Rajinikanth-starrer Kaala hits theaters, but faces the Karnataka hurdle

Rajinikanth fans distributed cakes among the audiences who came to watch the 4am show in Chennai

The much-awaited Rajinikanth-starrer Kaala released on Thursday across 2,500 screens in India. The first show in Chennai started 4 am. Meanwhile, the movie was allegedly streamed on Facebook from Singapore. Later, police arrested the person responsible for the alleged live-streaming. 

The movie was not screened in Karnataka on Thursday. Stray incidents of violence were reported in Bengaluru, sources said, as pro-Kannada groups travelled to various theatres and malls in the city and vandalised banners and posters of the film.

The movie is facing protests in Karnataka over Rajinikanth's alleged comments on the Cauvery issue. The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) said the film would neither be distributed nor screened in the state. But the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block the release of Kaala and said it could nolt put on hold the screening just a day ahead of its release.

Kaala has started getting positive reviews, and the producer says it is set for a grand success. The movie has already minted over Rs 2.30 billion. According to reports, it needs another Rs 2.80 billion to be declared a commercial hit. Kaala is directed by Pa Ranjith, whose last collaboration with Rajinikanth was Kabali, which reportedly collected over Rs 6.50 billion worldwide. The movie's overseas business was a whopping Rs 2.59 billion, said sources.

Fans have tweeted saying the wait was worth it. "Kaala pakka masssss... #Thalaivar all side sixer," tweeted an excited fan during the film's interval. Their verdict: "Once A King, Always A King."

Rajinikanth's fans started distributing cakes among audiences who came to watch the 4am show in Chennai. Family audiences flocked to theatres in large numbers. Fans in Mumbai gathered for the first day first show in Carnival cinemas in Wadala.

Kaala, a gangster movie written and directed by Pa Ranjith, released after a series of controversies. Initially, the movie’s release was repeatedly postponed due to a producers' strike in Kollywood. After the withdrawal of the strike, there were reports about the movie being hit with a plagiarism scandal, which was later resolved in the Madras High Court.
 

Rajini and Brand Promotion

Unlike Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth never believed in endorsing brands directly because his movies since 1980s were associated with brands for promotion through the film or during the release. Since 2000, the association with pre-release and post-release promotions have grown gradually and his last movie Kabali in 2016 became a trendsetter.

Over a dozen brands were associated with Kabali, including AirAsia that introduced a flight with Kabali Posters and even ran special offers for flights between Chennai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur (this is the air route the actor travels in the movie) for the first-day show. Cadbury Five Star’s commercial with popular characters Ramesh-Suresh had scenes from Kabali, and ended with the tagline "Superstar’s Five Star".

Muthoot Fincorp introduced Kabali silver coins and according to media reports, coins worth 102 kgs were sold collecting around Rs 7.5 million for the company within a week. App-based cab services Ola and Uber too launched special offers, as did Foodpanda and Mobikwik.

The trend continues in Kaala. Cadbury Five Star has now come out with a commercial that has scenes from the movie. Airtel India has signed a deal with Kaala, and Havells India has teamed up to become the consumer durable partner for the film. CK’s Bakery, a bakery chain established by the Cavinkare promoter family, has announced the introduction of the limited edition Kaala Choco Mocha Cake.

A Chennai-based creative design company, which makes phone covers, coffee mugs, posters, tee shirts, laptop sleeves etc, was a associated with Kabali, and was roped in by producers to design and produce merchandises for Kaala.