Kabali giving adrenaline rush

​Hyderabad: When it comes to Superstar Rajinikanth, terming the pre-release mood surrounding his latest film Kabali’s release as frenzy or mayhem would surely be an understatement.

While the offline and online media have been updating every tidbit relating to the impending release of the film on Friday, both the deprived and delirious fans are exchanging ticket print-outs on social media platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook.

After the Eid weekend, which was a long holiday two weeks ago, many companies in the Tamil capital have seemingly resigned themselves to depleted footfalls beginning Friday as tickets are being sold for astronomical sums all over.

Of course, realising the near-zero attendance that would be the fate of many offices in the Mecca of Madras filmdom-Chennai- a few corporates and start-ups, riding the Kabali bandwagon, have gone out of the way to book tickets in bulk for their employees. Even the paper receipts of such efforts too have gone viral over smartphones round the world.

The Hans India received two such receipts booked on July 16 – one booked by Cognizant Technology Solutions for 200 employees @ 500 per ticket for the Friday matinee show at AGS Cinemas, Chennai totalling Rs 1,02,500 including Rs 2,500 as service charges. The other was for an Infosys team from Coimbatore for a special show at two screens of Sathyam and Santham multiplex theatres for which they shelled out Rs 1,51,900.

Meanwhile, it is reported that in Kerala, where the film is releasing in 300 theatres, fans of the local Malayalam superstars and that of Rajinikanth have eschewed celebrating the film’s release and have got together to utilise the proceeds of a special show to buy notebooks and text books for the needy students of a school at Thalassery, in Kannur district of God’s own country.

With the Madras High Court clearing the last legal hurdle for the film’s release, dismissing a complaint made by a Coimbatore-based distributor pleading intervention and a stay on its screening from Friday in Tamil Nadu (owing to the unpaid dues from his earlier 2014 dud ‘Lingaa’), nearly 5000 theatres all over the world are awaiting the thunderous entry of the 65-year-old phenomenon on the silver screens.

The nervous film unit, which is quietly confident of meeting the gargantuan expectations of the Thalaivar’s fans are already tweeting his reactions after seeing the film at a preview in the US. Director Pa Ranjith, in one of his latest midnight tweets said “Superstar has sent me his kisses after watching the film. Very happy”.

Meawhile, the hyperactive Tamil press which has taken the publicity for the film to a stratospheric level speculated on the premature leak of the film on some websites and said that one among the group members who had seen the film with Rajinikanth in America had shot the introduction of the hero on his mobile phone and uploaded it, shocking his fans and well wishers.

Disquieting voices, criticising the Marathi origin of the superstar too have been raging on the social media, which has been countered well by the film banner, which highlights that the film in question is all about how the aging hero, in his youthful flashback is shown standing up for the rights of the Tamils in Malaysia, under attack from the locals. A perfect start, one can say for a 152- minute film, which is likely to comprise non-stop action and proportions of melodrama and ethnic flavour.

By: K Naresh Kumar