KAAPA stands for the Kerala Anti-social Activities Prevention Act, and Shaji Kailas’s action thriller Kaapa (written by GR Indugopan based on his novel Shangumukhi) is about a person who unexpectedly finds herself on the goondas list. This seems like a fresh idea, but unfortunately, the film plays out like a pale imitation of many, many gangster sagas that we have seen over the years.
Prithiviraj wears the mantle of alpha gangster Kotta Madhu, with veteran actor Jagadish playing his chief henchman. Madhu is Superman in general, but there is a past with which he is yet to make peace. Prameela (Aparna Balamurali) is his fiery wife who can make him bend to her will. There is another couple – Anand (Asif Ali) and Binu (Anna Ben) – whose lives intersect with theirs, and some unpleasant secrets spill out of the closet in the process.
Kaapa has a non-linear screenplay, tracing the enmity between two gangs and chronicling how Madhu became Kotta Madhu. But the whole thing feels so dated and derivative that only the unbearably loud background score keeps you from nodding off. The film looks like it walked out of the ‘90s, with slow-mo action scenes of flying humans, and Prithviraj mouthing punch lines every two minutes. The actor wears the same expression of gravitas that he sports in all films where he has a hypermasculine role. Kotta Madhu already suffers from poor writing, and the lack of variation in the actor’s expressions means that the Godfather act simply doesn’t sell. Whether he is talking about skewering a man on a shawarma stick or changing his dinner plans, it is all delivered in the same tone.
Anand is clueless about his wife Binu’s past. It is a role that demands a fair amount of naivete, and Asif does what is necessary. But the script does not adequately establish the relationship between him and Binu or the subsequent friendship that he strikes with Prameela. His regard for Kotta Madhu comes off as juvenile, considering the history between the two families.
Dileesh Pothan, who directs the most charming movies with simple yet unique ideas, frequently finds himself in these flashy films as a brooding villain. In Kaapa, he runs a newspaper focused on crime – and apparently, it is all part of the gang war. He is required to be at the receiving end of Kotta Madhu’s bombast, and Dileesh gamely acquiesces. The battle between Madhu and Latheef was perhaps imagined as a cat-and-mouse game, but there is hardly anything exciting about how this unfolds. Gang attacks Madhu. Madhu escapes Gang. Madhu pretends to be Mohanlal from a few decades ago. All is well. Fingers get sliced, heads go up in flames – the violence ought to be disturbing but it is so deliberate in wanting to impress that it left me cold.
The climax seems highly inspired by Nayakan (1987), but doesn’t have the same impact. Aparna Balamurali and Anna Ben probably signed this film believing they were going to be doing powerful roles. But they barely have enough screen time. Both are defined by their relationship with male characters, and when they do get a chance to hold their own, they are required to act exactly like the men. It’s only Jagadish who makes an impression – probably because we haven’t seen him in a role like this in a while.
Kaapa doesn’t work as a mass-action film because it doesn’t have enough originality. There is too much déjà vu, and nothing really stands out. Old wine in a prehistoric bottle.
Sowmya Rajendran writes on gender, culture, and cinema. She has written over 25 books, including a nonfiction book on gender for adolescents. She was awarded the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Sahitya Puraskar for her novel Mayil Will Not Be Quiet in 2015.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.