Kaala - Review

First things first, Thalaivar is back. There is a reason why he is Rajinikanth. That screen presence even at this age is unmatchable and inimitable. But the hero of the movie is PA Ranjith. Post the disaster of Kabali, Ranjith did not succumb to commercial pressures and instead he put his efforts in telling a story. A story of the oppressed and the weak against a political goon.

Movie is an intense drama on the lines of Ranjith's earlier movie Madras. His writing skills are on the display here with some nice screenplay woven around the story. He sprinkled few elevation scenes for Rajini fans and they are a delight to watch. Interval episodes and climax are a huge plus. Santosh Narayanan's background score and the songs are another highlight. The way Dharavi is shown in a crude and natural way might not work with all but that plays a major role in setting the mood of the film.

Also the way Nana Patekar's role is elevated is brilliant. For almost half the movie he is not shown but his presence is surely felt. His role looks modelled after a particular politician and the way that character is portrayed might not go well with some audience if they can connect the dots. The subjects like religious tensions, police atrocities, politicians ego etc are all depicted good. The parallel between Rama and Nana is also handled very well. All the supporting cast are also very natural and portray their roles effectively. Movie has very many non-obvious but abstract references to contemporary people and issues. Barring few scenes in second half that are slow, the movie is an intense drama.

Overall Kaala is satisfying at many levels. It is a decent and raw political drama.