Will Rajini's latest movie 'Kaala' stand the test of his political career?

The film's momentum may be curbed by various aspects, including recent comments by Rajinikanth on the Cauvery, Thoothukudi issues.

Actor Rajinikanth's new movie, Kaala, the first film to be released after his political entry, seems to have generated little interest from the public, as tickets for the first weekend of its release are yet to be sold out completely. This is odd for a typical Rajini movie. The film, about a mass leader Kaala or Karikaalan in a slum fighting against politicians and villains, is scheduled for release on June 7 across the country. The good news for the producer is that it has already minted over Rs 2.50 billion as against budget of Rs 1.4 billion.



The film may see its momentum curbed by various aspects, including recent comments by Rajinikanth on the Cauvery, Thoothukudi issues supporting the police, which has hurt the sentiments of the protesters, say sources. The protest against the movie release in Karnataka, from where the actor actually hails, for his pro-Tamil Nadu stance on the Cauvery river water sharing issue, is expected to cost around Rs 100 million, if there is no last-minute resolution. While appeals have been made to the Karnataka government to provide protection to theatres ready to screen the movie, a truce is yet to be arrived at.

A search on ticket booking site BookMyShow on Tuesday evening showed several seats remaining vacant, especially the lower valued ones, during Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the first weekend of the release. Even higher priced tickets for the Sunday show are yet to be sold off in some theatres. The movie is expected to hit 650-700 theatres in Tamil Nadu and a total of 2,000 theatres in various languages, including Telugu and Hindi, across the world. The movie is being released in countries like Singapore where various multiplexes are screening it, according to Wunderbar, the production company run by Rajinikanth's son-in-law and actor Dhanush, which also produced the movie.



Experts in the field feel the enthusiasm usually associated with Rajinikanth movies is lacking this time. This, despite the fact that the movie comes after a gap of two years since his last film 'Kabali' was released in July 2016. The reasons could be many, including the political entry of the 67-year-old actor and poor marketing.

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