lots of sub plots weaved under the main plot. My friends liked the naughty Rajini.
Would Rajini ever be interested to okay such roles or has it to be always massive socially good movies?
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Bharath Vijayakumar
July 30, 2016
BR…off topic.Not sure if this is the right place to put this. You have always maintained that the primary purpose of a review is to fuel a discussion. In these times where a majority hardly read a review and look at only the bottom line and rating, your work and your reader base is vital. In your own own words elsewhere I believe you said that a review is not about suggesting someone to watch a particular movie or not.
I just find it a little awkward to see “The Hindu Cinema” tweeting something like this
“What new movies should you watch or skip? Our weekly movie round-up with @baradwajrangan”
This could well be out of your control. But in case you could look into it, kindly do so.
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
July 30, 2016
I don’t think pacing of the film is an issue. When I watched the film a second time, in a calmer mood, when I wasn’t awaiting whistle-worthy scenes, I could connect better with the film. Also, the first time around, I was following the plot and the whole lot of characters that were being thrown at me in every other scene. While watching second time, since I knew everyone, I could follow Thalaivar’s emotional arc from the beginning.
For instance, when Kalaiyarasan tries to kill Thalaivar and he asks in shock, “Tamilmaaran payyana avan?”, the first time around I have no f***ing clue who Tamilmaaran is. And so the reaction Thalaivar gives after that saying, “Innum ennaalaam naan indha vaazhkaila paakka poreno”, I can’t connect with that emotion. But, the second time around, I know he’s just realized that his close friend’s son has tried to kill him. And then, when I see his acting it resonates better. There are several such moments throughout the film, where knowing how the characters are related, lets you get why they emote the way they do in that scene. Perhaps this could have been addressed in the screenplay. Or perhaps these issues arose because certain scenes were chopped off to make the movie shorter.
And like Rangan said the film has been made in a shockingly shoddy manner. And that’s probably what is making the common people say that the film is slow. Had the making been sharp, the film would have connected emotionally and people wouldn’t have felt the slow pace.
When I watched ‘Naan Kadavul’, there were a couple of drunk guys in the theatre, who were passing funny remarks throughout the first half. But when the climax scene arrived with Pooja crying in front of Arya pleading with him to liberate her from misery and the background score stayed silent, the theatre was silent too. So I firmly believe that a well-made, well-crafted film, no matter what the pacing will connect with people. No matter what race they are and what state they’re in.
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brangan
July 30, 2016
Ramchander Krishna: No, pacing isn’t an issue with Kabali (and anyway, in this piece, I am talking about the general hearsay during the first three days). The film had bigger structural/tonal issues (like the fact that you build up this search for the wife as a major thing, and then have no aftermath, no time for this to sink in — it’s like, okay, time for the next plot point). What I am talking about here is that a film paced like Mullum Malarum would not find many takers today. And that is a very deliberately paced films, where shots are held for several seconds.
BTW, did the film’s song picturisations match what you wrote about them?
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Vaishnavi Satagopan
July 30, 2016
I think it’s not so much about lack of patience in audiences nowadays, as crumbling under pressure by directors! Instead of attempting to make rajni fit into their style of movie making, they succumb and make a so-called mass-approval movie, which doesn’t do their talent any justice. How can such a movie then truly succeed? I’m sure audiences would love to see a movie where rajni the actor is allowed to shine.
Who wouldn’t love to see a ‘Thillu Mullu’ or ‘Aarilindhu aruvadhu varai’ even now? 🙂
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
July 30, 2016
I keep thinking of the Sita swayamwara episode from the Ramayana.
Seriously, you mean the filmmaker Ram? 😛 If such a thing happens, the film would hit the screens during the pre-production phase of 10.0!
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pato
July 31, 2016
1)I don’t think you can call kabali a failure.It has already collected over 350 crore worldwide and it doesn’t pander to his fans as you said in your review.Even though the movie as a whole was unsatisfying,some portions of the movie were good (i liked the emotional strand in the movie).Had this been a movie just about gangster’s search for his wife and daughter,it would have certainly been a better movie.It’s a misstep in the right direction.
2)I would love to see rajni play a role similar to that of Frank Underwood in house of cards tv series.Just imagine him playing a pure baddie hunting for power and with a narrative style in which rajni communicates thoughts running in his mind directly to the audience.
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An Jo
July 31, 2016
He’s equally remote. Like Yoda and Spock, he exists only in the movies, either on screen or on TV. Otherwise, he’s… who knows? Maybe he’s in the Himalayas, as he’s often supposed to be. Maybe he’s right here in Chennai, playing with his grandchildren. For such a mega-mega-watt star, it’s amazing how out-of-sight Rajinikanth is during the intervals between his films. Doesn’t he travel? How is he not spotted more often at airports or hotels? Or does he don a disguise? Plus, he doesn’t do ads. He doesn’t do TV shows, hobnobbing with commoners dreaming of becoming millionaires. He doesn’t even promote his films. I mean, who does that (or doesn’t)? In the whole wide world, do you know another star who won’t give interviews?
And that’s what precisely contributes to added hysteria. The model is the USP for Rajnikanth’s releases are planned, circus-events that come after a stillness of 2-3 years. It is but natural for hysteria to reach crazy heights. And in this film, the added attraction for ‘non-fans’ or even the discerning fans of Rajnikanth was that of Ranjith with a superior effort in MADRAS.
If he follows the Amitabh Bachchan model of being omni-present, this model wouldn’t succeed — at least to the level that it is now. Amitabh keeps being asked interviews about his ‘mystique’ getting thin with subsequent appearances outside of the cinema hall: To which his reply is a hilarious, ‘Forget mystique, I think God that people still want to see me now.’
And now, whether anyone can handle Rajnikanth? No. Because it requires an actor to strip oneself of the cob-webs of super-stardom and ‘devolve’ into an actor. It’s a conscious decision one has to make. Amitabh did that wayy back; even when he was as young as 60, when he could STILL rock as a mega-star in AKS or later even in EK AJNABEE or SARKAR and still mix it with some great acting. But as age increases, one’s got to relegate himself and thrive. That will be a true testimony of the ‘actor.’ One might have to act in films talking of ‘shit’ but it’s that good ‘shit’ that will be remembered in the long run.
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Kannu kutti
July 31, 2016
Can you think of any other star who’s been in the top of his stardom for these many years?
Usually a star in his prime has ineffable affection only from those who could witness him in that generation. The star becomes too old for the next generation to reciprocate the amount of love and craze the previous generation did, regardless of the star’s form.
But, Rajni has reigned for three generations 80’s,90’s and 2000’s, and his stardom is still too strong to shaken around. Can anyone explain this?.
