 "Bad acting killed Veerappan")
I remember the first time I watched Satya, I was amazed and in complete awe. I thought Ram Gopal Varma had done an outstanding job with the film and I started respecting him as a talented director. But then a slew of films such as Naach, James and the oh-so-horrible Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag shattered that newfound respect.
Naturally, I was apprehensive about watching Veerappan but I drummed up courage and braced myself for whatever came my way.
Almost instantly I was thrown into a state of deja vu. With ludicrous close-ups and a background score that is nothing short of aural torture, the film reminds you time and again that you're watching a RGV-directed work.
Based on his 2016 Kannada film Killing Veerappan, this film revolves around the life of the infamous brigand, Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, and the events leading up to Operation Cocoon during which he was killed by a Special Task Force. It stars Sandeep Bhardwaj as Veerappan along with Sachiin Joshi and Lisa Ray who play the supporting leads.
The film opens with Voltaire's quote, "Society gets the criminal it deserves", and thus tries to create an air of ambiguity around the man.
The film is set a few months before Veerappan was gunned down. Joshi, who plays an STF officer and is referred to as just "Cop" in the closing credits, hatches a plan to nab the dacoit by using the widow of a fellow STF officer. The widow (Ray) tries to forge camaraderie with Veerappan's wife Muthulakshmi in order to get vital information about the brigand.
Ray, though beautiful, fails to capture my attention. Her dialogue delivery is dull and forced. The same can be said for Joshi, who looks clueless for the majority of the film. Though Joshi plays the role of a no-nonsense cop, he fails to garner any attention due to his immensely bad acting. Bhardwaj as Veerappan is the only actor who looks promising. His appearance and acting make him seem like a brigand. Muthulakshmi is a far cry from her real life counterpart and is portrayed as just an on-looker.
The script is weak and the acting shoddy. Take this for example, Bhardwaj's Veerappan looks gritty but his lackeys look like they're facing the camera for the first time. The narrative, however, might take you back to RGV's good films such as Satya, Company and the likes. But the feeling is pretty shortlived.
It is pretty evident that a lot of characters have been rewritten a bit differently from their real life counterparts. To ensure the smooth sailing of the film, perhaps.
Another aspect that irked me was the way many dialogues were muted to make way for the thunderous background score. I'm pretty sure I'd be more interested to know what Veerappan says than torture my eardrums.
The film has several engaging scenes in the form of shootouts and chases. The cinematography is where the film scores the most. The backdrops and shooting locales add a bit of credibility to the story.
Though there are glimpses of RGV's long-lost talent, the movie doesn't really attract you. I kept waiting for the film to show Veerappan's climb to power and becoming one of the most feared men in south India. But the film was too attached to Operation Cocoon, it seemed.
After sitting through this 126-minute ordeal, the only thing I could take away was that Ram Gopal Varma hasn't redeemed himself yet, but is certainly on the path to do so.
