Kabali Review

Kabali is my second Rajnikanth Tamil film. I previously watched Enthiran (Robot) which I really enjoyed. You can tell right away that Rajnikanth is a Star with a capital "S". My South Indian neighbor told me that Rajnikanth modeled himself on Clint Eastwood. He wants that kind of "Make My Day" iconic style. It has been two years since the last Rajnikanth film, and since 1994's Baasha that he has played a Don role. If you have any doubt what an event a Rajnikanth film is, they marketed Kabali by painting a plane! saw Kabali twice this week. The first time was a late night show that didn"t get out until 1:30 a.m. I was tired going in and bleary which wasn"t good. And I didn"t have the raucous whistling crowd that I hear is more typical for a Rajnikanth film experience. I thought it was a decent gangster don comeback story, and appreciated Rajnikanth's style and flair. But I didn"t really get what the movie was trying to show me until I read Margaret Redlich's analysis and review on Don"t Call It Bollywood. I knew zero about the Tamil community in Malayasia, the setting for the film and their history of oppression. What Margaret pointed out is that this film is telling you a story of an oppressed people between the lines, skirting the censors (in Malayasia they were required to add a crime doesn"t pay disclaimer.) On the surface, this is a story like many we'veseen before. A gangster Don is released from prison after 25 years, and takes revenge on the rival gang that killed his pregnant wife and his mentor, and who framed him for fomenting a massacre. Read the rest of my review here: https://moviemavengal.com/2016/08/05/kabali-theres-more-depth-to-this-rajnikanth-gangster-flick-than-i-first-thought/