Kaappaan

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Kaappaan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byK. V. Anand
Written byPattukkottai Prabakar
Produced bySubaskaran Allirajah
Starring
CinematographyM. S. Prabhu
Abinandhan Ramanujam
Edited byAnthony
Music byHarris Jayaraj
Production
company
Release date
  • 20 September 2019 (2019-09-20)[1]
Running time
163 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget75 crore[3]
Box office100 crore[4][5]

Kaappaan (transl. Protector) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by K. V. Anand and written by Pattukkottai Prabakar.[6] It was produced by Lyca Productions and stars Suriya, Mohanlal and Arya with Sayyeshaa, Samuthirakani, Poorna, Boman Irani and Chirag Jani in supporting roles.[7][8][9]

The narrative revolves around Kathiravan, a Special Protection Group (SPG) officer who struggles to protect the Prime Minister from a mysterious man who threatens to assassinate him.

The film was released theatrically on 20 September 2019 and received mixed reviews from critics. Despite this, it was a commercial success, grossing ₹100 crore at the box office.[1][10][5] It was the final directorial work of K. V. Anand, before his death on 30 April 2021.

Plot

Terrorists tried to kill the Prime Minister, Chandrakanth Varma, in New Delhi, but security services were able to stop the attack, save the PM, and send him to his office. The government used NSG operations to prevent the assassination. However, the Minister for Communications, Vasudev, was killed as collateral damage, and his daughter Anjali is the PM's junior office secretary.

Kathiravan "Kathir" is an organic farmer in Thanjavur who secretly works for the country's military intelligence. The SPG asks him to help protect the PM during his visit to London after a captured terrorist reveals a plot to assassinate him. Kathir identifies and shoots the suspect. Anjali, who mistakes Kathir for the assassin, tries to follow him, but he tricks her into getting drunk and loses her. Varma goes to India and discovers that the Pakistan army killed the Indian soldiers in Kashmir. Rajan Mahadev, a business tycoon and a public figure, meets Varma to discuss ways of retaliation.

Joseph, Kathir's co-worker and friend, gets a death threat during Joseph and Priya's wedding anniversary celebration. Suddenly, a sniper kills his pet cat. Kathir and Joseph try to track the killer, but he diverts them by murdering the sniper with a small bomb blast and escapes. Varma goes to Kashmir to speak to the public, but a mysterious caller interferes with the communication system of the SPG and alerts them to a bomb on the stage where Varma is speaking. Kathir discovers the bomb and throws it away. However, the caller uses the distraction to detonate another bomb in Varma's car, killing him. After Varma's death, there is a struggle for the position of the next PM, but Varma's advisor chooses his son, Abhi, to prevent a political divide.

Kathir gets suspended for failing to protect the Prime Minister. He discovers evidence that links their friend Ranjith, a disgraced double agent, to the killer. Ranjith seeks revenge on Varma and the SPG for his arrest, which led to his family's suicide. In addition, farmers are protesting against the construction of mines in Thanjavur, which are destroying their crops. Abhishek plans to close the mines, but Mahadev, the owner, opposes his decision, resulting in a political conflict. Despite security warnings, Abhishek takes Anjali out for her birthday, and there is an assassination attempt on him that injures Anjali. Joseph dies while trying to save Abhishek. Kathir gets angry at Abhishek for going outside with no security.

During the post-mortem, Kathir finds that one of his officers, Prem, has tried to tamper with the evidence. Prem reveals himself as a double agent who is in cahoots with Ranjith and was the one who killed Joseph while he was rescuing Abhishek. Meanwhile, male caelifera locusts suddenly infest the fields in Thanjavur. Mahadev orchestrated the outbreak since the farmers didn't give up their land for his mining company. Mahadev is also the brain behind Varma's assassination, and Ranjith and Prem are simply his puppets. Abhishek and Mahadev discuss this ongoing feud and agree that in the immediate press conference, Mahadev agrees to shut down his mines in Thanjavur. Mahadev seemingly agrees but secretly plans to release both male and female caelifera, which will ensure the destruction of the crops without any chances of revival and allow him to establish his mining company without further problems.

