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Kaapa Movie Review: Shaji Kailas's gangster drama is a gritty, faithful adaptation

Rating: ( 3.5 / 5).

One of the reasons I'm enamoured by the work of GR Indugopan is the vividness he brings to his scenarios. His stories carry the smell and flavour of the cities where they take place. His characters possess distinct personalities, and the local dialect flows through the pages like poetry. The lightning-fast pacing of his narratives makes it difficult for me to take continuous pauses. I always try to finish them in one sitting. 

Director: Shaji Kailas

Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aparna Balamurali, Asif Ali, Anna Ben

It's been a while since I've read Indugopan's Thiruvananthapuram-set novella Shankumukhi , but the principal characters and events were still fresh in my mind before I set out to the theatre. I wasn't too skeptical about Shaji Kailas directing it, given his experience with a gritty, extremely violent gangster drama in 1997 called Asuravamsham . It's a rarity in his filmography. I was a kid back then, and I remember being disturbed by some of the gory portions in it that grown-ups would more easily digest. But this was a phase where I was familiar with almost the entire filmography of Shaji Kailas. For someone who had at that point only seen the more massy films of the director, something like Asurvavamsham, which differed strongly in tone from his other films, was unexpected. So did Shaji Kailas deliver with Kaapa ? That would be a yes!

Here's the thing. For me, it was more important to see the film do justice to Indugopan's story than become an acting exercise. Kaapa is not, after all, trying to be The Godfather or Goodfellas . It's determinedly a commercial entertainer -- the movie more than the book, I would say. It closely follows the source material's plot structure, including the final twists. Of course, we expect some minor 'massy' embellishments, considering this is a big theatrical release fronted by a superstar, Prithviraj, accompanied by three other top names from Malayalam cinema in the lead roles. 

But at its core lies the same spirit we found in the notable Ram Gopal Varma films like Satya , Company , Sarkar , or the Vishal Bhardwaj gangster dramas. I'm not saying Kaapa is on par with those films in finesse and craftsmanship. But it's a fairly enjoyable crime adventure thanks to Prithviraj doing full justice to the character, Kotta Madhu, whose physical description differs from the one in the book. But does that really matter when the actor gets the character's essence right? 

A ferocious and headstrong character, Kotta Madhu deserved an actor of Prithviraj's stature. Madhu is an imposing man who navigates Indugopan's story with the Damocles's Sword hanging over him every second and minute. He knows what his sins are. You get the sense that he would've done things differently had he been given a chance to live his life differently for the second time. And he comes across as someone willing to accept any punishment for his past transgressions. 

This is how Prithviraj plays Kotta Madhu in the film too, and it gets most of my brownie points for getting this portrayal right. He plays him as a man with a tough exterior but tormented by an event that made him the dreaded don that he is today. And we get a brief flashback of this, staged in the film exactly how I imagined it while reading it. It's one of the film's rare emotional high points but done without resorting to melodrama, and one whose after-effects are strongly felt in the present.

As I said earlier, Shaji Kailas and cinematographer Jomon T John stay true to Indugopan's vision. They get the sombre mood of the book right, except, of course, for instances where we get the classic Shaji Kailas moments, some that seem cliched due to our encounter with similar moments in movies we have seen before. Others are welcome because today, we rarely get the massy slo-mo fights or assertive war cries. Like Asuravamsham , it is a Shaji Kailas movie that doesn't look like a Shaji Kailas movie. 

That said, I would've loved to see some nuance exercised in the dialogue delivery, particularly with regard to the khaki-clad supporting cast members, who sound like characters from the weaker movies of Shaji Kailas. These are the areas where the film's energy dips, and I wish the makers invested more time to give us something we have not seen before. Remember the shady cop played by Indrans in Malik? How chilling he was in that! I hoped for a similar directing choice here. Also, when there are names like Aparna Balamurali and Anna Ben, you expect them to do more than what we got in Kaapa . A potential sequel might bring in better things: Kaapa ends with the hint of one while not exactly announcing it.

Dileesh Pothan offers no surprises as Latheef, a newspaperman with his own agenda, and Kotta Madhu's rival. However, being the skilled performer he is, Dileesh is admirably effective at selling us Latheef's intentions. He is not the "villain" of this story. In fact, none of the characters in Kaapa can be called black or white. Grey is the dominant colour. There is someone I would call "idealistic," and that's Asif Ali's Anand, a role that the actor pulls off with considerable ease. 

If Kaapa is supposed to be a poignant meditation on lives altered by violent events, it doesn't quite succeed in stirring our emotions on a deeper level. But, as a cinematic portrait of a way of life, it does. Some express regrets, but there is no going back from a life of crime. Some bravely forge ahead, trapped forever in the cyclical pattern of violence. 

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More or less, Shaji Kailas has succeeded in delivering a satisfying gangster movie

Kaapa Movie Review: Interesting, if predictable, gangster movie

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Suresh babu 1 432 days ago

Good ��

Divya Nambiar 309 451 days ago

Waste of time

Wings 452 days ago

Lousy movie....

