Prithviraj Sukumaran in ‘Kaapa’
Kappa, in its opening scenes, brings up some intriguing possibilities. A policeman sneaks into a young couple’s home on what appears to be a ‘routine’ visit. Soon, he informs Anand (Asif Ali) that his wife Beenu (Anna Ben) is being considered as the head of a dreaded gang due to her family background and typically male looking name. Due to the colorful stories of his gang’s exploits published regularly by a local newspaper, his name also figured in the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), better known as the Goonda Act.
In those early stages, we see the underworld of Thiruvananthapuram through the eyes of Anand, a naïve IT engineer who has hardly any idea of the situation he has landed himself in, or what his wife’s family has done in the past. Have done He is not only at risk of going to jail, but also at risk of being harmed by a gang led by Kotta Madhu (Prithviraj). But all hope is soon lost when the film takes Anand’s point of view when it centers gang leader Madhu, turning it into a typical gang war story with a somewhat late attempt at redemption. She goes.
Kappa
Director: Shaji Kailas
Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aparna Balamurali, Asif Ali, Anna Ben
Shaji Kailas, who stayed away from making films for almost a decade, until he made bitter earlier this year, returned with Kappa in less than six months. unlike that old school Mass An action film, he has a strong story arc here. Screenwriter GR Indugopan almost stuck to the overarching narrative of his popular tale shanghmukhi, on which the film is based, but the gang leader Kotta Madhu and the gang rivalry get more prominence on-screen, with the young couple caught in the middle almost being pushed into the background. In the end, it proves to be his undoing.
Some well-thought-out back stories give glimpses of what the film could be, especially the one that shows a young Madhu exploiting a boy’s poor economic background in order to use him to commit a crime. Can be done, due to which the feeling of guilt for life. As Jabbar (Madhu’s aide), actor Jagdish gets another notable role, which turns out to be his new innings in cinema. However, the same cannot be said about the writing of the female characters. While Aparna Balamurali gets a slow entry, hinting at a major presence, and Anna Ben is at the center of the story, the two have hardly anything to do for the runtime, barring a few scenes that are almost written As a consolation prize at the end.
While the film aspires to take an in-depth look at the capital’s criminal underground, it manages to skim only the surface and fails to properly explore the characters it focuses on Was. Despite having a solid story to make, Kappa fails to become anything more than a typical gangland drama.
Kappa is currently playing in theaters