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sankarshan
July 31, 2016
This film would have been different if there was no hype and expectations that rose to phenomenal levels and the brand itself was valued at 40 crores. Even the readers editor in the Hindu had to defend as to why the said paper had to give prominence due to its publicity all over the world though it was not satisfactory and that the editorial board may also know about it.ultimately it is the expectations of the dIE hard fans who want the star to enact what he has created or specialised all these years and not try to attempt different ideas .USP is more important after all everything is commercial
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Aadhy
July 31, 2016
“(even if the heroine of this 65-year-old star is, gulp, 24-year-old Amy Jackson)”.
It’s going to be a cringefest for sure, this 2.0. I know it’s totally dangerous to form opinions before a movie releases, but Shankar’s reputation precedes everything. The basic thought of a filmmaker that the lyrics and music should aid the story he is trying to communicate, tells a lot about his sensibilities. Kabali’s lyrics and the usage of a lot of rap (again a form of protest against oppression) is a kind of ‘taste’ we haven’t witnessed in any Rajni movie for the past twenty years. Everytime I hear Veera thurandara, those rap versus spur me on with so much of an adrenaline-pumping effect, that i feel someone should give it a best “Anti-oppression song” award or something. I mean after being used to “vaila beeda potukada, podava vangi katikada” and all that, a song intended to create similar effect in us. Leave that, what do you do with lyrics like,
” Mohenjadaro Unnil Nozhainjatharo
Paiyya Kozhainjatharo Yaro Yaro..
Aaha.. Aaha.. Aaha.. Aaha..”
Rajni, at the fagend of his career, might do another 4-5 movies max, maybe not even that. Twenty years later, I don’t want to show someone from the next generation a collection of thalaivar movies, with Rajni gyrating to sleazy lyrics with a pethi-vayasu Amy jackson in one of his last few movies. Dear Shankar, I’m never ever gonna forgive you, if you’re going to do that to Rajni. Mindless masala is fun, agreed. Shankar IS a great ‘ideas’ man, who can efficiently weave in the larger than life image of the superstar into his fiction. But there is something called as taste. In evolving times, suspension of disbelief is becoming increasingly difficult because certain things done in poor taste, jar the whole experience. You give us beautiful frames, dazzle us with your visuals, but this WON’T work anymore (Not that I have ever been a fan of his so-called ‘grand’ filmmaking skills). I really , really wish Rajni leaves with a diginfied exit, working with filmmakers who have a certain sensibility. Otherwise, a few years down the line, not only the Delhi media, the next generation is also gonna find the Rajni phenomenon ‘incomprehensible’.
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sai16vicky
July 31, 2016
BR, if one has to truly understand the phenomenon of Rajinikanth, I think we have go a little back in time. A string of movies produced under the Kavithalaaya banner seems like a good starting point to me (not the ones directed by KB himself, but more on the side of ‘Netri Kann’, ‘Pudhu Kavidhai’ and so on). There are a few interesting patterns in this laundry list of movies- the ghosts of KB and Ananthu can be felt in the writing and execution, the stories fit into an convenient template (mostly these were remakes) and more importantly, these movies showcase the things Rajini can do really well for the most part (i.e. they are not a 360-degree tour as it happens with Kamal in some movies). If we make a plot of the impact Rajini had on the audience with these movies, we would see clear jump in “Annamalai” and it is maintained in later releases like “Muthu” (“Baasha” being a non-Kavithalaya exception). The reason is simple to state – these movies were made keeping Rajini in the center and focused on catering to his strengths. I strongly believe that the dynamics have changed now, where Rajini fans have replaced him in that center and even Rajini himself is trying to cater to him :). This star vs fans is an interesting tightrope to walk and it is extremely hard to maintain balance. (‘Mankatha’ walked it quite well.)
The only way that I see out of this is to get back to the “Annamalai” days and make the movies that would get the best out of the star in a heightened masala zone. Who knows, that might be what the people want to see too!
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blurb
July 31, 2016
brangan: nice to see this piece. I meant to ask in the review thread how you eventually got tickets. Wish you had written a bit about the hysteria in the theatres.
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sanjana
July 31, 2016
Some enigma works.
Suchitra Sen also had that aura but in a completely different context.
Bachchan still had crowds at his house everyday.
Salman’s name can make an ordinary film a superhit.
But Bachchan and Salman achieved their fame inspite of appearing on tv shows and being accessible.
Rajni’s magic has not worked beyond Vindhyas to dislodge their own heroes. Even other southern states have their own heroes like Chiranjeevi, Raj Kumar and Mohanlal.
It is a very clever marketing ploy which worked this time but failed during the recent past.
The localised frenzy spreads allover whenever his films release and then everything is back to normal even in his own territory.
This is not good for an actor. This maybe good for a politician.
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yo
July 31, 2016
I dont think rajini can beat NTR or Rajkumar record.. they were leading stars until their 70’s
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
July 31, 2016
//What I am talking about here is that a film paced like Mullum Malarum would not find many takers today. And that is a very deliberately paced films, where shots are held for several seconds.//
I disagree Rangan. Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum, Orange Mittaai and Kuttram Kadithal. I think these were 3 recent films that had the kind of pacing you’re talking about. Mysskin too in several portions of his films has a similar kind of laidback storytelling. These films may not have had as many takers as Theri or Thuppaakki, but had it been executed right with Thalaivar, it would have worked out. Take Johnny for example. I feel if it were remade exactly frame to frame today, it would still hold audience attention. It has a terrific intro for Thalaivar, with a closeup of his eyes in the car rearview mirror. And after a radio announcement of a theft, he casually repaints the car he just stole. No slow motion walk required. No screeching background score required. Of course, the pitch of the drama towards the climax with Sri Devi singing Kaatril Endhan Geetham will have to be toned down a bit, but it can still be done today. (I heard Mahendran mention in a recent interview with Bosskey that he’s still writing scripts. Maybe… just maybe… he might make one more with Thalaivar? It would be terrific for both of them!)
I think apart from his Superstar image the other big obstacle for Thalaivar is the idealogical stance he feels compelled to take in his films. Even in Kabali he’s a gangster who doesn’t encourage prostitution or drugs. In this age of films like Soodhu Kavvum, Mankatha, Boss Engira Bhaskaran etc, I think it’s a lot more difficult for films with an ideology to connect with the youngsters. Even in Johnny there was an emotional reason given for him becoming a thief. That kind of stuff if done today would, to borrow Director Rajesh’s lingo, make the audience “tired”. Or would it? I have my own doubts too. When a hero spouts ideology for the sake of it, people can make it out. They may not know screenplay, execution or mise en scene, but if it’s fake, it’ll be obvious (like Surya randomly talking about Sri Lankan Tamils in Mass) So perhaps the ideology has to grow organically, instead of being dished out through Thalaivar’s mouth.
