'Kaapaan' Film Review: Good performances let down by run-of-the-mill script

 With Kaappaan, the director attempts to warn the audience about the dangers of bio-war and corporate monopoly, which is currently existing in the country.

While the effort is laudable, crisper screenplay and interesting characterisations would have had a stronger effect.

The director doesn’t take much time to introduce the protagonist of the film, Kathir (Suriya), an experienced Commando officer from the Special Protection Group (SPG). Back home, he also practises organic farming and helps people by teaching the advantages of it. The story moves to Delhi, where we get introduced to three important characters – Chandrakanth Varma (Mohanlal), the Prime Minister of the country, his son Abhishek Varma (Arya) and Mahadev (Boman Irani) a businessman who influences the ruling government.

The next half an hour is about how a mysterious man (whose identity is revealed in the second half) tries to assassin ate the PM during his foreign visit and how Kathir, gives it all to save his life. While these scenes only remind us of action entertainers in the 90s, where the protagonist does every possible stunt to save the CM or the PM of the country, the script gets more engrossing near the interval.

In an attempt to save innocent lives, Kathir forgets his own duties and becomes one of the reasons for PM’s death. He later embarks on a journey to find this mysterious man, which eventually gives him clues about a bio-war being executed by the country’s influential businessman, Mahadev. Can he save his motherland or succumbs to the political pressure?

Though KV Anand’s Kaappaan takes dig at many current issues, the film fails to create that impact with the audience. There is hardly any depth in the script as even the emotional scenes fall flat. The romantic sequences between Suriya and Sayyeshaa are misplaced and it completely spoils the flow. All the actors including Mohanlal, Boman Irani and Arya have delivered their best. If not for them, it would have been tough for the audience to sit through as this content is done and dusted in Tamil cinema.

However, the live action and graphics in the first half blend seamlessly on screen in the scenes involving high-octane stunts and bomb blasts. The movie has a run time of close to three hours, and the director should have considered reducing it to make it a crisp package. Suriya looks perfect as an SPG officer and ensures that the film has momentum. However, like his previous film, NGK, the actor doesn’t have much scope to showcase his acting abilities. Overall, Kaappaan is an average entertainer, which could have been made better.