Prabhakar GSC 231 453 days ago

Normally Malalayam movies are good and engaging . But this movie is a mediocre movie with poor script.

User venkatesh 455 days ago

Superb..��

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Review | Shaji Kailas-Prithvi combo’s 'Kaapa' scripts a capital act

The Kaapa Act was introduced in Kerala to rein in bloody gang wars that once rocked the state, especially the capital city. And to an extent, it has been effective at keeping gang rivalries at bay.

What the Act has achieved over the years, however, does not form the context of Shaji Kailas's latest outing 'Kaapa', unlike the title. Rather, the Prithviraj-starrer's focus is giving you a taste of the dreaded criminals ruling the alleys of the city and the bitter rivalries.

Gangster movies like these may not be new to Malayalis, but the director has managed to invoke our curiosity with unconventional twists.

Kaduva review: Action is the hero in this Shaji Kailas-Prithviraj drama

Release of Prithviraj starrer 'Kaduva' postponed to July 7

The credit goes to G R Indugopan's script as the movie is largely based on his novella 'Shankhumukhi'.

Indugopan does not hold back dialogues laced with Thiruvananthapuram slang and peppered with curse words, but he has to be credited for keeping it neat, despite the foul language.

Kotta Madhu, played by Prithviraj, gains control of the streets of Thiruvananthapuram by murdering another gang leader. But his actions haunt him even after he lords over the gangsters in the city.

Meanwhile, Anand (Asif Ali) is trying to clear his wife Binu ( played by Anna Ben) from the Kaapa list, though she is unaware that her name figures in it.

This triggers an interesting twist. The action is mass though a bit tiresome, but what else can you expect from a film that revolves around gang wars? The scenes can also get gory at times, something that you need to keep in mind before heading to theatres.

This is easily Prithviraj's best action thriller this year, and he has nailed his act much better in 'Kaapa' than he did in 'Kaduva'. It has definitely been an interesting year for Prithviraj, who donned several roles across genres this year. Though his critics may deem him unfit to play comical or sentimental roles, he shines in delivering mass movies. His first film with Shaji Kailas, 'Simhasanam', may not have created magic in the box office, but the collaboration seems to be aging well, like fine wine.

Shaji Kailas seems to be getting a better grip of how modern mass entertainers work. In the 1990s, the director had won laurels as a commercial filmmaker, but, somehow that magic faded in the 2000s. Even his most recent work 'Kaduva' had remnants from the 1990s.

If Shaji Kailas's earlier work 'Kaduva' was just a mass entertainer, 'Kaapa' is a step ahead, both in terms of the story and emotion. The storyline gets predictable in the second half but the emotions and motives are compelling.

The female characters have enough space to perform and have broken some of the shackles of misogyny, which had marred Kaduva in many ways.

Jagadish is breaking free from comical roles like his counterparts Suraj and Indrans and has landed a meaty role to prove his calibre after Leela.

His Thiruvananthapuram dialect is spot on, though this is not the case with most characters in the film.

Overall, it is clear the Shaji Kailas- Prithviraj combo has worked, thanks to Indugopan’s crafty script writing.

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• Shaji Kailas
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'Kaapa' review: Gritty, faithful adaptation

One of the reasons I’m enamoured by the work of GR Indugopan is the vividness he brings to his scenarios. His stories carry the smell and flavour of the cities where they take place. His characters possess distinct personalities, and the local dialect flows through the pages like poetry. The lightning-fast pacing of his narratives makes it difficult for me to take continuous pauses. I always try to finish them in one sitting.

It’s been a while since I’ve read Indugopan’s Thiruvananthapuram-set novella Shankumukhi, but the principal characters and events were still fresh in my mind before I set out to the theatre. I wasn’t too sceptical about Shaji Kailas directing it, given his experience with a gritty, extremely violent gangster drama in 1997 called Asuravamsham. It’s a rarity in his filmography. I was a kid back then, and I remember being disturbed by some of the gory portions in it that grown-ups would more easily digest.

But this was a phase where I was familiar with almost the entire filmography of Shaji Kailas. For someone who had at that point only seen the more massy films of the director, something like Asurvavamsham, which differed strongly in tone from his other films, was unexpected. So did Shaji Kailas deliver with Kaapa? That would be a yes!

Here’s the thing. For me, it was more important to see the film do justice to Indugopan’s story than become an acting exercise. Kaapa is not, after all, trying to be The Godfather or Goodfellas. It’s determinedly a commercial entertainer—the movie more than the book, I would say. It closely follows the source material’s plot structure, including the final twists. Of course, we expect some minor ‘massy’ embellishments, considering this is a big theatrical release fronted by a superstar, Prithviraj, accompanied by three other top names from Malayalam cinema in the lead roles.

But at its core lies the same spirit we found in the notable Ram Gopal Varma films like Satya, Company, Sarkar, or the Vishal Bhardwaj gangster dramas. I’m not saying Kaapa is on par with those films in finesse and craftsmanship. But it’s a fairly enjoyable crime adventure thanks to Prithviraj doing full justice to the character, Kotta Madhu, whose physical description differs from the one in the book. But does that really matter when the actor gets the character’s essence right?

