Kaala in Karnataka: Rajinikanth's film witnesses trouble-free release in Mangaluru

Rajinkanth fans in Bengaluru were in for a huge disappointment after his Kaala movie failed to see the light of the day here in the Garden City. Following massive protests from the pro-Kannada groups, the Tamil film was not screened in most parts of Karnataka.

The pro-Kannada groups are up in arms against Kaala over Rajinikanth's recent stand on the Cauvery issue. They had threatened to stall the release and fearing the wrath from the protestors, no distributor came forward to release Pa Ranjith's movie.

In a sudden development, leading producer Kanakapura Srinivas decided to release the movie with the hopes that the theatre owners would show interest towards screening Kaala.

But all his efforts went in vain as the screening was stalled by the pro-Kannada groups. In Mysuru, exhibitors displayed solidarity with the protestors by voluntarily boycotting the flick.

However, Kaala was released in Radhika theatre in Bellary, but it is in Mangaluru where the movie had a trouble-free release. The Tamil film has 17 shows in a few cinema halls that include PVR Cinemas. All the shows have been scheduled post noon.

The craze for a Rajinikanth movie is not high in this part of Karnataka and the response for the advance booking gives an indication of it. But an attempt to screen the film by PVR in Hubballi failed following the protests from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.

Rajinikanth had called for the formation of the Cauvery Management Board.

Nevertheless, the Karnataka High Court had asked the newly-elected HD Kumaraswamy's Government to ensure a trouble-free release of Kaala in Karnataka and to provide security for the theatres, which will screen the Rajinikanth-starrer.

Meanwhile, Kaala has garnered superb reviews from the audience and critics. It is likely to set the box office on fire in Tamil Nadu.