Killing Veerappan (2016) User Reviews

Simplicity,Subtlety & RGV - Reasons to Watch Killing Veerappan...!!!

[kirankvknet · 8/10 · 4 January 2016]

Ram Gopal Varma is a specialised course of Movie Making University. With #KillingVeerappan he proves it. Its interesting to see, how an already known, (may be or may not be true), story can be woven into a set of scene sketches such that it makes a thrilling screenplay & yet simple & interesting.

There are two aspects one should appreciate in this 'masterpiece' (You can't simply title it a 'masterpiece' and call it so #ManjuMandavya...):

1) Characterisation: None of the characters are extraordinary or heroic. Everyone is simple human beings. Veerappan himself is portrayed as someone who does what he does for his living. He kills to steal weapons and protect himself, as if it's his profession. His behaviour with his lover/wife is as simple any other couple. He fights with her; wants to meet her even if it's risky. He is passionate about guns. His expressions when he receives AK47 weapons show it all. He is proud of his mustache. He is not hulky-bulky. He is lean with acute sense of alertness. He also wants to make more money, expand his business, and come into good terms with big leaders. I mean, nowhere he is a super human being. Talking of Shivaraj Kumar as STF operative, again a simple character, with a little courage to think about eliminating Veerappan. He is not a six-packed abs guy. A coffee-lover. His 'idea' is not a greatest of the ones. He doesn't indulge in dialoguebazi. His strength is being a good analyser.

Both of them emote a body language, you feel like asking, why are these guys not acting...well in a moment you'll realise that's precisely what they are doing...(#RGV, you're the man..!!)

2) Production Values: The plot is controversial enough to push the audience to theaters. But, nope..!!. #RGV does not compromise on quality of output. The camera experiments itself, at unthinkable angles. The 360-degree capture of chase scene near the farm house is worth the experiment. The steering wheel angles are interesting. It must be mentioned that BGM in the movie makes more talking than characters. Music is very apt...made to order of #RGV. Not compromised on lyrics. Especially the 'Damma-Dikka' & 'Spot' tracks direct the tempo of the movie.

Watch this movie with a mind-set to appreciate the art of movie- making, subtle creativity & researched content, than the inherent controversy around the selected plot. You may not agree with the disguised facts presented, but, remember, it's just a cinema. We may have to see it as a fictional work. Don't be surprised, somewhere, towards the end of the movie, if you fall sympathetic towards the brigand himself. Remember, that is cinema.

Guess what! RGV is back In form. My best new year gift.

[gouthamikkr · 8/10 · 31 December 2015]

Satya,Company,Rangeela,Bhoot,Kaun,Sarkar,Raat,Siva,Attacks of 26/11,Rann,Rakth charitra, Sarkaar Raj all these movies are directed by the mad crazy Bitch of Indian cinema RGV. I always waited for his comeback and here goes this film is the gem I was waiting for. This is no Satya but absolutely better than Rann and Rakth charitra. Brilliant flick. A bang on gift by RGV this new year. Great one. Welcome back RGV. Please do watch this film.

Don't go with high expectations you may get disappointed. So go without any expectations you'll surely love it. There is everything, Wide and close camera shots, ruthless violence and brilliant performance by the ensemble cast. Don't miss this one.

RGV, The gem of the 90s is back alive!

[krsna-sameer997 · 8/10 · 8 January 2016]

'Killing Veerappan' is one heck of a dacoit-hunt thriller, crisp yet detailed, exceptionally fueled by classic RGV-style crafty camera angles, deliberately disturbing (yet engrossing) background score, and a team of actors who have simple undramatic roles, yet brought a wicked spark in the limited scope of those roles. A dramatic account of Operation Coccoon(2004), a police operation to nab or kill the dominant and deadly dacoit of Satyamangalam forests, Veerappan, doesn't disappoint even the slightest.