A ferocious and headstrong character, Kotta Madhu deserved an actor of Prithviraj’s stature. Madhu is an imposing man who navigates Indugopan’s story with the Damocles’s Sword hanging over him every second and minute. He knows what his sins are. You get the sense that he would’ve done things differently had he been given a chance to live his life differently for the second time. And he comes across as someone willing to accept any punishment for his past transgressions.

This is how Prithviraj plays Kotta Madhu in the film too, and it gets most of my brownie points for getting this portrayal right. He plays him as a man with a tough exterior but tormented by an event that made him the dreaded don that he is today. And we get a brief flashback of this, staged in the film exactly how I imagined it while reading it. It’s one of the film’s rare emotional high points but done without resorting to melodrama, and one whose after-effects are strongly felt in the present.

As I said earlier, Shaji Kailas and cinematographer Jomon T John stay true to Indugopan’s vision. They get the sombre mood of the book right, except, of course, for instances where we get the classic Shaji Kailas moments, some that seem cliched due to our encounter with similar moments in movies we have seen before. Others are welcome because today, we rarely get the massy slo-mo fights or assertive war cries. Like Asuravamsham, it is a Shaji Kailas movie that doesn’t look like a Shaji Kailas movie.

That said, I would’ve loved to see some nuance exercised in the dialogue delivery, particularly with regard to the khaki-clad supporting cast members, who sound like characters from the weaker movies of Shaji Kailas. These are the areas where the film’s energy dips, and I wish the makers invested more time to give us something we have not seen before. Remember the shady cop played by Indrans in Malik? How chilling he was in that! I hoped for a similar directing choice here.

Also, when there are names like Aparna Balamurali and Anna Ben, you expect them to do more than what we got in Kaapa. A potential sequel might bring in better things: Kaapa ends with the hint of one while not exactly announcing it.

Dileesh Pothan offers no surprises as Latheef, a newspaperman with his own agenda, and Kotta Madhu’s rival. However, being the skilled performer he is, Dileesh is admirably effective at selling us Latheef’s intentions. He is not the “villain” of this story.

In fact, none of the characters in Kaapa can be called black or white. Grey is the dominant colour. There is someone I would call “idealistic,” and that’s Asif Ali’s Anand, a role that the actor pulls off with considerable ease.

If Kaapa is supposed to be a poignant meditation on lives altered by violent events, it doesn’t quite succeed in stirring our emotions on a deeper level. But, as a cinematic portrait of a way of life, it does. Some express regrets, but there is no going back from a life of crime. Some bravely forge ahead, trapped forever in the cyclical pattern of violence.

Film: Kaapa Director: Shaji Kailas Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aparna Balamurali, Asif Ali, Anna Ben Rating: 3.5/5

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Kaapa Movie Review: This Prithviraj gangster drama is a different attempt from Shaji Kailas

Director shaji kailas's kaapa, starring prithviraj, asif ali and anna ben, is a gangster drama done differently. the film, however, has its own share of flaws, says our review..

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• Kaapa hit the theatres on December 22.
• The film is directed by Shaji Kailas.
• Prithviraj, Asif Ali, Anna Ben and Aparna Balamurali play lead roles in the film.

Release Date: 22 Dec, 2022

As the movie starts off, we are introduced to a married couple, Anand (Asif Ali) and Biju (Anna Ben), who shift from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram. Anand then finds his wife’s name in the Kerala Anti-social Activities Prevention Act because of news stories that carried her name along with crimes she allegedly committed. He then tries to clear her name, claiming she is innocent, and seeks out Kotta Madhu (Prithviraj), the city’s leading gangster, for help. Anand then meets Madhu’s wife Prameela (Aparna Balamurali) and pleads for her help. It is after this that Anand inadvertently gets caught up between the local gang wars.

Set in Thiruvananthapuram, the movie revolves around the local gangsters and rivalries in the city. Kaapa is taken from Anand’s perspective but it’s not consistent throughout the film. We are drawn into Madhu’s world and the second half becomes tedious. The climax twist is also predictable.

Kotta Madhu reminds us of a sophisticated 90s gangster, who eventually turns politician. As arrogant and ruthless as Madhu is, we also learn that he has a heart. The scenes between a younger Madhu and the small boy show his softer side, but we never get to know who Madhu really is and what his motivations are. He is plagued by constant guilt, an emotion which we repeatedly see in the film. And that is also his downfall.

Kaapa sees Prithviraj join hands with director Shaji Kailas once again after Kaduva, which was a hit. Kaduva, however, received mixed reviews. And Kaapa is better than Kaduva. This movie was inspired by writer G R Indugopan’s novella about Kaapa. Indugopan wrote the dialogues for the film. Shaji Kailas, who is known for his mass local films, attempted to make a dark gangster drama with Kaapa and succeeded for the most part.