As echoed by everyone else, I don’t have high hopes for Endhiran 2. Shankar is teaming up with Jeyamohan, who isn’t quite Sujatha and can’t catch the audience pulse. So I think it’s up to us now, to retract into our own dream worlds and concoct our own scripts for Thalaivar and imagine that he enacted them. Or maybe in 10, 15 years when animation gets more advanced, people will get to reinvent the character of Thalaivar, just like what’s happening with Sherlock Holmes now.
My dream would be for someone to make a film with Thalaivar like Satyajit Ray did with Uttam Kumar in Nayak.
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Ramchander Krishna (@ramctheatheist)
July 31, 2016
//BTW, did the film’s song picturisations match what you wrote about them?//
“Vaanam Paarthen” as I had predicted turned out to be echoing Kabali’s dilemma whether his wife is alive or not. (The line about feeling like a fish that’s hooked but not yet pulled out of the sea.) It plays through all scenes in which he’s having the question “Is she alive or dead?” echoing through his head. When he walks away from the security guard, who says the last he heard of her was the wardboy saying she was still alive. When he spots her sitting by the bench looking out at the sea. Right after Rithvika curses him for deserting his wife. I liked how Vaanam Paarthen and its theme was used throughout the film. But then, of course, was it satisfactory? I don’t know. Perhaps they should have cut a teaser with Vaanam Paarthen as the theme. And made the screenplay with more focus on the search for his wife, like Rhino Season. Because just like in Tamil MA, Prabhakar’s search for Anandhi being symbolic of his own search for happiness and acceptance, Kabali’s personal journey too is search for acceptance and happiness. The movie could have progressed along those lines, but I think at the screenplay level itself it was compromised and made into a Thalaivar film.
After watching the movie, I felt there was nothing much to be said about it or about the picturization of the other songs. Cinematically speaking, there’s nothing significant in Kabali. And hence, I chose to write about the experience of watching it with 1000 other people.
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yo
July 31, 2016
who is thalaivar baradwaj.. wat do u think of new gen ‘thalivar’ fans … atrocity alavu thanga mudila
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Dinesh Babu K N
July 31, 2016
You’ve probably got this a hundred times Sir. I kinda admire your writing.
You voice a few thoughts that also belong to like minded Chennaites when it comes to this Kabali hype.
It’s time Rajini stopped pleasing the masses (and also his producers). It’s time the audience gets or adapts to his acting. Let him take the off-beat road.
What Ranjith offered Rajini and us, is not even justice. He’s capable of offering more. Time is what he should have demanded rather than expensive sets or technicians.
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RR
August 1, 2016
You have been trying hard to justify your ‘Half Time review’, when you hurried to write about the movie negatively! The movie is a very big success and majority of the people love it for Rajini’s acting and the quality of the movie. You have fallen flat exposing your ‘denial mode’ .
You failed not Rajini. People are loving his new avatar!
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KayKay
August 1, 2016
I’m bemused at the amount of hate Endhiran gets.
So call me Mr.Contrarian because I’m going to bat for it:
In all the Mega Bytes of text spilt online about how Kabali is a “different Rajini movie” and how it features his best “performance” to date, what seems to have been completely forgotten is how Endhiran can lay claim to be the first Rajini film since Baasha not exclusively tailored to his fans nor requiring a rabid fanboy adulation of “Thalaivar” to be enjoyed.
Not to mention, that for once, Rajini’s mega wattage Star played second fiddle to the director’s vision .Yup, I hear the sniggers at the use of “Vision” to describe Shankar. But get this: Like him or think him the Anti Christ, but Shankar has a distinct authorial voice in his movies, with all the innovation and absurdity that entails. And Endhiran was an out and out SHANKAR MOVIE that happened to star Rajini, not the other way round, which is usually bad news. (Exhibit A: Shivaji)
And Shankar did take a risk with Rajini as Dr. Vaseegaran. Because the good doctor was Victor Frankenstein in his arrogance at creating his intelligent monster and subsequently destroying it when it refused to obey his instructions. He was also, at various points, a coward, weakling and an asshole to his girlfriend.
As The Monster “Chitti”, Rajini gets to let loose as the innocent creation assimilating experiences in the first half, and as a Vengeful Destroyer railing at his Creator in the second.
These are all good “performances”
So, why all this hyperbole about Rajini finally “acting” in Kabali? Is that because he gets to play the world weary and emotionally wounded warrior for pretty much the entire length of a movie as opposed to parts of it? I’ve seen this Rajini as the older version in Muthu. And I’ve seen it in the second half of Nallavanukku Nallavan, and I’ve seen it in pretty much all of Dharma Dhurai (a much underrated Rajini flick, IMHO).
And finally, Endhiran featured use of special effects that were pretty impressive and didn’t make you cringe (unlike the Motion Capture Atrocity that was Kochadaiyaan, which amazingly gets more of a pass around these parts than Endhiran!)
Unless Rajini is willing to divest the accoutrements of his Super Star persona completely, I agree with B 100%: He needs a Larger than Life director to handle his Larger Than Life Screen Personality.
Bring on 2.0!
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brangan
August 1, 2016
RR: What has my opinion of the film got to do with the fact that it is a hit or that others are liking it? Seriously, after all these years, one still has to live with the image of a critic as a voice of the people, like it’s some kind of social service. Bah!
KayKay: Enthiran is a conceptually strong film and yes, the SFX are good, but a lot of the film — for me — is negated by Shankar’s uninspired direction and his desire to push the “can this really be happening factor?” in every scene. There are many ways, for instance, that you can show a fight between boyfriend and girlfriend, and yet, Shankar chooses to have her go after a drunk, pretending to be in lust… Actually, come to think of it, I think a lot of my problems with the film would vanish if I made myself a cut of the film without the Aishwarya Rai character. What a horror!
Regarding “this hyperbole about Rajini finally “acting” in Kabali,” I think it’s because after a series of films that were either duds or OTT entertainers, he’s settled down and made something quieter. Also, like voice, the face is an actor’s instrument, and we haven’t seen Rajini “use” his face to this extent in a recent film. I mean this in two ways. (1) Ranjith favours zoom-ins and things like that, which (even if Rajini is not “emoting”) make the face the focus, and (2) it’s an “older” face, so the emotions of old (like you note, with your examples of older films) appear new. The wrinkles, the “softness” of the face — all of this adds to the “performance”.
I am not saying this is true only of Rajini. It’s true of Eastwood of whoever. But this is a first with Rajini, because he’s not made up here like he was in Lingaa etc., so there is a state of dignified grace in his look/performance here that hasn’t been there in a very long time.
