After a lot of back and forth over its release date that had fans in the grips of a painful suspense, the makers of superstar Rajinikanth's Kabali have finally confirmed — the film will be in theatres the world over on 22 July.

Kabali received its certification from the censors on Monday, 11 July — a development that producer Kalaipuli S Thanu greeted with relief. The film — with a run-time of two hours and 32 minutes — has received a 'U' certificate.

'Kabali', starring Rajinikanth, has been given a 'U' rating by the CBFC, which makes it eligible for exemption from entertainment tax in Tamil Nadu'Kabali', starring Rajinikanth, has been given a 'U' rating by the CBFC, which makes it eligible for exemption from entertainment tax in Tamil Nadu
The film, directed by Pa Ranjith, is said to be a story about the life and times of a don (played by Rajinikanth). Kabali will have three versions — Tamil, Telugu and Hindi — and will also be dubbed into Malay and will have a Malaysian release on 29 July. It will release worldwide in all its three Indian language versions on nearly 4,000 screens. A major plus for Kabali is that its 'U' certification makes it eligible for exemption from entertainment tax free in Tamil Nadu — its core box office collections "constituency".

As per sources in the industry, Kabali was ready to be viewed by the Central Board of Film Certification a week ago, as the producers were keen to push for a 15 July release. But the film could not immediately get a slot, as others Tamil films that had applied much earlier were still in queue. Thanu — who is the president of the powerful Tamil Film Producers' Council — could have easily got a 'no objection' certificate from other producers. But Rajinikanth called up Thanu from the US (where the superstar is currently) and told him not to jump the queue; following instead, the schedule laid out by the CBFC.

The hype around Kabali has been phenomenal and trade sources estimate that the film will do pre-release business of around Rs 200 crores from its theatrical distribution, audio rights, dubbing rights, overseas sales, digital sales and satellite television rights. Kabali is also one of the rare films in South India to get branding and merchandise sales. Every major brand wants to piggyback on the Rajinikanth mass entertainer, and with reason.

So, if Air Asia has tied up with Kabali (with one of its aircraft embossed with larger-than-life posters of Rajinikanth), Cadbury Five star, Airtel (the company is offering Kabali SIM cards!), and Muthoot Fincorp are just some of the brands associated with the film. For the first time in the South film industry, a major chain — PVR Cinemas — will be the official multiplex partner of the film.

In an interview with The Hindu, D Parnthaman, son of producer Kalaipuli S Thanu and CEO of V Creations, was quoted as saying: “The entire branding of Kabali is pegged at Rs 40 crore. When I say Rs 40 crore, it is not the money that comes in or goes out. This is the value of the association we have with the brands.” They are also marketing Kabali merchandise like dolls and other memorabilia.

Meanwhile, with release date being announced, the pressure has started among corporate and VVIPs to get maximum tickets for friends and associates for Kabali's opening weekend shows. It cannot get bigger than this in Indian cinema as national news channels are having daily dedicated Kabali coverage. Of course, this is beneficial for said channels as well — after all, they are assured of fantastic TRPs in the South, where Rajinikanth rules supreme.