Kaala movie review: Rajinikanth-Ranjith's film gets mixed talk from Telugu audience

Director Pa Ranjith's movie Kaala (Kala) featuring Rajinikanth and Nana Patekar in the lead roles, has received mixed reviews and ratings from the Telugu audience, who say that it is a one time watch.

Kaala is a crime thriller drama that is high on action quotient and director Pa Ranjith has written the script and dialogues in collaboration with Aadhavan Dheetchanya Maginan. The movie has been produced by Dhanush under his banner Wunderbar Films. The film has received a U/A certificate from the censor board and it has a runtime of 2.4 hours.

Read: Kaala movie review by Tamil audience

Kaala movie story: The film revolves around the story of a man, who migrates from Tirunelveli to Mumbai, where he emerges as a virtuous gangster. How he becomes the saviour of Tamil migrants, who are victims of discrimination in the Dharavi slums, forms the crux of the story.

Analysis: Kaala deals with tried and tested story, but Pa Ranjith has made it entertaining with some interesting twists and turns and a message. The movie is dragging and predictable in parts. But the director manages to keep you hooked on to the seats right from the beginning till the end, say the audience.

Performance: As usual, Rajinikanth has delivered an electrifying performance and Kaala is his show. His action, dialogue delivery and mannerism are the highlights of the film. Nana Patekar's acting is another attraction of the movie. Samuthirakani, Aruldoss, Eswari Rao, Huma Qureshi, Anjali Patil, Sukanya, Aravind Akash, Sayaji Shinde, Sampath Raj have done their jobs well and they are also assets, say the audience.

Technical: Kaala has brilliant production values. Santhosh Narayanan's background score, G Murali's picturisation, Sreekar Prasad's editing, choreography of action scenes and punch dialogues are the attractions on the technical front, say the viewers.

Kaala review live updates: We bring you some Telugu viewers' verdict on the movie shared on Twitter. Here is the audience's response.

Satyajith Ankareddy‏ @satyajithpinku

#Kaala is not bad at all, fantastic casting, splendid performances, very impressive Camera work and BGM. Only a weak story line and the length makes it an average watch. @beemji made this better than Kabali. @rajinikanth 's best full length movie in recent times, his acting, timing and styling makes him what he is Eswari Rao was very good, Huma Quereshi, Anjali Patel and @thondankani did very well #Kaala

Nitin Chakravarthy‏ @Nitinreddy1111

Halfway through #Kaala ! Good Despite its terrible start, the proceedings have gained great momentum after @humasqureshi entry. Could expect a winner if the 2nd half is equally good. Superstar at his super best Average 2nd half. Overall An Average movie that can be easily watched once. SUPERSTAR at his best along with Nanapatekar ji who's outstanding as Hari dada. Their combination scenes #Kaala

Varun Kilaru‏ @varunkilaru

#Kaala⁠-The beautifully done 1st half is undone by a lethargic 2nd half! Thalaiva 2.0 is initially refreshing but you start missing the vintage fun and adrenaline pumping moments as the film progresses. Eeshwari,Rain Fight, Police station scene and Thalaiva screen presence

Sharat @sherry1111111

#Kaala First half - first 10 min is good. Last 30 min is very good. Pre interval fight, Interval, BGM, Rajni, Huma were Average till now #Kaala Nana Patekar - what a brilliant actor! #Kaala overall an average fare. Last 30 min is very predictable and routine

HARI KIRAN‏ @harikiranroyal

Ee Slow Songs and Screenplay endira Beemji gaaa #Kaala Rain Fight.. Vintage Rajini. #Kaala 1st Half - Good. Started on a slow note and became interesting towards interval. Vintage Rajini Feel in Rain Fight and Confrontation Scene with Nana Patekar. #Kaala - Hit. Pa. Ranjith handled the subject well this time. Goosebumps inducing dialogues and Vintage #Rajinikanth in many of the scenes. Nana Patekar is too good.

Thyview‏ @Thyview

Flyover fight followed by the epic confrontation between #Thalaivar & #Nanapatekar..sorry it's not confrontation it's pure thalaivar's dominance, What an epic Interval Bang GOOSEBUMPS #Kaala #KaalatheRageofRajinikanth Movies starts off slow and #PARanitg slowly changes gear and all this doesn't matter when you have Thalaiva on screen and the chemistry between #Rajni & #EshwariRao , its just a treat to watch... 1st half, it's fun filled with some mass elements #Kaala Kudha ka hukum , kaala ka kasam, mein thuje Chodunga Nahi....What a scene to go head to head with Super Star , Nana Patekar , What an actor #Kaala #Kaala climax is a celebration of an euphoria called RajniKanth on Big Screen.. As @dhanushkraja is the biggest fan of thalaivar, the climax is sort like his ode to the India's biggest super star Last time @beemji used the actor @rajinikanth, this time he left no stone unturned, he just unleashed the Super Star on screen, especially in the 1st half , interval Bang...Wow just Wow #Kaala and also the police station scene in the beginning of 2nd half, thalaivar in full form With an excellent 1st half and a decent 2nd half with good climax makes #Kaala an enjoyable ride Thyview Rating : 7.5 / 10 #Kaala 2nd half starts on high with the police station scene & confrontation between NANA & Thalaiva and it bogs down a little just a little. I personally would have liked more hair raising moments in 2nd half . #NanaPatekar is excellent as villian. Just too good (1/2) And coming to #Kaala family, #EshwariRao is too good and @thondankani Gaaru, @humasqureshi and the actors who acted as the sons are perfect in their roles. Technically the movie is solid , The cinematography & #SantoshNarayan BGM is excellent #KaalatheRageofRajinikanth

