If the industry grapevine is anything to go by, Kaala could be Ranjith’s fastest shot film. According to reliable sources from the film’s unit, 70 per cent of the shoot has been completed and the makers are extremely happy with the output so far.
Important sequences of the film were recently shot in the Chennai schedule in a replica of Dharavi set in EVP studio. Major portion of Kaala, which tracks the story of a gangster who fights against oppression, is set against the backdrop of Mumbai. Having shot important exterior shot of Mumbai in their last schedule, the makers shifted to Chennai to shoot scenes in the Dharavi set.
In the film, being produced by Dhanush, the superstar plays a slum-lord-turned-gangster and he will be seen in a very powerful role. The film is tipped to be made as a Tamil-Hindi bilingual and will also be dubbed in Telugu. The project marks the reunion of director Pa. Ranjith with Rajinikanth after Kabali, and it is believed that Kaala revolves around the lives of oppressed Tamils in Mumbai and their fight for equality. Santhosh Narayanan is scoring the music, while national award-winning Sreekar Prasad will take care of editing.
Since the film has been mostly shot against the backdrop of Mumbai, the makers have decided to simultaneously shoot the film in Hindi. If not every scene, those featuring Rajinikanth and some key supporting cast will be shot in Hindi. Unlike Kabali, the film won’t be dubbed in Hindi, and Rajinikanth is expected to mouth his lines in Hindi and in Marathi at some key junctures. Besides starring Nana Patekar as a politician and Pankaj Tripathi as a cop, the film also features Anjali Patil and Samuthirakani.
(Content provided by Digital Native)