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Aditya Raghavan
August 1, 2016
Ranjith has liberated Rajini as an actor and still raked in all the moolah too. That is one hell of a balancing act. As an ardent Kamal fan, I was able to enjoy Rajini the actor after long. I equate this to Rajini letting all the birds free scene. Yes it is not perfect, but this was refreshing for me after years and years of in your face mass.
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Kid
August 1, 2016
KayKay: Completely agree on Endhiran. It might just be my favourite Rajini film (excluding the films where he doesn’t have a central role) after Johnny. I also think Rajini gives one of the great indian star-performances as Chitti.
“Not to mention, that for once, Rajini’s mega wattage Star played second fiddle to the director’s vision .Yup, I hear the sniggers at the use of “Vision” to describe Shankar. But get this: Like him or think him the Anti Christ, but Shankar has a distinct authorial voice in his movies, with all the innovation and absurdity that entails. And Endhiran was an out and out SHANKAR MOVIE that happened to star Rajini, not the other way round, which is usually bad news. (Exhibit A: Shivaji)”-
Brilliantly said. On SFX, I don’t think the absolute quality (graphics etc) of it was any better than Ra One, but what made the difference (a HUGE difference) was that Shankar used the SFX FAR more imaginatively (again your point about vision). Finally, the action sequences in the last 20 minutes are absolutely astonishing and better than most Hollywood ones from the same period (though part of the reason is that some exceptions aside, I don’t really care about Hollywood action films of this millenium). Shankar goes really bonkers here (and I mean it in the best sense).
Also agreed on Dharma Durai (and of course Baasha). Haven’t seen the other film. But yes, I must say this- I vastly prefer Endhiran (and Indian, Anniyan and Mudhalavan) to Kabali.
I think the part that troubles most people regarding Shankar is that Shankar often gets in the element of “kitsch” even in his most high-concept, ambitious films. He really mixes the “high” and the “low”. Is misogyny depicted in his films very troubling? Absolutely. But it’s no more so than many other Tamil films. People react more strongly to it because he really makes it all look very kitschy. Notice how people don’t just dislike Shankar, the are “repelled” by his films. That tells you something. For instance no one feels “offended” by the films of say someone like Hari. One of Bachchan’s song-musical/video which offends a lot of people (and their sensibilities) is “Mere Angne Mein” (Lawaaris). I find this song one of the most powerful one of ita kind- its one of the few times where the a Hindi films dedicates this much screen time to talking about the underprivileged, the people on the margins of society. And Bachchan is absolutely electric in this entire song-sequence. But because it’s done is a kitschy and “downmarket” way (and that’s why it’s all the more powerful), people find it distateful. Again, something like this doesn’t offend the audience’s “sense”, but its “sensibility”.
I think the only contemporary Indian film which surpasses Endhiran in its vision is Baahubali (an astounding film on so many levels). But that film is a different beast altogether. And it can teach some of the very best Hollywood directors a thing or two about staging action.
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Madan
August 1, 2016
I remember at the time of Endhiran’s release, hardcore Rajini fans – or should I say fans of Annamalai-Rajini – disliked it because it didn’t have enough ‘Rajini’ moments for their liking. And these were fans with eclectic movie tastes (so the point being they inhabited a different world when it came to Rajini films). So that way, it was certainly a polarising film but it brought a lot of non-devout fans – including moi – back to a Rajini film after a long time and the Hindi version also attracted a lot of attention of an often favourable kind. I could crib about the whole Ash trapped in Ravana’s den theme in the second half but I find such stuff – I mean over the top ness and not just the theme – regularly being done in Hollywood so it’s not a big deal for me. If there was one deal breaker, it was Ash’s screechy performance. In fact the more I think about the second half, the more it was overflowing with cliches but again, not something I haven’t seen in X Men, to say nothing of Star Wars/Avatar.
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lol
August 1, 2016
Bachchan again, kid 😦
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Aadhy
August 1, 2016
Another one of those face shots, is when the hanuman-equivalent character tells Kabali that he has seen his wife, and he will take him to her the next day. The camera studies his face and Rajni just, ‘is’ , without emoting in the acting sense. He not only conveys salvation and joy, but also a third emotion that I have not seen in any recent tamil star vehicles, let alone Rajni movies. A kind of nervous anxiety you feel in your stomach. Having been in a long distance relationship myself, this hit me really hard. When you’re separated by distance and time, and you know you’ll be meeting your love soon, you feel excited at the beginning, say with 10 more days to go. As days fly by and you begin to move into temporal and spatial proximity of that person, you start feeling a sort of queasiness. And with the confirmation of her existence there being revealed to Kabali in a sudden manner, it adds to his discomfort (not sure if this is the right word). He is not able to sleep that night not only because he can’t wait to see her, but also because of this ‘discomfort’.
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Aadhy
August 1, 2016
Reg. my previous comment, this paradoxical emotion, this kind of nuance, is the sensibility I was talking about. I would prefer this anyday to a generically written and shot ‘Kadhal ratthu’ scene.
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P
August 1, 2016
Aadhy: That is so beautifully described. Thank you for writing that 🙂
It reminded me of that scene when he comes down from the room and he’s fully clean shaven. He wants her to see him just like she had left him (to the best of his ability). That moment was so hoot-worthy. Everyone in the theatre was yelling and whistling 🙂
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brangan
August 1, 2016
Aadhy: That was a great comment — not just because of what you said, but also because you projected your inner self and saw a movie the director didn’t necessarily ask you to see. So many people get prejudiced/influenced by director statements (not just WRT this film, but in general) and other blogs etc., and they get into a groupthink about a film and its scenes — so it’s lovely to see a comment about a part of the film that you saw this way. Thanks.
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Kid
August 1, 2016
A film I kept thinking of while watching Kabali was “Bullet Raja”. That film too tried to use masala tropes in a non-masala world, like Kabali it also “tried” to say something about caste (it tried to link the violence and underworld of Hindi heartland with Brahmins), had some very interesting ideas (the Brahminical sacred thread being used a weapon in action scenes etc) and had its own of masala universe where masala is certainly seen through post-modern lens, but is also taken seriously. Again like Kabali, it was directed by someone who had never attempted this before. The final film had some good parts, many terrific ideas and yet it never really got going.
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MANK
August 1, 2016
Madan, very few directors knew how to use Aishwarya properly
the only 2 instances IMO has been Manirathnam in Iruvar(perhaps in guru also) and Rituparno Ghosh in Raincoat. They realised that the best way to use her is more as an presence or a symbol\Image rather than as a character. as it is in iruvar- where in the 2 roles she symbolises the lost innocence and the virile youth and passion that Anandan posessed \ wants to posess or Raincoat, where she is this dream women of Ajay’s , the one he lost. and brief reunion with her breathes life back in to him. she is incapable of high voltage histrionics or comedy simply because she doesn’t have the talent. but directors keep on repeating the mistake by casting her in such roles which makes her come across as screechy and so OTT- jazbaa being the latest one.
