It cannot get any bigger than this. Kabali fever has gripped the world, as the film gets ready for a grand release this Friday. It will be screened across 4,000-plus screens in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. The Rajinikanth-starrer, directed by Pa. Ranjith, was censored last Monday and passed with a U-certificate with cuts. The running time of the film is 2 hours, 30 minutes and 20 seconds. The theatrical rights of the film have been sold out to various distributors worldwide. The buzz is that producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu has sold all the rights for the film for upwards of Rs. 180 crore, with indications that it could even touch the 200-crore mark, which would make this the highest-ever pre-release business done for a Tamil film. National brands are queuing up to be associated with the film, with everybody seemingly wanting a piece of the Kabali magic.
As many as eight major brands have tied up so far with the most eagerly awaited film of the decade: AirAsia, Airtel, Cadbury 5 Star, Muthoot Fincorp, Amazon, Emami, Shop CJ and PVR Cinemas. Dhanu Paranthaman, Chief Executive Officer of V Creations and son of Kalaipuli S. Thanu, says: “ Kabali is an international film and Rajinikanth’s reach extends across the globe. We were very particular about the brands we associate ourselves with, as it is a Rajinikanth film meant for family audiences. Though a lot of offers came our way, we only picked those we thought would go with ‘brand Kabali ’. We will also be marketing our merchandise through Amazon and through retail outlets of Muthoot Fincorp.” The branding itself is said to be worth around Rs. 50-60 crore, a figure no other South Indian film has been able to get close to so far.
Thomas John Muthoot Jr., director of Muthoot Fincorp, says, “We are a pan-India company and Rajinikanth has tremendous reach across the nation, so we decided to be associated with the movie. We will be marketing silver coins in various denominations with Superstar Rajinikanth’s image embossed on it. We will be spending around Rs. 20 crore through promotions in print, net and TVCs on this campaign, with our slogan being, ‘Carry the lucky Superstar with you’.”
In short, Kabali ’s is one of the biggest film campaigns ever, and has helped make it a national phenomenon. English channels are giving more air-time to Kabali than to Salman Khan’s Sultan . In fact, some channels have a daily half-hour slot for Kabali -related programmes.
Rajinikanth, reportedly, will not be returning from his US holiday in time for the release. Kalaipuli Thanu has meanwhile made it clear that he will be organising a big function after the release and success of the film, in which the Superstar may take part.
The advance booking for the film is yet to open in Chennai city and the suburbs. A spokesperson of a leading multiplex says, “The pressure to watch Kabali in the opening weekend is unprecedented. On July 22, the date of the film’s release, 95 per cent of all screens in Chennai city and its suburbs are sure to screen it. Corporates are already expressing interest in bulk bookings.”
Girish Mathrubootham, CEO of Chennai-based Freshdesk, a cloud-based customer service tool company, adorns his office walls with Rajinikanth’s posters. “His films are an inspiration. I will be seeing Kabali first-day-first-show, and have made plans to offer tickets to all my 800-odd employees for the weekend shows, so they can take their families.”
Many other Chennai-based multinational companies are also piling on the pressure on multiplexes to open corporate bookings for the opening weekend.
Theatres across the city and suburbs are keen to sell the most tickets to corporates, as these companies will buy tickets as a combo package (with cola and popcorn).
Meanwhile, theatres in Tamil Nadu are also gearing up for the release of Kabali . Nearly 50 theatres have renovated their screens, with some adding Dolby Atmos sound systems. Theatre owners are delighted that the running time is only 2 hours and 30 minutes, as it means that as many as five shows can be played every day. A theatre owner says, “It is the ideal running time, as it will allow us to schedule a 15-minute interval break. When the show ends, we will also have 15 minutes to clean up and ready the premises for the next show.”
Reportedly, Kabali may open a day earlier on Thursday evening, thanks to paid premieres. The producer denies this though. The buzz is that the film is opening worldwide on Thursday evening with premiere shows, with the exception of India. In fact, in countries like Malaysia and Singapore, the first show will be screened on Thursday evening, at least 12-14 hours before the first show in Tamil Nadu. This may create tension in social media, as people who have watched it will likely post their reviews with spoilers.
All things considered, one thing is sure. Kabali is going to have a gargantuan opening worldwide, and it is nothing like we have seen so far.
