Return of a superstar

Is Kaala a spectacular film? Not really. Is it a spectacle? You bet it is. Kaala Karikaalan, the don who rules Dharavi, is not the star of the story.

The plot revolves around the residents of this amously sprawling Mumbai slum.

Specifically, the ones who left Tamil Nadu for a better life and ended up in this hub of industry with an annual turnover of $1 billion.

They aren’t beneficiaries of that bustling industry, though. These are blue-collar workers who earn a living doing menial, manual labour.

They are looked down upon, talked down to; no one will drink a glass of water in their homes.

Taking a cause close to his heart — the oppression of Dalits — director Pa Ranjith weaves just the kind of story you would expect, given that the vehicle is the people’s superstar, Rajinikanth.

In Kabali (2016), fans felt the superstar’s superstardom had been underplayed by Ranjith; this time the director goes all out.

And yet there are shades of grey too. This hero is a layered, conflicted Robin Hood. By referring to Kaala as Raavanan, a man who thinks with 10 brains, Pa Ranjith begins to builds the layers early on.

As each head of Raavan is cut off during the narration of the Ramayan in the backdrop, we see Kaala’s fight build in stages of loss, sacrifice and ultimate victory.

All in all, though, Kaala works really well.

And if you’re a fan of Rajinikanth the superhero, you will love it.