Raincoat is the only film in which i loved Aishwarya , totally , madly deeply. it was such a beautiful film, but more than that, RG directed both Ajay and Aishwarya beautifully.she was simply divine ,both in her understated beauty and performance .All the while when i was watching the film, i just kept on saying to myself , she has no right to be this good
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Aadhy
August 1, 2016
P and BR : Thank you 🙂
P : Regarding the shaven look, as you said I believe it’s one of those things he does to ease the discomfort SHE might face, when she sees Kabali after years of separation. I remember me and my then girlfriend wore each other’s favorite colors for precisely the same reason, when we met after more than a year apart. It’s not that we wouldn’t have been accepting of each other otherwise, rather just to be comfortable with the other person’s physical presence in the first few minutes of our meet. I also loved how Kabali and Kumudhavalli kept throwing glances at each other in the Mayanadhi song, trying to let the other person’s presence in their physical space to sink in. I’m not saying this is how it is or how it should be, but I could relate to it in a very personal way, significantly shaping my viewing experience.
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Kid
August 1, 2016
BR: Offtopic, but I recall you mentioning once that you would be interested in posting “guest pieces” by commenters (or even readers) of the blog. I am bringing this into light because the other day you mentioned how films like Kirumi (and many, many other films) aren’t being watched by enough people and rarely find a mention in the online discourse regarding cinema. Now you can talk/write about only so many films at a time (you also have to write on things other than cinema). So it might not be a bad idea to have commenters write on films and you giving it a separate space on the blog. You are very lucky in the sense that you have commenters here who really know about cinema and a lot of them seem to be very fine writers. I am very confident that once you have a post on a film, a few readers would try and seek out the film (for instance I saw Porkkalam only after I had come across your review on it). But I doubt Porkkalam was ever discussed again on the blog. I think sometimes writing on a film once isn’t enough for it to get that kind of attention…I am sure when you recently wrote about Pudhupettai again, a lot of the non-Tamil readers of the blog may have become aware of the existence of such a film. Again, I don’t know how many Tamil commenters even knew about Porkkalam; if there are commenters who have seen it I find it hard it to believe that film is so unremarkable that it never finds a mention around these parts. It’s not very common for a very worthy film to go complete undetected so one has to bring it back into public memory by talking about it again, by reintroducing it). Apologies if I am being interfering or anything, just something I had been wanting to say for quite some time (I am also being selfish here because that way I would also get acquainted with many important Indian films). This forum is easily the best place for (re)discovery of Indian films.
MANK: Your comment on Ash is on the money. And part of the reason why she works well in the films you mention because she is never an “actor” in the original sense of the term (I think one of the reasons why Shankar wanted her in Endhiran was because the much talked about “synthetic” aspect of her persona was a natural fit for the very artificial/synthetic world of that film; this is not too dissimilar from how the equally synthetic Amy Jackson belongs to that “artificial fashion/modelling world” of “I”. Now it’s another matter that Shankar used Ash quite poorly though she comes off slightly better in the Hindi version because she dubbed for herself). Rathnam has utilized Ash very well as a star as you mention, though in Guru he also brings to the fore the more “domestic-woman” side of Ash (and she is especially superb in those romantic scenes with Abhishek in Guru). Apart from Raincoat, she was pretty decent in Ghosh’s Chokher Bali (as well as in Sarkar Raj…again RGV understood her persona very well). But in some ways my favourite Ash performance might be the Guzaarish one…I though she was the best thing about that film and was much better than Hrithik (who is no thespian, but who is also not any worse than Aish as an actor).
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brangan
August 1, 2016
Kid: Sure. Anyone who wants to write something just has to let me know.
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Vivek
August 2, 2016
Dialogues. Rajini is best served with powerful dialogues. Not necessarily punch dialogues, but genuinely well written conversations. That is the key. Starting with Sivaji, dialogues have been as unmemorable as they can be. Go back to Thalapathi, Annamalai, and Baasha (2 of those by Suresh Krissna). A film like Kabali could have certainly done with more of that. The story of Rajini is always triumph against all odds. And, Rajini eyes can be quite an asset. The still BR has on this post is a testament to that. Make use of these. Write more sharper dialogues, make use of his body language without resorting to excessive stunts. Think Thalapathy which is more drama than action, did we ever get that feeling? Have a good cameraman who knows how to capture close-ups/stills.. Enthiran 2 will be over the top, but I sincerely wish he would get back to having dialogues like Gentleman (Balakumaran), Indian (Sujatha) and Mudhalvan (Sujatha). Enthiran had 1 memorable dialogue (about Kadavul nambikkai – I thought those couple of seconds were an absolute knockout on screen with ARR’s soaring score).
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shaviswa
August 2, 2016
@Kid – That is a good idea. But this blog, in its current format and structure, may not be in a position to support multiple authors. It will also be a challenge for Brangan to monitor the sudden spurt in messages being posted (this being a moderated comments site).
But I welcome the suggestion. You may see different flavours of the same movie being reviewed. And as mentioned by you, some movies that are forgotten may creep into discussions again.
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P
August 2, 2016
@Aadhy: Completely agree about the stolen glances in Mayanadhi which is a triumph of film-making. Honestly its probably the most romantic thing I have seen on screen since Bajirao Mastani last year.
Also agree with you on wearing the favorite color of the other person in a long distance relationship 🙂 I would even go so far as to say its not just to make the other person comfortable but to feel that thrill of belonging before a single word is spoken. He would know why I wore it and I know that he knows why I wore it. That thrill, just elevates that first meeting, even if its at a most mundane place like an airport 🙂 🙂
And I AM Saying that this is how IT IS. And how it SHOULD BE 🙂
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P
August 2, 2016
MANK: I think HDDCS, Josh, Kandukondein Kandukondein and Taal are Ash’s best work. She was yet unaffected and made an effort to act. Or maybe it was that she not a big star yet so her persona did not overwhelm the role. In Josh, her tomboyishness was believable, for a long time I couldn’t accept her and SRK romancing in Mohabattein because I thought of them as brother/sister 😉 Taal was really good as well, considering she was a big city bombay girl to show that especial small town innocence was amazing. Same with Kandukonein Kandukondein.
And HDDCS. Well, no two words about it, its SLB’s most memorable work with her and worth the price in gold, just for sequences like Chand Chupa or the one where she goes to apologize to Salman’s character with the honey and he breaks her bangle. For my generation of women at least these moments are part of cinema lore.