With regards to the supporting cast, there are exceptional actors like Asif Ali, Dileepan Pathan, Jagadish, Aparna Balamurali, Anna Ben. Prithviraj's act is flawless, but Asif Ali doesn’t look too comfortable as Anand. Not all of them are able to show off their acting prowess due to limited screen time.

The cinematography by Sanu John Varughese and music by Justin Varghese are some of the highlights in this film.

Kaapa is one of the better films from Prithviraj this year, among the six releases he had. Those going to watch Kaapa for Shaji Kailas and Prithviraj must go with an open mind for a new experience.

3 out of 5 stars for Kaapa. Published By: K Janani Published On: Dec 22, 2022 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ | Prithviraj Sukumaran believes Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan will end Bollywood's dry spell. Watch

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'Kaapa' review: A formulaic but largely enjoyable gangster drama

It ticks almost all boxes—slow-mos, stylised action, ultra-close-ups, punch dialogues

One of the movie subgenres that has immense public appeal is gangster drama. The first original in this genre,  The Great Train Robbery , released in 1903, was a silent movie. In the last 120 years, plenty of classics and film movements emerged from this genre in world cinema.

There have been notable films in this genre in Mollywood, too. Still, this is a genre that is still underutilised in Mollywood. The 1980s was arguably the first big decade for gangster films in Mollywood. Films like  Athirathram ,  Rajavinte Makan , and  Irupathaam Nootandu  played a crucial role in creating superstardom for Mammotty and Mohanlal. The early 1990s also had its share of gangster films like  Samrajyam  (1990),  Abhimanyu  (1991), and  Mafia  (1993) that revolved around ports, airports or metro cities like Mumbai or Chennai. However, in the decade’s later half, gangsters gave way to megalomaniac feudal heroes in Mollywood.

In the 2000s, a new-found interest in gangster dramas developed in Mollywood. Films like  Stop Violence ,  Black ,  Big B  and  Chotta Mumbai  presented Kochi as a place of gangs and crime syndicates.  Big B  and  Chotta Mumbai  effectively employed black humour while portraying gang wars and the life of criminals.

Bigger experiments in storyline, narrative and form in this genre happened in the 2010s. Critically-acclaimed films like  Second Show ,  Njan Steve Lopez ,  Kammattipadam ,  Angamaly Diaries  and  Lucifer  got released in this decade. There were also major flops like  Gangster  and  Double Barrel . 

When compared with gangster films of the 2010s, Shaji Kailas’s  Kaapa  is more of a safe-formula film. The film portrays the bloody gang wars in the capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.  Kaapa  opens from the perspective of an IT professional, Anand (Asif Ali), who takes a job offer in Thiruvananthapuram. Anand and his wife are expecting their first child. However, a special branch officer from Kerala Police shocks Anand by revealing a secret about his wife and her past. From there, Anand would inadvertently become a pawn in the gang wars between the dreaded gang of Kotta Madhu (Prithviraj Sukumaran) and the rival gang, which is named after Anand's wife, Binu Trivikraman (Anna Ben).

Madhu grows up as a street-smart thug who dares to use even children for violent crimes. He becomes the uncrowned king of the underworld in the city by eliminating the other goons in the city with the help of the police. In the present, he is a white-clad man who is ambitious about his rise as a politician in a red party. This ambition for a political post act as a deterrent for many violent crimes. 

In the expected lines, Kailas glorifies this narcissistic character, employing his age-old cinematic formula for action films—slow-mos, stylised action sequences, ultra-close-ups, and punch dialogues. There are plenty of scenes for fans of Prithviraj to celebrate the raw violence on screen. However, the director also ensures to present Madhu as a character with a gentle and sensitive side—he is selectively sorry about some of his past actions. 

The world of crime  Kaapa  tried to portray is too big for a feature film. The storyline was best suited for a crime drama series. Acclaimed post-modernist writer G.R. Indugopan wrote the screenplay for  Kaapa . The dialogues he wrote for  Kaapa  deserve applause. However, this reviewer felt that Kailas did not succeed in taking the full potential of the script. The twists Indugopan kept for the climax in the script became wet bombs because of too much foreshadowing employed by Kailas in the narrative.

There are a lot of characters who come into the narrative. The narrative follows different characters at different parts of the film. The problem in this approach was that many of the characters, including the main characters played by Prithviraj, Aparana Balamurali, Anna Ben and Jagadeesh, remain half-baked. This approach prevented this reviewer from getting emotionally attached to any character in the narrative. The backstories of these characters were explored via flashbacks or passive mentions in conversations. The film gave a feel of excessive use of flashbacks. It did offer some unexpected shocking moments of violence. However, at those moments where it is most required, it fails to give a shock! Shameer Mohammad’s editing and Kailas's direction fail to save those scenes. While portraying the gang members of Madhu,  Kaapa  followed the goonda stereotypes. 

