Kaali first look: Director S Krishna and leading man Abishek Ambareesh trolled; filmmaker restricts comments

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Abishek Ambareesh, the son of late Rebel Star Ambareesh and actress-politico Sumalatha, would collaborate with cinematographer-director S Krishna for his third film. Called Kaali, the film is a home production for Krishna, who revealed its first look yesterday, on the occasion of the late Rebel Star’s birth anniversary.

The film, according to the filmmaker, is a romantic actioner with Abishek in the lead, set in the 90s, at the height of the Cauvery agitation and riots. The love story, we hear, will unfold between a Kannadiga guy and a Tamilian girl. The first look featured Abishek looking all buff against the backdrop of what looked like fire and rioting. Once the first look was revealed, Twitterati, of course, went into overdrive, analysing the image and then, trolling both the filmmaker and the actor.

While a lot were appreciative of the first look, there were many who were critical of the actor’s big built and fat-shamed him. Krishna was also at the receiving end, as netizens urged him not to make another ‘jaathre’ film and cited his earlier works, Gajakesari and Pailwaan as examples. As the trolling continued, Krishna decided that the best course of action would be to restrict comments to the post. While he allowed only those who were tagged on the post to respond, several comments were also hidden subsequently.

The filmmaker was later quoted as saying that he was looking at having Abishek lose weight for the role before they go on floors. The Junior Rebel Star is currently maintaining a buffed-up physique for his role as a police officer in director Soori’s Bad Manners. Soori’s film is currently in its last schedule.

Abishek had made his film debut in 2019 with Amar, a love story directed by Nagashekar. The film didn’t give him a stellar launch, so Bad Manners is widely considered as the actor’s relaunch in the Kannada film industry. Kaali, meanwhile, is being planned as a pan-Indian film.