Kathir figures this out and destroys the train transporting the locusts, killing all the locusts. Ranjith enters the control room at the press conference and plans to kill Abhishek on Mahadev's orders. Kathir beats up Ranjith, who reveals that the bomb is with Anjali. Kathir calls Anjali to the control room, and they find that the cast on her broken arm contains the bomb. Kathir removes Anjali's plaster cast and disposes of the bomb. In addition, Ranjith also says that Kathir's jacket has a bomb, and removing it will cause it to detonate. With Kathir frozen on the spot, Ranjith and Mahadev escape, enter the latter's car and detonate the bomb, but the bomb explodes in the car, thus killing Mahadev and Ranjith on the spot. In a flashback, Kathir had found the bomb in the jacket earlier and left the bulletproof vest in Mahadev's car. Kathir says when the person died it won't affect them. In the end, Kathir and Anjali having romantic moments in his hometown.

Cast

Production

Principal photography of the film commenced on 25 June 2018,in London. Arya replaced Allu Sirish who opted out of the film due to scheduling conflicts, making his first collaboration with Suriya.[18][19] The film was shot on multiple locations at various places across the world including New York, Brazil, New Delhi and Hyderabad.[7][8][20] It was referred to, colloquially, by the media as Suriya 37 as it is the thirty-seventh film to star Suriya.[21] The film also marks Boman Irani's Tamil debut. Amitabh Bachchan was approached for a role as the Prime Minister of India, but later Mohanlal was roped in.[11][12][22]

Initially, Gavemic U. Ary of Jigarthanda fame was announced as the cinematographer of the film, but in a turn of events Abhinandan Ramanujam replaces him. Later, cinematographer Ramanujam left the project after the first schedule, apparently due to scheduling conflicts with cinematography commitments for Malayalam film 9. Subsequently, M. S. Prabhu who previously collaborate with Suriya and director Anand for the film Ayan was assigned as cinematographer.[23][24]

Also, it was revealed that Harris Jayaraj, Anthony,D. R. K. Kiran,Peter Hein and Dhilp Subbaryan was assigned as music director, film editor art director and stunt choreography,respectively, continuing their association with the director from his previous films.[25]

The makers had registered three titles: Kaappaan, Meetpaan and Uyirkaa, and asked fans to choose what title to name the film through a poll. Although the majority of fans voted for Uyirkaa,[26] on 31 December 2018, Lyca Productions announced the film's title as Kaappaan.[27][28]

The movie shot a song sequence on Indonesia's Java island. Director K.V Anand shared the news via Twitter. It was also reported that Mohanlal would play the Indian Prime Minister, and Suriya is said to play a high-ranking security officer.[29][30]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album is scored by Harris Jayaraj in his fifth and final collaboration with director K. V. Anand.[31] On July 21, the audio launch event of Kaappaan was held in Chennai in a grand manner.[32] It was a star-studded affair that saw the likes of Rajinikanth, director Shankar, and lyricist Vairamuthu attend the event.[33] Harris' daughter Karen Nikita Harris has made her debut as a singer with this film, lending her voice to the song 'Vinnil Vinmeen'.[34]

Upon release, the album received a positive review from Firstpost, commenting that "Harris Jayraj composes yet another album loaded with chartbusters for Suriya's film. Dipped in quintessential Harris signature, the album offers different styles of music, ending up with different results."[35] Suriya and Harris Jayaraj have collaborated for the 9th time through this film.