Even with all these flaws,  Kaapa  ticks most of the tabs to become a box office hit in Mollywood. Prithviraj excels in action sequences, though his dialogue delivery in the Thiruvananthapuram dialect is inconsistent. Jagadeesh once again gives a stellar performance in a character role. He plays the role of Jabbar, the right hand of Madhu. Balamurali gives a decent performance as Madhu's partner. Her character arc is arguably the most interesting one. However, the film fails to give an idea of how crucial she was in forming the gangster Kotta Madhu. This reviewer felt that Anna Ben was a miscast for the role. 

The film’s cinematography was done by Jomon T. John. He gave visuals that suit the aesthetics of Kailas. Dawn Vincent’s music is terrific and at times gave goosebumps. Gangster films are often morality tales: a lot of the films in this genre portray that the success of criminals and their gangs is just temporary and that crime and gang wars have a cyclical nature.  Kaapa  also follows this philosophy and ends with the indication that there are more stories left to be told about the gangsters of Thiruvananthapuram. 

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KAAPA MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

When does the cycle of violence and vengeance end? "Never!" answers Shaji Kailas directorial Kaapa. Starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, and Anna Ben in lead roles, the film is a crime action thriller. In the supporting cast, we have Dileesh Pothan, Jagadeesh, and Nandhu at the forefront.

Kaapa follows Asif Ali's Anand, an IT professional, who recently moved to Thiruvananthapuram from Bangalore with his wife Binu Thrikarman. A routine police check in their neighbourhood results in Anand learning that his wife’s name is being included in the KAAPA (Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act) list, a list that includes the names of all the local Gundas. What follows is his desperate attempts at getting his wife’s name cleared from the list, while getting drawn into the local gang war.

Kaapa has all the hallmarks of the type of filmmaking that Shaji Kailas is known for. It is replete with action sequences, political jibes, an overpowered and nearly indestructible male lead, and grey-shade characters. However, there are two big and most welcome differences: the presence of stronger female characters that add some substance and the lack of jarring songs in the screenplay. Those walking into the theatres will be gifted with a movie that meets all their expectations of a Shaji Kailas movie.

What sets Kaapa apart from most gangster dramas is the grey aspects of each character. No one is innocent; everyone has sullied their hands in some crime at some point.

In Prithviraj, we don’t get a self-righteous gangster with a heart of gold. We get a character that knows he is in the wrong, feels guilt for his past actions and is even fed up with his life, but chooses to keep rivalries fresh. And he isn’t alone; his rivals leave no stone unturned to forget peace and opt for violence to further their agenda and exact vengeance.

Inspired by a novella written by G.R. Indugopan, who also wrote dialogues for the film, Kappa marks the second collaboration between Prithviraj and Shaji after Kaduva. And the sophomore outing is certainly better balanced as a film. However, it is not without flaws. For instance, the many action sequences peppered in the film seem tedious after a point, not to mention out of context in certain places.

Given the limited screen time, not all actors had the space to perform their best. Lastly, the film, which started from the perspective of Anand, randomly shifted to Madhu’s (Prithviraj’s character) perspective.

Despite the flaws, convincing performances from Prithviraj, Aparna, Asif, and Jagadeesh make Kaapa worth watching this Christmas weekend. It has everything for a blissful escape from reality while also giving you a tinge of reality.

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• Home » Movies » Kaapa Movie Review

Kaapa review: A half-boiled gangster film with a magnificent performance by Prithviraj

One of the noteworthy films of director Shaji Kailas, this could have become his best had he focused on the emotional quotient and music.

Published:Dec 23, 2022

Prithviraj Sukumaran is the show-stealer in Shaji Kailas' latest release 'Kaapa'. (PrithviOfficial/twitter)

Loud music & emotionless script play spoilsport!

Kaapa (Malayalam)

• Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, Dileesh Pothan, Jagadish Kumar, Anna Ben, Nandhu, Sajitha Madathil, and Senthil Krishna
• Director: Shaji Kailas
• Production: FEFCA Writers’ Union
• Music: Dawn Vincent
• Runtime: 2 hours 16 minutes
• Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi, and Revathy
• Director: Maneesh Sharma
• Producer: Aditya Chopra
• Music: Pritam Chakraborty
• Runtime: 2 hours 35 minutes

Kaapa (Goonda Act) is the story of a young couple — Anand and Binu — who shifts to Thiruvananthapuram.

Through a police officer, Anand finds out that his wife’s name is on the list of criminals under the Kaapa/Goonda Act.

A police officer tells him that a notorious gang is after Binu and he should clear the issue with the gang as the first thing to stay in Thiruvananthapuram.

Soon, he gets involved in a violent gang war. What happens to Anand and Binu forms the rest of the story.

The plot is based on GR Indugopan’s book Shankumukhi . A couple of minutes into the film, director Shaji Kailas introduces us to the world of violence.

Good and mediocre at the same time

Kaapa is a major step forward in terms of story as well as making when compared with Kaduva , the director’s previous collaboration with Prithviraj.

The movie is good and mediocre at the same time. There are moments, characters, and developments that are well-written.

For example, the guilt Madhu has for using a boy’s hunger to commit a crime. Then, suddenly, the film falls to mediocre with a loud soundtrack and over-the-top stunt sequence.

