Pakistan, terrorism, Kashmir, organic farming and Thanjavur, all packed in two hours and 45 minutes is Kaappaan.
The story begins with Kathir played by Suriya, fixing explosives on a moving goods train and jumping off from the railway bridge into a river. What led to the blast forms the rest of the story. As the flashback begins, Prime Minster Chandrakanth Varma (Mohanlal) escapes a terror plot to kill him. Soon the story shifts to Thanjavur, where Kathir is as an organic farmer, busy having a merry time with fellow farmers and others in the village. He explains the benefits of organic and natural farming in a TV interview. Meanwhile, he also plots the destruction of a chemical warehouse with the use of explosives.
You guessed it right! Kathir is a secret government agent taking up unethical tasks for the sake of the country. He travels to London along with the prime minister, as part of his media team. There he ends up thwarting a terrorist attack against the prime minister. Soon, he is appointed as the prime minister’s special protection group (SPG) officer and becomes close to the prime minister. Tragedy strikes soon, and what follows then is a predictable affair.
The movie is devoid of humour except for a few double meaning dialogues which are unexpected in a Suriya movie. Instead of the usual punch dialogues, Suriya is given lengthy monologues which would hardly interest the audience. He looks smart as the SPG officer, but the story does not do anything to take his character forward.
Mohanlal fits the role of the prime minister, but his patriotism-laden dialogues, talks about Pakistan and terrorism, and visit to Kashmir do not leave an impact on the audience except to remind them of the current political scenario. Boman Irani, who plays the role of a powerful businessman hardly makes an impression, while Chirag Jani is effective as the baddie. Both Arya and Samuthirakani are wasted in badly written roles.
Sayyesha, as the prime minister’s media secretary, has a better fleshed out character, but her romance with the SPG officer looks highly improbable. The predictable screenplay, which reminds you of some old Vijayakanth or Arjun films, is disappointing as it comes from Anand who has had some decent outings with Suriya earlier, like Maattraan and Ayan.
Film: Kaappaan
Director: K.V. Anand
Cast: Suriya, Sayyesha, Mohanlal, Arya, Boman Irani and Samuthirakani
Rating: 2/5