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sanjana
August 2, 2016
The responsibility of writing a blog here is different. The expectations will be higher. Every comment is read and relished here once the connection is made.
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Rahini David
August 2, 2016
And regarding Guest Posts, maybe KayKay can be persuaded to write one. Will surely live up to the expectations. 🙂
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Anuja Chandramouli
August 2, 2016
Aadhy, loved your comments especially about that kickass moment in Kabali which left me weak in the knees. Could not agree with you more about the cringeworthy crap Shankar doles out as well. Hope Amy Jackson is playing some sort of creepy robot who is taken out in a gruesome manner by Chitti in the first frame. If I have to see one more horrible Shankar film with Rajni dolled up in ill fitting blonde wigs or overly shiny and colorful costumes, looking horribly uncomfortable, trying in vain to match steps with the likes of Ash, Shriya or Amy (from the planet bizarro), I am gonna hurl. Damn that Shankar! Whatever happened to the dude who made Indian and Mudhalvan? The latter film especially is perfect for Rajni. Too bad he turned it down. Or else Shankar could just remake Lagey Raho Munnabhai. That would be a perfect fit for Thalaivar.
Kaykay, I have to agree with BR. Endhiran would have been a lot more palatable if the editor had made like Wolverine and viciously slashed everything with Ash in it. Her scenes were extremely hard on the stomach. I love how Hollywood solves the problem of insipod beauties who can’t act for nuts by making them monster fodder in slasher flicks after a topless scene or two. Too bad we are forced to endure the histrionic disability of our alabaster automations (Vintage BR coinage).
And MANK, I have a suggestion for a good way to use Ash. She would be great in a desi version of Pygmalion – all she would have to do is keep still and look gorgeous. But I am sure I would prefer her as serial killer victim.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 2, 2016
Anuja : Awesome comment ! I’m still aching allover from laughter induced by your passionate outpourings against alabaster automatons.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 2, 2016
Kid : Your observation on the “synthetic” aspect of Aishwarya’s persona reminds me a lot of Nino Valenti’s (The Godfather the book) reaction to seeing his favourite heroines in person – “They were beautiful but they were also like wax fruit – they couldnt lubricate his glands”
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vijay
August 3, 2016
Time for both the thathas, Kamal and Rajni, to kick back in their easy chairs and watch their grand-kids prance around. Idhu oru problema? easily solved.
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Ravi K
August 3, 2016
Anuja Chandramouli wrote: “Endhiran would have been a lot more palatable if the editor had made like Wolverine and viciously slashed everything with Ash in it.”
Here’s what I’d do:
Cut the scene of Sana and Rajini “breaking up”
Cut Kadhal Anukkal
Cut the scene with Kalabhavan Mani
Cut Kilimanjaro
Re-write the fire scene so that the girl dies accidentally, rather than being shamed because she was nude and running away and getting hit by the truck. The media can still blame Chitti for the girl’s death, but Vaseegaran defends him because he saved the girl.
Sana ends up being the necessary catalyst for Chitti feeling love, and his eventual dark turn (the face that launches a thousand robots, so to speak), so I wouldn’t cut her out completely, but I’d cut all the stupid typical romantic crap that’s a drag on the film. When I have some time I’m going to make these edits myself to get a more watchable version of the film.
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Krishna
August 3, 2016
Wonderful, wonderful first two paras. It is what an honest, ballsy news report would have said in these times of motoring-mag-like reports of ‘zero to triple-digit crores in x days’.
Sitting in Bombay, I never could feel the frenzy (which, surprisingly, was quite evident for Sivaji and Robot.) Especially with that cracker of a teaser, I couldn’t understand why the buzz was missing here. But on watching the movie — first day-first show a breeze at 150 bucks — I realised why there was no buzz with the Bombay audience. (And why there was never any ‘trailer launch’)
The non-fans — both Tamil and otherwise, considering the mass hysteria witnessed in Bombay for Sivaji and Robot — and the Tamil fence-sitters (like, say the Kamal fan who would walk into a Rajini movie just to experience the mood and atmosphere) decided to wait this one out.
And, with a mixed review (By way of disclosure, I did one of the unflattering ones: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/kabali—movie-review/17457193), there was no way this was going to take off like Sivaji did (word of mouth in Bombay) or Robot did (HUGE expectations. Satisfied)
That said, I’d stick my neck out and say Rajini is not at all a problem that requires a solution. I still fondly dream about how a Ramana would have been with Rajini. Or how a song like Santosh Narayanan’s Ding Dong would look like had it been picturised on Rajini (of any vintage, cos I also disagree with your ‘Rajini looks old’ crib)
PS 1: As I did in my review, you too are assuming in your closing lines that Robot is going to be some kind of by-rote blockbuster. I don’t know anymore, after the last three movies. Throw in the fact that Shankar’s last (Nanban) was as close as he would ever come to doing summer homework.
PS 2: That guy Attakathi Dinesh, doesn’t he look like he walked off a Mysskin movie and right into a Ranjith movie?!
PS 3: Finally, what a video to insert in this piece! I see a man part-proud, part-guilt-ridden and part-trying-to-understand what he’s gone and done. Something like the movie he just made.
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Rahini David
August 3, 2016
She would be great in a desi version of Pygmalion – all she would have to do is keep still and look gorgeous.
Oh come on. There is a lot more to Pygmalion than keeping still and looking gorgeous. Did you mean the original myth or Shaw’s version?
The woman should look both like a flower girl and a princess and I think a more dynamic face is required for that.
However, there is a Sridevi and Rajinikanth(?) version of Pygmalion in the early 80s, no? Sridevi looked like a charm in rags too and they used it to their advantage saying that she has royal blood in her. She is some lost princess in that story.
BTW, What is the name of that movie? Does any one know?
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brangan
August 3, 2016
Rahini David: Adutha Vaarisu, a remake of the Ingrid Bergman film, Anastasia. (Yes, that Anastasia)
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hari ohm
August 3, 2016
Anuja, ash in a “topless scene or two” movie would rake in more than 500 crores 🙂
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MANK
August 3, 2016
Brangan, or rather a remake of Raja Jani ,dharmendra -hema starrer
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MANK
August 3, 2016
Anuja, I agree with Rahini about pygmalion version, i dont think she can play either the mythical version or the GBS version. even in the mythical version, she wasn’t just the ivory statue, now was she?. didnt she get transformred into a flesh and blood women marry pygmalion and have a child and so on ?. i dont think Ash has that range. serial killer victim is the best bet 🙂
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brangan
August 3, 2016
MANK: Which, in turn, was based on… Anastasia 🙂
But yes, the one-to-one equivalencies hint at this being a remake of the Hindi version rather than a remake of the Hollywood film itself.
eg. ABCD chhodo = Yenayya ABC…
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
August 3, 2016
Or ‘unofficial remake’?
