Kaala Trailer – A Little More Story, A Lot More Rajinikanth

Just when the consensus was that there was not much of a pre-release buzz around Kaala, compared to Rajinikanth's earlier release Kabali, the promotional team has upped its online activities in a major way. Earlier today, a Kaala Twitter emoji was unveiled (to mixed reviews) and will be available until June 10. A new 86-second-long trailer has been released and received positively so far. Here's what it tells us:

The plot seems to be centered on a duel between Nana Patekar, who plays a conniving politician and the Superstar, who's the king of the Dandakaranya Nagar slum. While it looks like Patekar has put in a lot of effort to dub his lines in Tamil, his accent needs some getting used to. The issue of land grabbing seems to be at the heart of the story, with his character looking to exploit the slum for commercial gains. The trailer's final dialogue – "Land means power and authority to you, for us it's life" – said by Rajini, seems to hint at this.

Also Read: At The Kaala Audio Launch, Superstar Rajini Admits To Past Mistakes And Responds To Detractors 

Even at 67, the actor appears to be in remarkably good shape, bolstered by his charisma and energy levels. He looks the part of a community leader set on starting a revolution among his people. His line, "Indha udambu dan namakku irukura ore aayutham" (our body is our only weapon), is lent credence by the character's robust build.

The trailer also shows us glimpses of Kaala's relationships and familial ties, with actresses Huma Qureshi and Eswari Rao sharing screen space with him. We see that the character has a large family comprising children and grandchildren – something unprecedented in a Rajini film and proof that he is playing roles that suit his age. The"I love you dee" line, said to his wife, is sure to elicit a rousing response in cinema halls.

The death of a prominent person (played by Samuthirakani) in the community and the violence that follows are also showcased in the trailer, which is cut by veteran editor Sreekar Prasad. It appears as though most of the film was shot in the Dharavi slum set expertly put up at Chennai, by art director Ramalingam and team.

It's apparent that cinematographer G. Murali has had a ball capturing the Superstar in all his glory. Watch out for the shot of Rajini amidst a blaze of red. It's a stunner!

Supporting actors appear in most of the frames, owing to the 'mass' nature of the plot. Overall, the trailer is neatly packed, but is more like a second teaser owing to how short it is. With just 10 days to go for the film's release, it is sure to whet the audience's appetites. Kaala looks like the ideal movie for not just Rajinikanth the actor, but also Rajinikanth the politician, who's eyeing the right time to formally launch his party.

So, what do you think?