More such scenes were needed for viewers to develop a feeling towards the characters. This could have been an absolutely brilliant script.

Notable film of Shaji Kailas, but not his best

Shaji Kailas’ ‘Kaapa’ is one of his notable works. (PrithviOfficial/Twitter)

It is good in places and definitely one of the notable works of Shaji Kailas since Chinthamani Kola Case in 2006.

However, Kaapa is not in his kit of best movies.

With the kind of scenes and wide story, it could have been better. It has a great plot to work with. Strong moments pop up but vanish without much impact.

For example, the relationship Aparna Balamurali has with Asif Ali and Prithviraj. The dimensions among the three characters should have worked more.

It is heavily bogged down by the tight-but-emotionless script and the music tracks.

Had the director concentrated on such portions or the emotional parts, like the boy whom Madhu uses to commit a crime, it would have become a great film.

KOTTA MADHU! 🔥 #KAAPA In theatres now! 😊 pic.twitter.com/pth32zNYh8 — Prithviraj Sukumaran (@PrithviOfficial) December 22, 2022

A brilliant Prithviraj, an impressive supporting cast

Prithviraj Sukumaran in ‘Kaapa’. (PrithviOfficial/Twitter)

While all the actors should be praised for giving their best, Prithviraj Sukumaran steals the show as Kotta Madhu.

He is fantastic in the scene where he seeks revenge and kills a goon for murdering his brother.

I am in awe of Prithviraj’s performance in this extremely emotional action sequence!

All the female characters got good screen space. Aparna Balamurali is really convincing as Pramila, the powerful wife of Kotta Madhu. Anna Ben as Binu is also good.

Asif Ali as Anand is too good. Jagadish as Jabbar and Dileesh Pothan got meaty roles and both delivered impressive performances.

What didn’t work?

The colour tone, or the filter used in Kaapa , is not at all impressive.

But the worst part of the movie is the soundtrack and background score composed by Dawn Vincent.

The title sequence started with a bit that was similar to that of KGF , followed by numerous loud tracks till the climax. The noisy background score takes the movie to a lot of places, but it never really goes where it should.

The film would have done wonders with a more serious (less commercial) approach in terms of making and music.

Starring @PrithviOfficial – @Aparnabala2 – #AnnaBen – #AsifAli ICYMI catch the trailer of #KAAPA ▶️ https://t.co/iiZYa3nCrl A #ShajiKailas Movie In cinemas from Dec 22nd! #ShajiKailas #jomontjohn #JinuVAbhraham #SiddharthAnandkumar #dolwinkuriakose #Dileesh #DawnVincent pic.twitter.com/OwuHJRFkBS — Saregama South (@saregamasouth) December 14, 2022

All said, what saves Kaapa is Prithviraj’s magnificent on-screen presence as the brutal Kotta Madhu, and the almost all-star ensemble cast that pops up in supporting roles throughout the film.

The movie ends leaving a few auxiliary verbs like would have, could have, and should have. In all, Kaapa is a half-boiled gangster flick that still tastes good.

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• Movie review

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Home » Review » Kaapa movie review: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali’s gangster-drama lacks emotional heft to be engaging enough »

Kaapa movie review: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali’s gangster-drama lacks emotional heft to be engaging enough

Shaji Kailas hits a meter from the first scene of the film and maintains this till the end, which is a tough aspect to do and this makes the movie watchable

• Sanjith Sidhardhan

Last Updated: 02.29 PM, Dec 22, 2022

Story: After young couple Anand (Asif Ali) and Binu (Anna Ben) move to Thiruvananthapuram, the former unexpectedly finds out that his wife’s name is the list of criminals under Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, thanks to a crime tabloid. In his efforts to clear her name, Anand becomes aware that he must first prove that she’s innocent of the crimes propagated under her name by the tabloid, to the city’s gangster Kotta Madhu. How he gets involved in the city’s gang wars and its ramifications form the plot of the film.

Review: In a scene that reveals the emotional side of Kaapa’s protagonist Kotta Madhu, director Shaji Kailas presents his chance meeting with a youngster, who was elemental in making turning him from a goon to a feared gangster. The sequences that follow has Madhu tripping on guilt, revisiting his past and also sharing why the stain of using a boy’s hunger to commit a heinous crime would never wash away. We even get to see his wife asking Madhu to stop drinking alcohol – because that’s what he does every time he sees the boy. 

Also read: Prithviraj Sukumaran: Kaapa is a cinematic adaptation of Shankhumukhi, not a line-by-line depiction  

These scenes work, mostly because it shows a different side of Madhu, who is presented as a larger-than-life figure throughout the movie. But the disappointing part is that, apart from this sequence, you hardly ever get to know the man who chews the majority of the scenes in Kaapa, which relegates its stellar supporting cast such as Asif Ali, Anna Ben and Aparna Balamurali to minor characters.

