Film: Veerappan
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Cast: Sandeep Bhardwaj, Lisa Ray, Usha Jadhav, Sachiin J Joshi
What it's about
A sandalwood and ivory smuggler feared by civilians and armed forces alike, Veerappan (Bhardwaj) was the scourge of Indian Task Forces for close to 20 years before a cop (played here by Joshi) came up with a plan called Operation Cocoon to take him down. Anybody who's familiar with the bandit's exploits remembers the cold-bloodedness with which he'd kill both traitors and cops, as well as civilians (just for kicks), something this movie takes pains to point out.
He wasn't caught for that many years for lack of trying. Nobody knew the forests like he did. You couldn't meet him unless he wanted you to. It took the capture of his wife Mutthulakshmi (Jadhav) to make some sort of headway. This is the story of a cop, a slain officer's wife and Mutthu coming together to catch an otherwise uncatchable crook.
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What's hot
The return of RGV to Bollywood's consciousness. He's not completely in his usual element here, but there are flashes of his brilliance here, and these, sadly, are few and far between. As Veerappan, Bhardwaj inhabits the character, truly bringing him to life, with more menace than one could've imagined.
What's not
And while you might argue the point of leading with Voltaire's 'Society gets the criminal it deserves', you have to agree that the spot-on casting of Bhardwaj as Veerappan truly deserved a better film. And a much, much better background score. And far better supporting actors (the lesser said about them, the better). And a story told about the criminal in the title. Sadly, that isn't to be found here, with the nameless cop (played by Joshi) getting more screen time than Veerappan.
What to do
For someone still reeling from the after-effects of watching Not A Love Story (never mind that RGV had a string of could-have-beens after that), this comes as an opportunity to prove us wrong, wasted. Where have all the Shivas, Satyas, Sarkars and Shools gone?
Rating: *1/2
