Friday early morning, and theatres in Chennai resembled a carnival. Full of festive lights and zesty crowds, it was the perfect ambiance to usher in Rajinikanth’s Kabali.
The first public screening in Chennai began at 4 am at three single-screen theatres in the city – Kasi at Jafferkhanpet, Rohini at Koyambedu and Vetri at Chrompet. Actors Siddharth and Sivakarthikeyan, director Vignesh Sivan and composer Anirudh were among the crowd that attended the early morning screening at Vetri theatre. Actor Jayaram and his son Kalidas watched the movie at Kasi theatre, while actor-director-singer Vineeth Sreenivasan and his friends attended the screening at Rohini.
#KabaliFDFS it’s an emotion:) pic.twitter.com/4pLi7cpeTC
— kalidas jayaram (@kalidas700) July 22, 2016
“The screening was very peaceful. Kabali isn’t a movie that makes you want to hoot, whistle and cheer every five minutes. It takes you on an emotional ride. The highest points in the movie are not action-stunt scenes, but emotional moments between the characters. This is not a typical Rajinikanth masala film,” said Anand, an IT professional who watched the movie at Vetri theatre this morning.
The screenings weren’t without controversy though, as Rajinikanth Fans Association members clashed with theatre authorities at Kasi in the morning, arguing over movie tickets.
Kabali, directed by Pa Ranjith and produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu, stars Rajinikanth, Radhika Apte, Dhansika, and Kalaiarasan. Santhosh Narayanan has composed the songs, while G Murali handled the cinematography.