Kaappaan
Soundtrack album by
Released21 July 2019
StudioStudio H
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length19:28
LanguageTamil
LabelSony Music India
ProducerHarris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj chronology
Dev
(2019)
Kaappaan
(2019)
The Legend
(2022)
Singles from Kaappaan
  1. "Siriki"
    Released: 5 July 2019
  2. "Kurilae Kurilae"
    Released: 19 July 2019
Tamil Track-List
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Siriki"S. GnanakaravelSenthil Ganesh, Rockstar Ramani Ammal04:43
2."Vinnil Vinmeen"VairamuthuNikitha Harris03:54
3."Hey Amigo"VairamuthuLeslie Lewis, Jonita Gandhi04:32
4."Kurilae Kurilae"KabilanJaved Ali, Darshana KT04:21
5."Machan Inga Vandhira"Kabilan Vairamuthu, GKKharesma Ravichandran, Nikhita Gandhi, Shabnam Muthu Munas03:38
Total length:19:28
Telugu Track-List
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Yenno Thaarala Sangamam"VanamaliNikitha Harris03:49
2."Seruku"ChandraboseSenthildass Velayutham, Senthil Ganesh, Ramani Ammal04:43
3."Hey Amigo"VanamaliJonita Gandhi, Haricharan, Leslie Lewis04:32
4."Mecha Ninne"VanamaliNikhita Gandhi03:36
5."Palike Palike"ChandraboseJaved Ali, Darshana KT, Pravin Saivi04:22
Total length:19:20

Release

On 31 December 2018, Lyca Productions announced the film's title as Kaappaan, following by two first look posters released on the New Year's Day, 1 January 2019. The teaser for the film was released, coinciding with the Tamil New Year on 14 April 2019. Initially, the makers announced that the film is scheduled to release on 30 August 2019, but considering the release of Saaho, which is scheduled on the same date, the release was pushed to 20 September 2019. The first trailer of the film was released on the YouTube channel of the production company on 4 September 2019, followed by the second trailer, which was released on 14 September 2019. A Telugu dubbed version titled Bandobast was released simultaneously with the Tamil version.[36] Kaappaan earned 88.75 crore as pre-release business.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews from audience,[37] and mixed reviews from critics.[38] Behindwoods rated 2.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "Kaappaan is a watchable commercial drama and action treat to Suriya fans, that has some good engaging moments".[39] The Times of India rated 2 out of 5 stars stating "KV Anand's Kaappaan feels like one of those patriotic films that Vijayakanth and Arjun frequently made in the 90s, but is not as entertaining as those".[16] Sify rated 2 out of 5 stars stating "Ambitious but exhausting!".[40] News18 rated 1 out of 5 stars and stated "Despite Stellar Star Cast, Suriya-Mohanlal Starrer Loses Focus".[41] Firstpost rated 2.25 out of 5 stars stating "Suriya, Mohanlal are charismatic in this formulaic action drama".[42] The Hindu stated, "KV Anand's latest collaboration with his favourite leading man is a painstakingly long thriller, that neither has soul nor brain".[43] IndiaGlitz rated 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Interesting premise, let down by a predictable, dull screenplay."[44] The New Indian Express rated 1.5 out of 5 stars stating "Never do you truly believe that this film has a real understanding of the world and its politics."[45] The Indian Express rated 1 out of 5 stars stating "KV Anand fills Kaappaaan with props, in his never-ending endeavour to create that elusive surreal ambience. But the film has artificiality written all over."[46] Deccan Chronicle rated 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Kaappaan plays a big game and is very commercial in nature."[47] Nettv4u rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "The racy thriller with power-packed performances and the high-octane action sequences is sure to win the hearts. Suriya is definitely back on his track, after a few average films. Kaappaan... is really a Kaappaan for LYCA, Suriya and KV Anand."[48] The News Minute rated 2 out of 5 stars stating "Other than Suriya, nobody in the SPG looks like they've even slow jogged on the treadmill, let alone performed miraculous high security ops."[49] The Week rated 2 out of 5 stars stating "The predictable screenplay, which reminds you of some old Vijayakanth or Arjun films, is disappointing as it comes from Anand who has had some decent outings with Suriya earlier, like Maattraan and Ayan."[50] MovieCrow rated 3.25 stars out of 5 stating "Suriya delivers his charismatic Best as SPG agent."[51]

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film collected 23 crore (US$3.27 million) in Tamil Nadu, which at the time made it one of the highest-grossing opening weekends in Tamil film history.[52] The film collected approximately 50 crore (US$7.1 million) worldwide in its first weekend.[53] According to the film's producers, Kaappaan earned around 100 crore (US$13 million) worldwide.[5] The film was a commercial success and emerged profitable for its makers.[10][5]

