Kannappa
is
a
bloated
mess
of
a
film
that
underutilises
interesting
story
ideas,
says
Arjun
Menon.
A
mythological
adventure
set
in
Sri
Kalahasthi
of
Tirupati,
Kannappa
tells
the
story
of
Thinaadu
(Vishnu
Manju),
an
atheist
who
stands
against
religious
dogma
and
shrine
worship.
The
film,
which
relies
too
much
on
the
scope
of
its
subject
matter
and
character
moments,
is
undercut
by
shoddy
VFX
work
and
visuals.
Vishnu
Manchu,
who
has
also
penned
the
story,
has
left
no
stone
unturned
to
mount
his
dream
project.
Kannappa has
already
gained
traction
for
special
appearances
by
superstars
like Prabhas,
Mohanlal,
Akshay
Kumar,
Mohan
Babu
and
Kajal
Aggarwal.
These
actors
lend
a
sense
of
conviction
to
the
underwritten
parts
and
make
us
buy
into
the
occasional
exciting
exchange
of
ideas.
But Kannappa squanders
away
the
goodwill
of
its
overqualified
cast
list
with
bland
cinematic
storytelling.
There
are
warring
tribes,
conspiracies
and
jungle
getaways
thrown
into
this
fantasy
cocktail
serving
that
is
too
pleased
with
its
central
ideas
and
does
not
labour
to
make
them
work
with
inspired
screenwriting
choices.
The
rational
way
of
thinking
of
a
tribal
warrior
refusing
to
submit
to
the
frenzy
of
deity
worship
only
to
be
sent
on
a
transcendent
‘metaphorical
rebirth’
as
a
staunch
believer
is
a
good
idea
on
paper.
But
Kannappa
dabbles
with
cliches
for
too
long
before
getting
on
with
the
story.
The
first
half
takes
too
much
time.
There
are
signposts
to
the
emotional
beats
of
the
father-son,
husband-wife
dynamic
but
the
one-note
interactions
and
placeholder
character
moments
do
not
engage
beyond
just
informing
us
of
the
bare
essentials.
There
is
immense
money
and
resources
at
work
here
and
you
can
see
part
of
it
on
the
screen.
Director
Mukesh
Kumar
Singh
is
left
with
a
non-committed
script
that
jumps
between
ideas
and
has
too
much
to
say,
with
too
little
finesse.
The
portions
where
Kannappa
discovers
an
abandoned
Shiva
shrine
in
the
forest
could
have
used
more
dramatic
moments
in
the
way
the
emotional
weight
of
his
transformation
is
clocked
by
his
actions.
But
the
writing
is
in
a
hurry
to
tick
all
the
requisite
boxes
and
move
on
to
the
next
star
cameo.
Sheldon
Chau’s
visuals
have
a
washed-up,
green-screen
dependent
look
that
undercuts
the
dramatic
thrust
of
the
material
and
makes
everything
look
digital.
But
some
of
the
imagery
is
well
considered.
Stephen
Devassy
makes
the
most
of
the
time
allotted
to
the
musical
numbers
and
his
score
supplements
the
mood
of
the
film
well.
Sarath
Kumar,
Madhubala,
Brahmanandam
and
Preity
Mukundan
are
confined
to
being
barely
developed
archetypes
that
jump
in
and
out
of
the
hero’s
mythic
journey.
With
the
Mahabharata
TV
series,
coded
(the
director
helmed
an
iteration)
aesthetics
and
glossy,
colour-saturated
visuals
that
feel
odd
at
times,
and
you
can
sense
no
formal
control
over
the
material.
Prabhas,
as
the
mysterious
Rudra,
gets
to
spout
some
of
the
film’s
key
spiritual
ideas;
he
walks
away
with
the
best-written
stretches
of
the
film.
Akshay
Kumar
and
Kajal
Aggarwal,
playing
Lord
Shiva
and
Parvati
respectively,
look
great
on
screen.
Mohanlal
gets
a
briefer
appearance
that
he
makes
memorable.
But
Kannappa is
not
about
any
of
these
stars;
it’s
a
strong
mission
statement
from
the
leading
man,
Vishnu
Manchu,
who
delivers
the
goods
and
is
effective
as
the
mystic
cypher
meant
to
be
a
spiritual
icon,
more
than
an
actual
person.
The
journey
of
a
non-believing
tribal
man
to
a
devout
Shiva
obsessive
is
the
basic
story
of
Kannappa.
The
way
the
film
goes
about
exploring
this
line
is
both
beguiling
and
exhausting.
Though
the
final
film
does
not
come
together
as
seamlessly
as
he
would
have
liked
it,
there
is
a
uniform
vision
to
the
whole
enterprise;
unfortunately,
it
needed
more
refining
and
drafts
in
the
pre-production
stage
itself.
It’s
good
to
see
artists
betting
on
themselves
and
putting
out
their
work
with
the
best
possible
technical
infrastructure
but
one
wishes
that
the
execution
matched
the
intent.
Kannappa Review
Rediff
Rating:
