'Kanagavel Kaakka' (Tamil)
Director: Kavin Bala
Cast- Karan, Haripriya, Kota Srinivas Rao, Sampatraj, Aditya, Avinash, Raj Kapoor
Since'' his shift from character roles to playing the protagonist in 'Kokki', Karan has been carefully selecting his scripts and characters.
Trying a different take each time, the concepts varied, but were within the parameters of commercial cinema. In his new film 'Kanagavel Kaakka', he plays Velu , a messiah for the tormented. Velu turns a judge and an executioner of the powerful and the influential, who stood trials for their crimes but went scotfree, thanks to their money power and loopholes in law. It’s an emotionally charged, power packed performance from the actor.
Playing his ladylove is Haripriya (from the Kannada screen), an attractive and promising new discovery.
The film has an exciting opening. At a function, there is a failed attempt to assassinate minister Ayyanar (Kota, delightful as usual). Cop Karunakaran (Aditya fits in perfectly) is brought in to investigate it. The murder of a businessman accused of raping a girl, and a realtor who had stood trial for conning an old couple of their property, seems to have a connection. The victims were all influential people with money and power. It all seemed to be the work of a serial killer who leaves his signature mark on his victims — a pen with a broken nib. The cop finally zeroes in on the killer — Velu a court attendant. His motive is traced to the wrongs done to his family a few years ago. Velu’s father was a respected judge, and his staunch adherence to law had been his undoing.
He had decided his course of action then. The film does remind you of Shanker’s 'Gentleman' and 'Indian' .
It’s a well-planned script by debutant director Kavin Bala, with adrenaline pumping action scenes.
The identity of the killer revealed in the opening scene itself, the film is more about how he selects his victims and executes his plan. The weak link in the script is the sequence where Sinha, a Bihari cop, enters the investigation.
His quick zeroing in on Velu as the killer, and his analysis of how Velu got his gun, all seem a bit too fast. The stunt-chase sequences (Rocky Rajesh) are ably choreographed.
The dialogue is thoughtfully penned, driving home the harsh reality of justice being denied due to loopholes in the law. The debutant director has sustained the pace and momentum, worked out on the emotional quotient is satisfactory.
The film is a fairly engaging one.