Chennai: The makers of Rajnikanth-starrer Kabali say the film has grossed over Rs 330 crore in the first week in a record-breaking world-wide release across thousands of screens. The box office collection in the first day alone was estimated to be a minimum of Rs 48 crore with higher forecasts over the weekend.
Kabali, coming after two lackluster performances at the box office for 'Thalaivar' is a gangster drama that released on July 22. Replete with milkabishekhams and aarathis as tributes to Tamil Nadu most-loved actor, the celebrations that marked the release proved Rajnikanth still held a growing legions of devoted fans.
Perhaps, it is this draw that makes the filmmaker confident of houseful cinemas over the forthcoming weeks. Producer of Kabali, Kalaipuli S Thanu, said the box office collection for the movie was more than 48 crore rupees and he said the shows will have the crowds pouring in for the first 30 days, to say the least.
Trade tracker Ramesh B tweeted that Kabali’s box office collection stood at Rs 142.5 crore net and Rs 166.5 crore gross. With the international box office close to Rs 90 crore, the total BO figure has crossed Rs 250 crore worldwide. The film earned Rs 200 crore before its release with the sale of music rights etc before its release.
Notwithstanding the staggering commercial success of Kabali, there has been some heartburn. But, Rajni fans who failed to get tickets for the first three days say they had been able to secure seats three days after the release. Samyukta Sridhar, a resident of Chennai, says, “It was hard to get tickets for the first three days. But I was able to pay Rs 120 to get 3 tickets for the Monday show. Tickets are available online and it’s not difficult at all.”
The movie divided the audience over reviews, with some classifying it as a 'Watchable Once' while leaving other raving about a subtle, layered movie. For the Rajini fans, it was a treat. Film Critic, Bharadwaj Rangan, wrote in a daily that Kabali is an unsatisfying clash between the impulses of star and director." He added, "It is great to see a dignified Superstar, acting his age. He does more for the movie than it does for him."
Renowned Tamil lyricist Vairamuthu has been reported as saying the success of Kabali was questionable.
Speaking at an event on Sunday, the noted lyricist said, "There are people on this dais who started wearing suits and coats much before Rajni. So, Ranjith should have copied the style from people here, There are certain things which cannot be explained or justified. Like the case of the missing IAF aircraft flight, Kabali's failure..."
After this controversy, the lyricist issued a clarification. In the statement, he said, "I couldn't catch the right words. I meant to say it is hard to understand Kabali's success or failure and I left the word 'success' out inadvertently."
Even actor Nana Patekar drew ire on social media for saying that Rajni is not a superstar. He said, "Film is the biggest superstar. If your story is good and executed well, then even if actors are new, the film will do well. As far as stars are concerned, the film will run for two or three days but later on if the film is not good enough, it will not run irrespective of who the star of the film is."
Superstar had conveyed his gratitude to fans and team Kabali for the grand success. In a handwritten letter, Rajini said, "My heartfelt gratitude to all those who made Kabali successful. From the producer to director to fans and to the media, I thank each and every one of them."
The movie will be released in Malaysia this weekend and fans are an excited lot. Team Kabali is planning to work on Kabali 2 if Superstar agrees. The climax of Kabali is open-ended and the team says that if Rajnikanth agrees to act, they will begin work on the sequel soon.
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