Dominated by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth, the recently released movie Kabali (which, unbeknown to us, premiered in the cinema just round the corner) was a big, big deal, both in India and Malaysia (where it's mostly set and filmed). It's created plenty of enthusiasm, and also plenty of controversy.

One Singaporean commentator sees it as "Rajinikanth's best film in years". This Indian review, on the other hand, is a little luke-warm (and a little challenged on the ethnic complexities of Malaysia...). There are interesting debates being aired about the north-south divide in Indian reaction and what is perceived as the movie's pro-Dalit stance.



And the Malaysian reaction?

This is apparently the first Tamil movie to be dubbed into Malay (we watched the Tamil version with Malay subtitles). But in Malaysia we get a different, much less ambiguous ending. This is apparently meant to convey a clear "crime doesn't pay" message (but I wonder if the Malaysian authorities also prefer to steer clear of the idea that the police might engineer a hit...).

More importantly, the film has apparently ignited a debate among Indian Malaysians about the depiction of the Tamil community and ethnic relations in general.

This brilliant little companion piece by Visithra Manikam lays bare a lot of the issues in a measured, thoughtful way.

I'm torn. I can see why the storyline would engender mixed feelings, and the movie is a total bloodbath (as Nigel says, Kabali makes Jason Bourne look like a wimp, and you really have to wonder about the low age rating...). But at the end of the day, it's nicely shot, it speaks for the underdog, and Rajinikanth is awesome...