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Anuja Chandramouli
August 3, 2016
Rahini David! I second that comment! The one where you suggested that Kaykay do a guest post. Kaykay! Kaykay! Kaykay! We are waiting with sharpened claws (but never fear! It comes from the soft spot we all have for your wicked wit 🙂 Folks here will never forget your flaccid Linga comment and other gems 🙂 )
MANK and Rahini, I meant a desi version of Pygmalion in the sense that since it is highly unlikely to do justice to either Shaw or the mythic it would be entirely exploitative, seeking to cash in on her good looks and therefore would serve as the kind of vehicle she deserves. Glad we are all agreed that pathological psychopath prey is the best bet for her 🙂
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Anuja Chandramouli
August 3, 2016
Ravi K: Now that film would be entirely watchable!
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blurb
August 3, 2016
What’s with all the Ash hating 🙂
I thought she was stupendous in Iruvar – both Pushpa and Kalpana. Especially two scenes stand out: the one where she asks him who Pushpa is (the mirror galore scene discussed in CWMR), and the one where they get intimate after she throws herself from the car while Anandan drives. She’s good even in the first night scene.
She was good in Kandukondain too. Especially when she says: “Enakku vendiyadhu paatu paadra pola player illa. Enakku vendiyadhu… neenga.” She displays the unwavering resolution convincingly.
I wonder why has she never been able to produce more works like this. My guess is, she is at her best when you give girl next door characters. Because she used to be one before becoming this incredibly popular celebrity. I think she understands milieu very well.
In the Conversations book, she is the only female actor about whom Mani Ratnam talks somewhat anecdotally, no? Something about if she is more like Pushpa or Kalpana..
As consolation to everyone here, I have my Ash-hating moments too 🙂 Especially the “Are you, like, checking me out?” in Dhoom-2. I remember thinking — “no, don’t. Don’t ever do that again.”
PS – So what does she die of in Iruvar? I’ve paused and replayed that cremation scene several times, but with all the muffled crying from the father (who, to makes matters worse for me, speaks in a mix of Tamizh and Malayalam), I’ve never been able to fully decipher. Something about “sarpam valachuduthu”. Did she die of a snake bite?
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Kutty
August 3, 2016
Very off topic, but this blog is seldom about the topics, isn’t it? 🙂
This relates to the complaint against Shankar of being misogynistic. Completely agree.
But what seems to have passed under the radar all these years (it might just be me missing it) is Mani Ratnam’s own misogyny/sexism. Discovered this last week when watching Dil Se (first time) and rewatching Alai Payuthey (10th time?).
In Dil Se, Shah Rukh forces himself on Manisha. She reacts badly to it because of her prior experience. But, cut to the next scene, and she is more attracted to him. And nothing in the movie suggests anything new to have happened to have changed her mind. Nowhere is Shah Rukh seen to have faced the consequences for his action. Forget misogyny, this is tolerating and propagating rape culture (and I do not use these words lightly). And then there is the scene where he opens a bathroom door to see Manisha bathing and just keeps staring at her rather than awkwardly move out. Which other director would have gotten a free pass for depicting such lewdness with no apprehension?
And then to Alai Payuthey (which was amongst my all time favorites and still largely enjoyable). Madhavan literally stalks Shalini. And then the scene where he calls her up and asks her to attend a function at her place, and instructs her to do so in a sari? That is a strong no! And to top that off, Shalini comes home and sings beautifully. Such a traditional “chamathu ponnu” view. Later by eloping, she goes against character (note – against the character of a traditional “chamathu” ponnu).
I am not sure if I should rewatch the other Mani movies and see them for what they are or be in a bubble of what I remember them to be.
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Rahul
August 3, 2016
Ash and PeeCee are two actresses I love to hate. What Emraan Hashmi said about Ash in KWK – “She is plastic” – was music to my ears. Along with the cringe-worthy line blurb quoted she was also insufferable in Jodha Akbar, in fact in most of her films. That she was OK in Raincoat is more to the credit of Rituporno Ghosh who probably has six or seven national awards for actresses in his movies , and who got a terrific performance from even Bipasha Basu..
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Pav S
August 3, 2016
Q: In the whole wide world, do you know another star who won’t give interviews?
Ans: Beyonce. She doesn’t talk to the media. She doesn’t promote her albums. She “drops it” and disappears while the rest are left dissecting the lyrics and the timing and its meaning in the current political landscape.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/26/beyonce-lemonade-jay-z-becky-pop-culture
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Madan
August 4, 2016
In short, Ash’s acting works best when you don’t make her act too much. I don’t mean just as a presence, just don’t give her too much width for histrionics. I remember the Pink Panther movie was going fine until the climactic scene where Ash is exposed as evil. Gad, did she mess up that scene royally!
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karthiknach
August 4, 2016
Rangan. Did you cover how this movie got a U rating? Mind-boggling given the violence and gore.
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Rahini David
August 4, 2016
Blurb: I confessed only to being Pro-Pygmalion not Anti-Ash. It is Shankar’s fault, not Ash’s that Enthiran did not work.
In fact, I am very much Pro-Ash. But Kandukodean did not work fully for me. Ash and Abaas did not come across as people who sit and discuss Bharathiyaar and Barathidasan songs.
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brangan
August 4, 2016
Rahini David: Same here. Abbas’s soulful “Suttum vizhichudar” moment was a big LOL for me.
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Madhu
August 4, 2016
BR: And their fight over ‘koodathile’ being Bharadhidaasan or Bharathiyaar is pure ROFL. I have thousand other complaints over the movie despite which I really like it.
Rahini: Iruvar > KK > Raavanan > Jeans > Endhiran, no? (for Ash, I mean)
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Aadhy
August 4, 2016
Within the gambit of tamil cinema, I think Ash is less of an alabaster automaton (just got to know this word’s origin) than Amy and the likes. Many of those 90s/early 2k non-tam heroines (Ash, Simran and Jothika) had better lip-sync than the non-tam heroines today. Any today’s punju heroine mouthing “Nanun inda mann la porandava dan, vetti potuduven” from simran’s Ezhumalai would have made us squeal with laughter. Or maybe Simran was a better actor, to make us look beyond her linguistic shortcomings? I don’t know.
Coming to Ash, yes she is a very limited performer. But she isn’t that bad when she’s required just to use her eyes to communicate. For instance, I totally bought her performance in two specific instances in Raavanan, one where Prithviraj questions her fidelity. In a matter of seconds, she goes from comfort/relief in being reunited with husband, to shock and disbelief, and to pain and disgust, with minimal dialogues. The second is when she looks at Vikram in the kodu poatta song – she is kind of attracted towards the exuberance out there, but doesn’t want him to know this. So maybe it’s the director who has to know how to use her. The gun spins back to Shankar.
