Don't go by reviews, 5 ultimate reasons to watch Kabali

Here’s why you need to watch Kabali despite mixed reviews and disappointments:

1. Rajini. Period.

The superlatives that fans come up with before, after and during the release of a Rajini film are thesaurus-bending. And the superstar in Kabali lives up to all of them with such aplomb, it’s hard to resist his charisma.

He plays the ageing gun-toting gangster with all the "Rajini-ness" we’d expect and more.

If a man can make a salt and pepper beard look this supercool, it’s got to be a man before whom age might get a complex.

Also read: Superstar Rajinikanth's Kabali left me disappointed

2. The smashing records

The film broke nearly ten records even before its release, surpassing biggies like Baahubali.

When last did we hear about an airline specially dedicated for a film or over 25 million YouTube views for the trailer? Won’t you want to find out what the fuss is all about?

3. Radhika Apte’s performance

Despite her limited screen time, Radhika Apte manages to create an impression and her performance as Kumuthavalli, Kabali’s wife, is definitely noteworthy.

Apte is clearly on to something; the ease with which she seems to meander between languages and genres.

4. The music

Santhosh Narayanan’s memorable music and the background score will leave you humming the haunting tunes till after you have exited the theatre, especially the punch-packed number, Neruppu Da.

You cannot escape the songs anyway, they are everywhere these days.

5. The mania

A popular joke floating around cyberspace is: Salman Khan releases his film on Eid as it’s a holiday. Rajinikant releases a movie and the day is declared a holiday.

The statistics on internet views of the trailer of Kabali made history in itself. But Thaliva’s 12-second video taking a regular morning walk in the US, seemingly oblivious to the Kabali mania, and fans cheering in Tamil to Mandarin across south east Asia, turns into a minor sensation.

Need we say more, really? Mind it!