Known as Kaapa

Shaji Kailas is the filmmaker

Aparna Balamurali, actress

3.5 out of 5

How it all began.

Kaapa is set in a shadowy version of Trivandrum that is submerged in the world of nighttime criminals and mafiosos from the underworld.

The movie attempts the impossible: to create a commercially successful adaptation of a literary work, but it lands awkwardly.

Following the year's popular old-school star vehicle Kaduva, director Shaji Kailas and actor Prithviraj Sukumaran team up once more for Kaapa, a textually distinct movie.

Narrative setup and approach.
The movie is dated in the way it depicts gangster life and uses violence. The gore and severed body parts that Shaji Kailas chooses to display are done so with complete consideration for the narrative needs rather than being added for visceral shock value, which is where Shaji Kailas goes berserk with his aesthetic choices.

The story's setting and plot...
Anand (Asif Ali) and Binu (Anna Benn), a young techie couple, are introduced in Kaapa when they relocate from Banglore to Trivandrum as part of a recent job change. However, during a normal police inspection, Anand discovers a genuinely terrible history about his wife's past, which throws their daily lives into disarray. These recently discovered details make their very existenceThe actors and performances
Prithviraj is effectively cast as the monosyllabic Madhu, who seldom expresses anything verbally but instead through randomly organised recollections that play in his thoughts. The play is at times incredibly solemn, yet Prithviraj expertly balances the pathos and vanity with which Madhu marshals his troupes and controls the city according to his own rules.

Asif Ali is given a thankless role that essentially serves as the audience proxy, and via his interactions with other characters, we learn about the intricate backdrop of the drama. Like her female counterpart Aparna Balamurali, Anna Benn is neglected in the first section of the story, but later on the focus shifts from the alleyways filled with testosterone to the women's paths. Elie PothanThe climax appears to have been heavily influenced by Nayakan (1987), yet it lacks the same punch. Aparna Balamurali and Anna Ben probably agreed to be in this movie because they thought they would play important roles. They hardly get much screen time, though. Both are characterised by their interactions with male characters, and when they are given the opportunity to stand on their own, they must behave just as the men do. Only Jagadish stands out, presumably since it's been a while since we've seen him in a part like this.

As a mass-action movie, Kaapa fails because it lacks enough creativity. Nothing really stands out, and there is too much déjà vu. ancient wine in an ancient bottle.