“I have timed the inauguration of my theatre Mani Impala New Dhanalakshmi in Sattur with the release of Kabali ,” beams S. Karthikeyan. Caught in the frenzy for the film are not only superstar Rajini Kanth’s fans and general public but also the cinema hall owners, who themselves are no less admirers of the matinee idol.
Kabali has a gargantuan opening worldwide with promos and branding exercise stretched to unimaginable proportions. It’s enthralling to see the resounding reception the superstar’s movies get every time. “No other contemporary actor enjoys the charisma Rajini Kanth has. Any other actor would have found it difficult to make a comeback after two massive debacles. But the one and only thalaivar can be expected to return with a bang after films like Linga and Kochadaiyaan ,” says Karthikeyan, who owns 17 theatres including the Mani Impala Multiplex in Madurai, Sivagangai, Dindigul, Theni and Virudhunagar districts.
Be it Billa or Batcha , most of his gangster movies are blockbusters and no doubt Rajini Kanth chose Kabali to make his presence felt once again. From big corporates to popular brands every body are trying to cash in on the Kabali magic. Some theatres have even tied up with local mobile showrooms and have come up with impressive offers on talk-time and distribute free Kabali tickets for those who buy new SIM cards.
“After a long time we see big crowd queuing up in front of theatres to book the tickets even though they are available online. In our theatre all the shows are booked for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We have two screens with a seating capacity of 1100 and have already sold 20,000 tickets,” says Anand Solamalai of Ambiga Cinemas.
In addition, the song ‘Neruppuda’ has struck an instant chord with the fans and has increased the expectations manifold. “I felt the responsibility to make this movie a grand success when producer Kalaipuli Dhanu entrusted the distribution rights of old Madurai-Ramnad region to me. It is a sensitive centre covering Madurai, Theni, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Ramanthapuram and Dindigul districts. I am releasing the movie in 40 screens and the numbers are increasing every day,” says S. Mani Varma, distributor for Kabali .
In Madurai alone, the film is releasing in eight centres and some theatre owners see this as a good opportunity to bring people to the cinema halls. “The tremendous response to the movie has renewed our interests in the business. In my theatre, which has a seating capacity of 450, I have already sold 5,000 tickets for the first three days and the numbers are on the rise,” says S. Senthilnathan, owner of V Cinemas, Sholavandan.
With the media hype and the fan following the superstar enjoys, cinema hall owners have also sought police help to prevent any untoward incident inside theatres. “It is like any other movie for us and business as usual. Our main job is to prevent any brawl in and around theatre premises,” says Shailesh Kumar Yadav, the city Commissioner of Police.
The overwhelming enthusiasm for the movie motivated the distributor to prepare a five-minute promo video tracing the superstar’s film travel from Apoorva Ragangal to Linga . “Every time Rajini appears on screen, some magic works out. It radiates tremendous energy. I have captured every iconic shot of him, especially the gate opening scene of Apoorva Ragangal . The way he walks, turns his face and handles the coolers, leave a lasting impression on his fans. I have planned to run this video in theatres. The owners have also been extremely cooperative and appreciate the effort,” says Mani Varma.
MEMORY TO TREASURE:
It was an unforgettable day during Pongal in 1983. Paayum Puli was released in Saraswathi Theatre. Superstar Rajini Kanth was in Madurai to attend the victory celebrations of Moondru Mugam. He visited Saraswathi Theatre to greet his fans. I was a school boy then and rode 12 kms on my bicycle to catch a glimpse of my matinee idol. I could not see him. I wanted to see the movie but could not get the tickets given the rush. I also lost the money I had saved to buy the tickets. Then Rs.1.50 was a big amount for me. I was stranded and crying when a man clad in white shirt and veishti came on a lambretta scooter and stopped by. He was kind enough to take me inside the theatre and get me a seat too. Even today I don’t know who he was but I have an emotional connect with the theatre. When I took the distribution rights for Kabali , my first agreement was with the Saraswathi theatre owner.
S. Mani Varma, distributor, Madurai-Ramnad region,Kabali