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Rahini David
August 4, 2016
Madhu: Iruvar > KK > Raavanan > Jeans > Endhiran sums it up.
MANK said, “the best way to use her is more as an presence or a symbol\Image rather than as a character.”
Madan said, “Ash’s acting works best when you don’t make her act too much. ”
And I believe that she should have a character that is passive The best character seems to be Iruvar’s first wife. She just is.
And the songs should work. Hello Mr.Ethirkatchi and Kannamoochi Yenada were terrific. We just have to put up with the fake Barathiyar-Barathidhasan analysis so we can later see her dancing in that white dress with the blue and green accessories.
It is regrettable that those songs can’t exist alone. They have to come attached to movies.
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Rahini David
August 4, 2016
Isn’t this whole reimagining a movie with our own tastes such a fun thing to do?
Kandukondein: Abbas and Ash talk not about poetry but paintings. They are both knowledgeable about oil colors and water colors and all that. Ash knows more than Abbas does. Ego ensues with sufficient suspension of disbelief.
Enthiran: Rajini was a terrific nerdy BF to GF before the current humanoid project started. His robotic dog follows Ash around. It used to amuse her. Now she turns back to actual stray dogs as she prefers the real emotions that the stray dogs display not the programmed tail-wagging that the robotic one does.
She has a robotic hand in her house that kneads chapathi dough. It works well enough, but she does not enjoy chapati these days. She waits at the lab’s reception and a flower vase with artificial intelligent tries to chat her up. She loses her cool and asks the flower vase how long she will have to endure robotic company.
See? A robotic human like Entriran can’t be built from scratch we need prototypes and sub-projects. And the GF tries to be understanding about the time spent with her and slowly loses patience. Believable.
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shaviswa
August 4, 2016
@kutty – at this rate, no movie is possible. Alaipayuthae shows her reciprocating to Madhavan and he invites her home only after that. And the two try to get their parents to agree before eloping. If you call what Madhavan did as stalking, then two people can fall in love only at first sight – right, there and then and propose immediately.
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sravishanker1401gmailcom
August 4, 2016
Aadhy : “Any today’s punju heroine mouthing “Nanun inda mann la porandava dan, vetti potuduven” from simran’s Ezhumalai ”
Kick-ass comments (Nuff said)
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knittins
August 4, 2016
Scrolling quickly down a Rajni comments section to be greeted by comment after comment about the acting chops of… Ash Rai.
EKSI!
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Kutty
August 5, 2016
@Shavishwa – Asking her to come home is actually progressive. But asking her to come in a sari and then show her displaying classical music prowess is not. As for the stalking, I am happy to pull back my harsh view.
But nothing can explain Dil Se. It was a shocker! And definitely needed to be called out, coming from a director of Mani’s stature.
Lots of people suggested this with OK Kanmani too. That Mani at his core does not want to be seen as challenging status quo. In a way he is a bridge between two realities. In OKK, he was linking the previous generation to the current ones. Iruvar was one of the most favorable biopics either MGR or Karunanidhi could have wished for (unfortunate their politics prevented the movie from doing them a favor).
This is no way a criticism of the filmmaker, but a reality check on the messages that his works convey.
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Rahini David
August 5, 2016
Kutty: Shalini comes home and sings beautifully. Such a traditional “chamathu ponnu” view. Later by eloping, she goes against character (note – against the character of a traditional “chamathu” ponnu).
Did you think that singers don’t elope and elopers don’t sing? 🙂
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hari ohm
August 5, 2016
shaviswa – completely agree
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P
August 5, 2016
Just read this fascinating write-up which mentions Rajni. http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/cinema/tamil-heroes-the-avengers-day-out#all
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Kutty
August 5, 2016
Rahini: Haha! Let me not be accused of “slandering” singers by assuming they don’t elope. 🙂
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Kartkum
August 6, 2016
http://theladiesfinger.com/hard-rajinikanth-fan-tamil-nadu/
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shaviswa
August 8, 2016
@Kutty – I would like to point out two things here. Shalini is shown as being from a conservative, middle class family. She goes to the seemantham function – her mother is obviously going to be suspicious if she goes in any other dress than a saree. Also, if you are going to a function like that, you would dress for the occasion. She has also probably learnt to sing, as most middle class girls in the city do, and sang that song at the function. The scene just highlights her background – that she is a middle class brought up girl who also studies well (doctor).
Secondly, I want to know why being dressed in a saree and singing a classical song is “regressive.” Why do you think so?
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Rahini David
August 8, 2016
She goes to the seemantham function – her mother is obviously going to be suspicious if she goes in any other dress than a saree.
I thought it was Golu. Was I wrong? And her mother did not know where she was going, no? Was I wrong again?
I agree that you should dress for occasion as long as you are reasonably comfortable with the dress code. People who are invited to come to Halloween parties don’t take offense. Why should people who attend Golu/seemantham complain?
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hari ohm
August 8, 2016
Rahini,
Yes it was Golu. And as far as I remember we are not shown whether she told her mother or not.
Oh yeah, let us not get into this why do people don’t complain while following dress code a club/party but complain if they are asked to follow a certain code while going to a Temple/Golu 🙂
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shaviswa
August 8, 2016
@Rahini maybe it was golu. I am not that sure.
But there is a decorum to follow for every occasion, right? If you are ok to wear business casuals to work, formal dress wear to meet a client, black tie wear for a formal party, beach wear while going to the beach……why not traditional dress to go to a temple or to a function?
I find it so odd to see people in jeans and other wear (men & women) at such functions.
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blurb
August 8, 2016
Rahini, hari ohm: Are we talking about Alaipaayuthey? The scene where Shalini sings the titular song? It’s not a Golu — it’s not a seemandham either. It’s a “valaikappu” ceremony. They put bangles on that very pregnant sister-in-law of Madhavan. Pretty sure.
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Iswarya
August 8, 2016
blurb: I like that phrase “very pregnant” 😀 And yeah, great memory you have got!
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shaviswa
August 8, 2016
@blurb thanks. I thought it had something to do with that lady being pregnant. Of course, it did not strike me that it could be valaikaappu.
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hari ohm
August 9, 2016
blurb yeah you are right, stand corrected 🙂
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Honest Raj (formerly 'V'enkatesh)
August 9, 2016
Aren’t “seemandham” and valaikappu” essentially one and the same?
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shaviswa
August 9, 2016
@Honesh Raj – no. Seemantham is a more vaideeha function whereas valaikaappu is pure laukeeham. 🙂
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