Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has a lot to smile about in the buzz building around Rajinikanth’s “Kabali”. He has bagged the distribution rights for “Kabali” in Kerala.

Mohanlal's Maxlab will distribute the film in the state with Antony Perumbavoor’s Aashirvad Cinemas. According to reports, the distribution rights for the film were bagged by Mohanlal for Rs 8.5 crore, the highest amount paid for a non-Malayalam film in Kerala. Earlier, the distribution rights for Vijay’s “Theri” had reportedly sold at Rs 5.6 crore.

Kabali is set to hit 150 screens in Kerala on the first day of release.

Directed by Pa Ranjith, the film features Rajinikanth as a don fighting against atrocities towards Tamils in Malaysia. The film also stars Radhika Apte, Kishore, Kalaiarasan, Dinesh, Dhansikaa and Dinesh. Taiwanese actor Winston Chao plays the primary antagonist in the film.