Kaali is a 1980 Indian action film written by Mahendran and directed by I. V. Sasi. Produced by Hem-Nag,[1] the film stars Rajinikanth, Seema, Fatafat Jayalaxmi and Shubha.[2][3] The film was simultaneously made in Tamil and Telugu languages, with Chiranjeevi replacing Vijayakumar in Telugu.[4] The cinematography was handled by Ashok Kumar and soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[5] Kaali ran for less than 50 days in Chennai and was considered a box office failure in both Tamil and Telugu.[6] The film is infamous for a fire accident which caused the deaths of some stuntmen and horses.[7]
| Kaali | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Poster of Tamil version | |
| Directed by | I. V. Sasi |
| Written by | Mahendran |
| Produced by | Hem Nag |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ashok Kumar |
| Edited by | K. Narayanan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Hem Nag Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Languages |
|
Plot
editThis article needs a plot summary. (July 2021) |
Cast
edit| Cast (Tamil) | Cast (Telugu) | Role (Tamil) | Role (Telugu) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajinikanth | Kaali | ||
| Vijayakumar | Chiranjeevi | G. K. | |
| Seema | Anitha | Geetha | |
| Fatafat Jayalaxmi | Alangaram | ||
| Major Sundarrajan | Kantha Rao | Sampath | |
| Manorama | Thayamma | ||
| Suruli Rajan | Sokku | ||
| Shubha | Sampath's wife | ||
| Vennira Aadai Nirmala | Kaali's sister | ||
| V. Gopalakrishnan | Giri Babu | Somu | |
| Kaikala Satyanarayana | Rajaram | Rajarao | |
| Prasad Babu | Rajaram's sons | Rajarao's sons | |
| Sundar Raj | |||
| Pushpalatha | Rajaram's wife | Rajarao's wife | |
| Anuradha Sriram | child artist | ||
| Master Haja Sheriff | child artist | ||
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[8] The film had Vairamuthu's first written song, "Kali Bhadrakali".[4]
- Tamil tracklist
| Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Adi Aadu" | Malaysia Vasudevan | Kannadasan | 4:39 |
| "Azhagazhaga" | P. Susheela | 4:46 | |
| "Kali Bhadrakali" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | Vairamuthu | 4:00 |
| "Thithikkum" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Kalyan, S. P. Sailaja | Kannadasan | 4:33 |
| "Vaazhumattum" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:46 |
Release and reception
editKaali was released on 3 July 1980 in Tamil,[9] and 19 September the same year in Telugu clashing with another Chiranjeevi-starrer Thathayya Premaleelalu (1980).[10][11] Saavi wrote that I. V. Sasi has started taking roots in Tamil. The critic added that the makers have mixed the colour in the cinemascope and added by looking at the title if you guess this film as revenge plot then you have better intelligence than Sasi.[12] Ananda Vikatan rated the film 43 out of 100, criticising its excessive reliance on violence and expressed concern it would inspire real life violence which was already rampant in India.[13]
References
edit- ^ Ramachandran 2014, p. 169.
- ^ S.B., Vijaya Mary (22 August 2002). "Ready for the challenge". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 October 2002. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "Superstar's next with Ranjith titled Kaali?". The Times of India. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ a b Ramachandran 2014, p. 114.
- ^ "பிரபல ஒளிப்பதிவாளர் அசோக்குமார் மரணம்". Dina Thanthi (in Tamil). 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- ^ "சூப்பர் ஸ்டார்கள் மோதிக் கொண்ட இந்தத் திரைப்படம் எது தெரியுமா?". News18 (in Tamil). 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ Subramanian, Anupama (23 October 2013). "Karthi's film 'Kaali' renamed as 'Kabali'?". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Kaali Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ Mahendran 2013, p. 344.
- ^ "Kali". Indiancine.ma. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Chiranjeevi : నలబై ఏళ్ల లవ్ ఇన్ సింగపూర్.. ఆసక్తికర విషయాలతో ప్రత్యేక కథనం." News18 (in Telugu). 27 September 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "காளி". Kalki (in Tamil). 28 June 1981. p. 50. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "காளி - ஆனந்த விகடன் விமர்சனம்". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 20 July 1980. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 – via Rajinifans.com.
Bibliography
edit- Mahendran (2013) [2004]. சினிமாவும் நானும் [Cinema and I] (in Tamil). Karpagam Publications. OCLC 54777094.
- Ramachandran, Naman (2014) [2012]. Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-342111-5.
