Kaala is not a political story but it has politics in it: Rajini

Superstar Rajinikanth on Wednesday disclosed that his upcoming film Kaala, which has been directed by Ranjith, is not a political story but one that had politics in it.

Talking at the audio launch function of Kaala, the actor said how the film had happened.

Rajini said, “My daughter Soundarya was the one who told me about Ranjith and it was then that we did Kabali. When we did Kabali, Ranjith told me that he was not good at narrating a story and therefore gave me a bound script. In my 43 years in the film industry, nobody had given me a script. But when I read that story, it was so engaging.

“After Kabali, when I was wondering whom I should work with next, I called Ranjith and told him that while Kabali was about Tamils in Malaysia, why not explore the possibility of doing a film on the Tamils in Dharavi, who, at one point in time, consituted 85 per cent of that population in that slum. Today, they constitute around 65 per cent. He took time, went to Dharavi, stayed there for three months, observed their lifestyles from close quarters and then came back with the script of Kaala. When Kabali had released, ‘I had told Ranjith, you have succeded as a director. It remains to be seen if we have succeeded as actors.’ Now, before making Kaala, I told him that this has to be both, your film and mine.

“Kaala is not a political film but it has politics in it. After this film, Ranjith will definitely come out on top. He is not someone who wants to do well for himself alone. He is someone who wishes to lift everybody along with him to greater heights. He is a very socially conscious person, who wants to address the inequalities in society,” he said.