Contrary to his previous directorial Kaduva, Shaji Kailas keeps the mood of Kaapa grim and even in scenes that are intended to play to the gallery, he holds back. Madhu’s dialogues – which sometimes seem more forced than what a goon would spew at the peak of his rage – are again ‘massy’ in a way, if it had been the ‘90s. But the character itself is so dark and unsentimental that you never side with him. This becomes the major impediment in a film because Madhu as a character drives the narrative and the audience is almost always disconnected with him. It would have been better if Asif Ali’s Anand, who is always wearing puzzled look on his face, would have been the audience’s perspective through and through, instead of the script starting off with him and then tagging mostly with Madhu.

Madhu’s flashback sequences, except for the one involving the boy, doesn’t quite plot his rise and only serves to connect the characters’ pasts. Shaji Kailas hits a meter from the first scene of the film and maintains this till the end, which is a tough aspect to do and this makes the movie watchable. Even the twist in the end is something that many would guess. So, Kaapa never quite hits a high point. That said, the writing is tight, even though the movie lacks the emotional heft required to string the audience through its characters’ journey. And that is a missed opportunity.

Though Kotta Madhu is a feared gangster, one does feel he is too refined in his ways, and that comes from how he is presented. Apart from Prithviraj, it’s Jagadish who makes a mark, in a role as his cohort named Jabbar. Dileesh Pothan’s arc, especially in the second half, makes you doubt whether your assumptions are right, but the makers never see it through. Aparna Balamurali and Anna Ben only get limited screentime in the film.

Jomon T John’s cinematography keep in tact the grim, sombre mood of the film throughout and Dawn Vincent’s music helps in stylishly presenting its (anti)hero.

Verdict: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Kaapa is a decent watch, thanks to the actor’s performance. However, it does seem to be a missed opportunity because of the ample talent involved in the movie.

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Kaapa movie review: The "trying to be a Mohanlal/Mammootty-type mass superstar" genre returns

Prithviraj Sukumaran and Shaji Kailas serve up a clichéd, bloody gangster drama in which women are not written as fully fleshed out characters but as mere plot devices.

Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali, Anna Ben, Aparna Balamurali, Nandhu, Jagadish, Dileesh Pothan

Director: Shaji Kailas

Language: Malayalam  

Prithviraj Sukumaran is already a superstar. He has been for a while. Yet Kaapa , like the recent Kaduva , indicates a desire for a different level of mass appeal – the mindless sort, and on a scale that Mohanlal and Mammootty achieved with their most raucous, most markedly men-centric works. Why else would an artiste of this calibre sign up for both Kaduva and Kaapa in the same year, both directed by Shaji Kailas and designed to giantify the hero in formulaic ways that have been done to death by commercial Malayalam cinema in the last three decades?

“Trying to be a Mohanlal/Mammootty-type mass superstar” should be declared a genre. As it happens, Kaapa is not the worst we have seen of it in recent years. It is far from being as grossly violent as the Tovino Thomas starrer Kalki (2019), not as excruciatingly loud as Mikhael (2019) starring Nivin Pauly, nor as terribly scripted as Prithviraj’s own Brother’s Day (2019).

“Not as” is not praise though, it is a measure on a barometer of badness. So to be clear: Kaapa is violent, it is loud and it’s scripting is deficient. Despite its intellectual pretensions, it’s just another clichéd, bloody gangster drama. Women in this crime flick are not as –those two words again – marginalised as they were in Kaduva , but they are not written with depth either.

The title of the film comes from the acronym for the Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act under which the Kerala Police has created a watch list on which they include a person whose presence there is completely unexpected. This occurrence links a young professional called Anand Anirudhan (Asif Ali) newly arrived in Thiruvananthapuram, and a dreaded local gangster known to everyone as Kotta Madhu (Prithviraj).

Kaapa projects Thiruvananthapuram as a hotbed of underworld activities and gang wars. Anand is protective of his wife Binu Thrivikraman (Anna Ben), a fragile-looking woman who, he informs Madhu, is still recovering from a terrible ordeal. Madhu’s supportive wife Prameela (Aparna Balamurali), on the other hand, appears capable of taking care of herself and her husband. The two families share a horrifying past connection that gives both of them good reason to be suspicious of and antagonistic towards each other.

At heart, Kaapa is about how humans allow themselves to be consumed by unending cycles of violence. When viewed in isolation without the sound and fury packed into the narration style, the plotline actually has elements with potential. As writer G.R. Indugopan and the director colour into that outline though, they smudge it with aspirations to a grandeur they are unable to attain. The dialogues, the hero who refers to himself in third person and the use of slow motion are all geared towards this goal. The script does not have enough substance to support such grandiosity though, as a result of which Kaapa  ends up being draggy and pretentious.

It is revealed that Madhu is ridden with guilt at the way he once used a person for his own selfish ends, and left that person with a lifetime of trauma. This is meant to establish Madhu as a not-so-evil fellow, yet the script doesn’t give him a justifiable compulsion for having used that person in the first place, leaving his conduct and his regret coming across as inexplicable.

In the opening minutes when Anand tells Binu that the decision regarding whether or not to proceed with her nascent pregnancy is hers and hers alone, it might seem as if Kaapa will give at least some of its women characters primacy in the narrative, but that hope gradually fizzles out. Women hover in the background through the film, ultimately serving as twists in the tale yet never fully fleshed or given proper character arcs.

