Intro :

Cast: Kishore, Arjun Sarja, Lakshmi Rai, Suresh Oberoi, Ravi Kale
Producer: AMR Ramesh, Jagadeesh, V Srinivas
Director: AMR Ramesh
Music: Sandeep Chowta
Cinematography: Vijay Milton
Type: Dubbed

Punch line : A worthy documentary of recent times.

 

Off the screen :

 

Director AMR Ramesh’s brilliant render on the life and times of notorious forest brigand Veerappan was a huge success in both languages it released. The film was made in both Kannada, as ‘Attahasa’ and Tamil, as ‘Vana Yuddham’. Releasing way back in February, the movie garnered huge critical acclaim and even commercial success. Now, seven months later, ‘Veerappan’ is all set to rock the audiences in TFI now.

 

The story of Verappan is very well known all over South India. Numerous documentaries and TV features have been made previously on this topic. Now AMR Ramesh’s cinematographic presentation aims to capture what the notorious Veerappan was all about.

 

On Screen :

 

The movie has almost entirely been shot in the jungles where Veerappan and his band of smugglers once dominated. AMR Ramesh’s excellent and detailed research on Veerappan’s life is apparent in the way he handles some of the important events in the life of the notorious Highwayman. A brilliant and tight script coupled with Ramesh’s storytelling skill managed to invigorate even the most minute details on the screen.

 

The initial half of the movie is all about Veerappan’s life and his rise out of oblivion. The three decades of Veerappan’s Ivory and Sandalwood smuggling activities in the forest are the main issue in focus during the first half. The second half mainly deals with the Kidnap of Kannada movie icon Dr. Rajkumar and the government’s several attempts to free the Thespian. The movie manages to progress without dropping or dragging the script at any point. The sensible handling of the subject minus the routine commercial cinematic elements makes for an excellent narration.

 

Highlights :

 

* Kishore’s portrayal of Veerappan was solid and eerily accurate. His body language, mannerisms and excellent dialogues manage to evoke the fear and terror that Veerappan showered on those parts.
* Arjun Sarja and Ravi Kale show their mettle once more as the police officers who strive to catch the forest brigand.
* Suresh Oberoi’s portrayal of late Dr. Rajkumar was extremely accurate and brought the celebrated Thespian back to life for the audience.
* The supporting cast including Lakshmi Rai, Vijayalakshmi, Shikha, Sulakshana and Jayachitra delivered brilliant performances.
* Rich background score and excellent performances from other technical departments have enriched the whole movie experience.

* The rich production values and expert handling of the subject by AMR Ramesh stand out to make this film a very interesting and entertaining watch.

 

Progress Report :

 

Rating : 3/5

 

Verdict : A must-watch documentary. Better dont expect commercial elements from it.