Cinema, Karam, Kapi

The end does not justify the means, goes an old adage. That Lord Rama killed Vaali, the King of Monkeys while hiding behind a tree, an episode in the epic Ramayana is a topic of great debate in local circles even today. Whether the Demon King Ravana was a hero or a villain is still a point of discussion and Director Mani Ratnam went on to make a movie in his name (in 2010) eulogising the great King’s antics through a subtle characterisation of a kidnapper which was incidentally played by Abhishek himself. The makers of “The Big Bull” have merely attempted the same through this film which premiered on Disney+Hotstar OTT platform in April 2021.   I was watching a hindi film after ages. And one feat. Abhishek Bachhan – I don’t really remember what was his previous film I saw – may be it was "Dum Maaro Dum" (2011). But boy, this guy has matured so much in his acting (no, really I mean it) over the years. Atleast in this film, I saw the same expressive eyes of his Bengali Mom and

By now, most people who have been following the film and haven’t watched already know the storyline – Kaala alias Karikaalan is a migrant from South Tamil Nadu who settled in Mumbai a few decades back and helps scores of people settle and survive the tides of the mega city under the supposedly largest slum of Asia, at Dharavi. He is a Robinhood and savior for his people and the life story of the protagonist has its ups and downs. The storyline is just this without any overdose or complication. Previously, a few Tamil films have been made with the “Dharavi” area in the background, notable ones being Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan feat. Kamal Hassan (loosely based on the Western classic “Godfather”) and most recently, Thalaiva feat. Actor Vijay Joseph (Sathyaraj plays Vijay’s father who is also a Don). Kaala is an out and out Pa. Ranjith Film, the lucky Director who gets to work the second time with the Indian Superstar. Their previous outing Kabali in 2016 had a mixed result and a fair