B.Abhishek‏ @maverix111

First half done ..such outdated rowdyism ..disjointed scenes with too much build up only to fizzle out immediately ..not sure y he accepted it ..has nothing to offer..slow mo shots n lengthy to put u to slumber..#kaala Second half had some really good scenes until a certain point ..the confrontations and all were nice which could have led to a good showdown but the pre-climax and climax scenes make it a total dud..senseless...maybe a feast for his fans but difficult to like it ..#Kaala

VamsiShekar‏ @UrsVamsiShekar

#Kaala Press Show: Simple, cool & stylish entry of @rajinikanth. Manchiki Naa help yeppudu untundi - Rajinikanth #Kaala Dialogue #Kaala Actress #EaswariRao plays a typical nagging wife of Rajini. @humasqureshi plays the role of a social activist who lands in Dharavi to develop it. Background music by @Music_Santhosh is terrific, especially in action episodes #Kaala Bollywood actor Nana Patekar appears just before the end of first half. Essays a politician #HariDada..Confrontation scenes of @rajinikanth and Nana Patekar looks very natural and executed well by director First Half: A commercial gangster based film. Introduces us to the basic plot of living and existence in slums(Dharavi).. Dialogues by @rajinikanth are effective as usual @rajinikanth & Nana Patekar compete with each other with their extraordinary performances in second half | @humasqureshi @beemji @Music_Santhosh @LycaProductions @wunderbarfilms |

Yogesh Naidu‏ @_YogeshOfficial

#Kaala 1st half is just bang bang bang! The charisma, power punch, style! Vintage #rajinikanth! The rain fight was. The fire that was missing for sometime in him has come back this time around! Still in the awe of the rain fight! Damn!

Vamsi Kaka @vamsikaka

#Kaala is one of the finest works of Superstar Rajinikanth. Each & every actor delivered their best in this film. Kaala's Mass Scenes + Santosh Narayanan's BGM = Unlimited Goosebumps stuff. Rain Fight, Hero & Villain confrontation scenes are Kickass.

Suresh Kondi‏ @V6_Suresh

Good first half.. Many #Rajinikanth moments.. Rain fight, Interval block are highlights.. @Music_Santhosh BGM stands out. #Kaala #కాలా

Nikhil Reddy‏ @sainikhilreddy7

#Kaala interval now at Salem and the person beside me and in front of me both are watching your review @itisprashanth . Realised today how popular you are . #Kaala First half- Thalaivar @rajinikanth rocking it with his screen presence ...

RaJiV‏ @RajivAluri

#Kaala is a political drama dealing with Land grabbing issue in a boring way..Few scenes were good and Rajinikanth is good in his vintage avatar.Overall the film lacks punch in narration.

Telugu360 @Telugu360

Flyover fight followed by Interval block are superb mass Rajini Elements in First half. BGM & Cinematography are excellent #Kaala final report - An slow paced Pa Ranjit film that showcases fight against oppression in Dharvi. Few episodes with Rajinikanth are excellent. #Kaala Review -- Struggle of urban poor narrated in Pa Ranjith style. While the movie gets off to a promising start, it fizzles down at the end. We are going with 2.75/5

123telugu @123telugu

First Half Report: #Rajinikanth 's screen presence, pre-interval action block and interval episode are highlight of the first half. #Kaala #KaalaFDFS

Rayalaseema Chinnodu‏ @InceptedDream

#Kaala Above average to Hit.. rest depends upon Rajini how he manages to pull the crowd from day 2

PuvvalaVirat‏ @PuvvalaVirat

#Kaala ONE TIME WATCH for HARDCORE FANS !! Interval bang and title song at the climax are enough for me !!! #Rajinikanth garu masss

Mirchi9‏ @Mirchi9

#Kaala first half report- Decent. Superstar @rajinikanth looks at much more ease compared to #Kabali in #Kaala. The lungi clad avatar and small mass mannerism and style are a treat for fans. Final report: #Kaala is a one-time watch affair with Superstar @rajinikanth and #NanaPatekar pulling the strings. Check our brief report, review coming soon.