Complex strands need to be knit in with skill, but poor writing ensures that confusion is completely confounded here.

KAALA might be a bit chaotic and messy, but somehow that almost fits the powerful and highly entertaining mass appeal that with Rajinikanth in the lead and Pa. Ranjith’s clear social touch boils into a rousing slum action drama.

Ranjith and cinematographer Murali G. capture a locale that, both in Indian and Western cinema, has rarely been shown this lovingly. They explore its nooks, crannies, people and cultures, in what amounts to the most exciting Indian film this year.

The most mystifying aspect of Kaala, in the context of a mainstream Tamil film, may be how ineffectual the deaths are...