When the background music is not needlessly revved up, Dawn Vincent creates some pretty atmospheric sounds. Too often though, it shoots up in the way music tends to rise in similar mass-targeted, men-dominated commercial Indian films especially those emerging from south India. Add some gratuitous violence to the mix, and the formula is complete.

In Kaapa ’s cinematic worldview, it is apparently not sufficient that Madhu speaks of having once impaled a man on a shawarma skewer; we are given a detailed flashback with the camera closing in on a pierced abdomen. Elsewhere a man’s finger is sawed off and in the next shot we are shown that amputated digit being flung into a container of water, sinking slowly for us to see. The issue is not that violence occurs, the issue is the visual treatment of that violence. To be fair, there has been worse. The Jayasurya-starrer Thrissur Pooram (2019), for instance, was abysmal in this regard, but Kaapa does not become good just because others have been more gruesome or more generic.

Even the supposed surprise at the end is not really surprising. This is quite a boring film.

From among this cast, the actor who seems to share Shaji Kailas’ directorial philosophy for Kaapa the most is Prithviraj. The others come off slightly better as a result. Prithviraj’s P.N. Madhukumar a.k.a. Kotta Madhu speaks in a perpetually lowered voice emphasising his natural baritone, as he stretches out each word in a manner implying that Madhu is aware he is in a movie in which he is the central character. The Prithvi who did Koode , Ayyappanum Koshiyum and Driving Licence in recent years is so much better than this. He is also so much better than the “mass superstar” space he seems intent on capturing with the likes of Kaduva and Kaapa .

Rating: 1.75 (out of 5 stars)  

This review was first published when Kaapa was released in theatres in December 2022. The film is now streaming on Netflix.

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. She specialises in the intersection of cinema with feminist and other socio-political concerns. Twitter: @annavetticad, Instagram: @annammvetticad, Facebook: AnnaMMVetticadOfficial

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Kaapa: Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Cast

• Release Date 22 December 2022
• Language Malayalam
• Genre Action, Crime, Thriller
• Cast Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aparna Balamurali, Asif Ali, Anna Ben
• Director Shaji Kailas
• Writer G R Indugopan
• Cinematography Jomon T John
• Music Dawn Vincent
• Producer Dolwin Kuriakose, Jinu V Abraham, Dileesh Nair, Vikram Mehra, Siddharth Anand Kumar
• Production Theatre of Dreams, Yoodlee Films

About Kaapa Movie (2022)

In the dark underbelly of Thiruvananthapuram, blood-soaked gang wars over the dominion of city’s suburbs and slums is a common sight. Amidst it, an expendable henchman (Prithviraj Sukumaran) grows to become a prominent name in this world of crime, through grit, determination, and a massive appetite for violence.

Kaapa Movie Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Songs and Ratings

Kaapa Movie Trailer

Kaapa movie songs, kaapa photos.

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Kaapa (U/A) 22/Dec/2022 Thriller, Crime 2hrs 16mins

Critics Review

Prithviraj plays an unwise criminal in this unconvincing gangster drama.

The staging of the action is also unbelievable. A group of bikers armed with knives attack Madhu who is driving an SUV. The attackers don�t even carry a gun. And they end up getting rammed by Madhu�s SUV. What were they thinking? In another scene, an important character goes to meet his arch-enemy without any visible protection, only to be blown to pieces. (more)

Source: Manoj Kumar, Indian Express

Interesting, if predictable, gangster movie

The general theme could be surmised as ' As you sow, So shall you reap.' The film fails in the 'suspense' front with a lot of foreshadowing. By the first half itself, a viewer will be able to understand who is behind the conspiracy underway. In fact, even Kotta Madhu's downfall can be guessed easily. The extras and some of the supporting cast were not chosen well. However, the film gets plus points for the action scenes and the music. Dawn Vincent's music adds spice to the movie. (more)

Source: Gopika, Times Of India

The 'trying to be a Mohanlal/Mammootty-type mass superstar' genre returns

Kaapa is about how humans allow themselves to be consumed by unending cycles of violence. When viewed in isolation without the sound and fury packed into the narration style, the plotline actually has elements with potential. As writer G.R. Indugopan and the director colour into that outline though, they smudge it with aspirations to a grandeur they are unable to attain. The dialogues, the hero who refers to himself in third person and the use of slow motion are all geared towards this goal. The script does not have enough substance to support such grandiosity though, as a result of which Kaapa�s ends up being draggy and pretentious. (more)

Source: Anna MM , Firstpost.com

Kaapa is a dark gangster drama with convincing performances and a different take on such stories.

Despite the flaws, convincing performances from Prithviraj, Aparna, Asif, and Jagadeesh make Kaapa worth watching this Christmas weekend. It has everything for a blissful escape from reality while also giving you a tinge of reality. (more)

Source: Behindwoods, Behindwoods.com

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Kaapa (2022)

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