Legacy

An internet meme began trending on social media platforms in late May 2020, in which Suriya's films were coincided with real life incidents, that happened around the world. Here, locust attack, was predicted in the film.[54]

References

  1. ^ a b "Suriya's Kaappaan gets new release date". The New Indian Express. 5 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Kaappaan (2019)". Irish Film Classification Office. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  3. ^ S, Srivatsan (17 August 2019). "Suriya has become socially-conscious now: KV Anand on 'Kaappaan'". The Hindu.
  4. ^ "Suriya and team celebrate as Kaappaan enters Rs 100-crore club". Cinema Express. 11 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d "Suriya-Mohanlal's Kaappaan earns Rs 100 crore". The Times of India. 11 October 2019.
  6. ^ "'Suriya 37' to be directed by KV Anand". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 November 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Suriya's next with KV Anand goes on the floors in London". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Suriya 37 director KV Anand ropes in Arya for pivotal role; Tamil actor joins shoot in London". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  9. ^ a b "After Vijay's 'Sarkar', Prem Kumar also in Suriya 37!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Is Kaappaan A Hit Or A Flop? Box Office Verdict Of The Movie Is Out!". Oneindia. 2 October 2019.
  11. ^ a b "KV Anand". Sify. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Let's focus our energies on more productive things: Suriya to fans on body shaming comments". 20 January 2018.
  13. ^ Sashidar Adivi (25 February 2019). "Poorna to act alongside Suriya". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  14. ^ David Johnson (10 June 2019). "Sun TV acquires satellite rights of Suriya-Mohanlal's Kaappaan". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
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  16. ^ a b "Kaappaan Movie Review : Suriya and Mohanlal starrer is a frustrating action film". The Times of India.
  17. ^ "Kaappaan: Siriki lyric video promises a colorful festive feel!". 5 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
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  22. ^ "Kaappaan Movie Review and Live Updates". 20 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Abhinandan replaces Gavemic U Ary as cinematographer in Suriya-KV Anand project". Cinema Express. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  24. ^ "MS Prabhu replaces Abhinandan Ramanujam for Suriya-KV Anand film". Behindwoods. 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
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  26. ^ Suganth, M. (1 January 2019). "Suriya's film with KV Anand titled 'Kaappaan'". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  27. ^ @LycaProductions (31 December 2018). "Here We Go! #Suriya37 is #KAAPPAAN 🔥💥🌟 START MUSIC #HappyNewYear @Suriya_offl @anavenkat @Mohanlal @arya_offl @Jharrisjayaraj" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Suriya 37 is Kaappaan: Director KV Anand's film gets a name". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  29. ^ "Suriya - KV Anand's 'Kaappaan' team lands in Java for a song sequence". www.thenewsminute.com. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
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  32. ^ "Mohanlal heaps praises on Suriya at Kaappaan audio launch: He has irresistible passion as an actor". India Today. Ist.
  33. ^ "Rajinikanth, Shankar, and Vairamuthu come together for 'Kaappaan'!". Sify. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019.
  34. ^ "Kaappaan audio launch: Rajinikanth backs Suriya's NEP stand, Mohanlal praises director KV Anand". Firstpost. 22 July 2019.
  35. ^ "Kaappaan music review: Harris Jayraj composes yet another album loaded with chartbusters for Suriya's film". Firstpost. 25 July 2019.
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  41. ^ "Kaappaan Movie Review: Despite Stellar Star Cast, Suriya-Mohanlal Starrer Loses Focus". News18. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
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  46. ^ "Kaappaan movie review: A nightmarish film that no star can save". The Indian Express. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  47. ^ "Kaappaan review: Inconsistent writing makes for an average watch". 21 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  48. ^ "Kaappaan Movie Review". Nettv4u. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  49. ^ "'Kaappaan' review: Who will save the audience from Kollywood's farmer obsession?". The News Minute. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  50. ^ "Kaappaan review: An ambitious but predictable affair". The Week. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  51. ^ "Kaappaan Review - Suriya Delivers His Charismatic Best As SPG Agent". MovieCrow. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
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  53. ^ "Kaappaan box office collection: Suriya starrer grosses Rs 50 crore worldwide". The Indian Express. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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External links