Star Cast: Vishnu Manchu, Preity Mukhundhan, Akshay Kumar, Prabhas, Mohanlal, Kajal Aggarwal
Director: Mukesh Kumar Singh
Kannappa Movie Review Synopsis:
KANNAPPA is the story of valour and belief. The film is set in the 2nd century. Thinnadu (Vishnu Manchu) lives in a hamlet, ruled by his father Nathanatha (R Sarath Kumar). As a child, Thinnadu lost interest in God after his friend was sacrificed to stop an illness from plaguing the village. One day, while he is on a hunting expedition, Thinnadu comes across Nemali (Preity Mukhundhan). She belongs to the neighbouring tribe and falls for her. She too falls in love with him despite the fact that she is a staunch Lord Shiva devotee. Meanwhile, a dreaded warrior, Kalamukha (Arpit Ranka) sends his brother and some soldiers to Vayulingam with bad intentions. The brother and the soldiers attempt to kidnap and violate the women of Thinnadu’s helmet. Thinnadu kills them. Before dying, the brother warns that his brother will arrive with his army of one lakh people and attack his hamlet and also the neighbouring villages. Nathanatha summons the chiefs of the nearby hamlets in the forest and asks them to put aside their differences and unite for a common cause. Thinnadu is chosen to lead the alliance. But his non-religious beliefs create a dent. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Kannappa Movie Story Review:
Vishnu Manchu’s story has its roots in mythology. Vishnu Manchu’s screenplay is stretched and inconsistent. But overall, it works especially due to the climax. Akella Shiva Prasad’s dialogues are deep and easy to decipher.
Mukesh Kumar Singh’s direction is simple and mass-appealing. The characters are well introduced and the conflict has substance. Moreover, the transformation of the protagonist from an atheist to a true devotee is heartening and more importantly, convincing. The various cameos further add to the appeal and also star value. The director, however, reserves the best for the climax. The last 15 minutes is when the film reaches dizzying heights and will give goosebumps.
On the flipside, the film has a run time of 181 minutes and hence, it’s too lengthy. Ideally, it should have been shorter by 15 minutes. The film doesn’t follow the conventional approach. The villain track culminates earlier than expected. As a result, one might wonder in the second half where the film is heading. The first half is just alright and the romance track before the intermission gives a strong déjà vu of Prabhas-Tamannaah Bhatia track in BAAHUBALI [2015].
Kannappa Movie Review Performances:
Vishnu Manchu puts his heart and soul into the character and delivers a very impressive performance. Akshay Kumar is the divine surprise of the film. As Lord Shiva, he’s flawless. Hindi-speaking audiences will be proud to see an actor from their market being given such a role to essay that too by South makers. The makers could have chosen any actor from the South industries for it but they went ahead with Akshay and that speaks volumes. Prabhas (Rudra) comes next and makes his presence felt. Mohanlal (Kirata) and Mohan Babu (Mahadev Shastri) lend able support. Kajal Aggarwal (Parvati) gets into the skin of her character. Preity Mukhundhan looks stunning and delivers a worthy performance. It’s a performance that will surely get her noticed. R Sarath Kumar is impressive. Arpit Ranka and Lavi Pajni (Bebbuli) are over the top. Brahmanandam (Pilaka) is wasted. Aiswaryaa Bhaskaran (Maremma) has a tremendous screen presence while Mukesh Rishi (Kampa) is decent. Madhoo (Pannaga) puts her best foot forward but gets sidelined after a point.
Kannappa movie music and other technical aspects:
The romantic songs fail to entice. ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is exhilarating while ‘Shiva Shiva Shankaraa’ is well picturized. It also comes at a crucial juncture. Stephen Devassy’s background score has a cinematic appeal.
Sheldon Chau’s cinematography is breathtaking. The locales of New Zealand are well captured. In a few scenes, one does get a feeling that the shooting location is not based in India. Nevertheless, it works as it is unlike one has seen in any Indian film in a long time. Chinna’s production design is authentic while Ajay’s costumes are appropriate. Kecha Khamphakdee’s action is not too gory. The VFX is fine overall, although it could have been a bit classier in some scenes. Anthony Gonsalves’s editing is slugging in places.
Kannappa Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, KANNAPPA triumphs largely due to its mythological appeal and a goosebumps-inducing final 20 minutes. The lead performances are exemplary, with Akshay Kumar standing out as one of the film’s biggest strengths. His impactful presence as a prominent North Indian actor in a South-led ensemble is sure to evoke a sense of pride among Hindi-speaking audiences. While the film’s lengthy runtime and the relatively low pre-release buzz in the Hindi belt are minor drawbacks, the film holds the potential to surprise, provided it garners strong word of mouth.