The dialogues are minimal, used only when they're highly necessary for the plot. Yet, the movie is not given a silent-film- like treatment. They are delivered as casual talk, and suddenly the dialogue modulation helps the audience snap to the fact that what's being said is a vital piece of information for the plot, which is expressed in such a brilliant way that the audience's attention is grabbed tight while the audience hold on to the piece of information necessary to the plot.

The background score is the MVP of all the technical aspects of this film. Though slightly uninteresting by itself, like coriander which adds flavour to food, the score adds flavour to the movie, and it can be considered the finest fresh coriander stock in town. The score is deliberately disturbing and unsettling, used in a wicked and adrenaline rushing manner.

The cinematography by Rammy is so RGV-ish that he seemed to have brought the 90s RGV's peculiar camera angles back to life.

The direction is.... RGV, the lovable kind.

The editing could've been slightly better in one or two small scenes. But overall, it's been a key contributor to this brilliance of a film.

The actors are exceptional. Only 9-10 characters have dialogues which hardly fill two A4 pages. Dialogue or no dialogue, all actors, big and small, have done justice to their roles and have sparked the screen beyond their limited scope. Sandeep Bharadwaj as Veerappan is exceptional. ShivaRaj Kumar as the unnamed cop with only a hyphen on his badge, is not your usual fit, lean, word-playing, sexy cop with the South-Indian-Cinematic power to kill 10 goons at once. He's a policeman with a smart, unimaginative but efficient plan. Shivanna makes this boring character the centre of attraction. Sandeep's on-screen appearance isn't very frequent. His scarce on-screen time is platinum.

The action scenes in the movie are amazing. They have the right amount of violence- neither too timid to make it implicit and decent for the audience, nor too loud with liters of blood (read sauce) wasted down the drain to seem disturbing and so- called-mature. The violence IS disturbing , but only in the necessary proportions and wherever these necessary proportions are used, the result is quick and intense.

RGV's lovable side as a brilliant director seems to have woken up after a long hiatus , and was the wait worth it!

To conclude I would say, Spoiler: Veerappan dies (Duh! Everyone knows it).

Very intriguing, exciting, and thrilling. RGV - just like the old days. RESPECT!

[patrikiran · 10/10 · 7 January 2016]

This is my first review on IMDb. The trailer was very intriguing, it made me go to the movie on a working day. At first, I thought as usual I will not get a chance to watch this movie in a cinema hall near my place. But, thankfully I didn't travel far to watch it. Two cinema- halls were showing "Killing Veerappan" here. All right, coming to the movie - The movie is incredibly made with proper cast, locations, background score, and DOP. The movie runtime showed covered the actual topic which the director (RGV) wanted to showcase - Operation Cocoon. Sandeep Bharadwaj looks exactly like the Veerappan, he's got a striking resemblance. Overall, the movie is really appreciable. I don't want to judge the movie with all the research I did regarding Veerappan, Muthulakshmi, Operation Cocoon, and Sandalwood smuggling.

Killing V

[shiva2288-942-476374 · 9/10 · 15 January 2016]

It is totally a RGV movie. And new concept to Kannada Industry. It should be appreciated to RGV for his guts to take a movie which is already come in Kannada :Veerappan, Attahasa and Gandhadagudi 1 & 2 loosely based on forest tusk smuggler also in Tamil movie captain Prabhakar etc. His film narrative is simple and amazing.

And Mr. Shivaraj Kumar performance is super and coolest acting, which never seen this type in his career. It is totally a different Shivanna which we have seen in past. Great acting

Lastly The Veerappan - Best performance and 100% for the make man.

Total movie is awesome, 1st attempt in Kannada industry.

Shivakumar

Advent of new style of Photography.......

[saipraneeth-kannegolla · 10/10 · 8 January 2016]

The Movie was Extraordinary it is a big breakthrough movie for Ram Gopal Varma it is Simply one of the best movies i can see in my life it is equally popular to babhubali making the Siva raj kumar played an extra ordinary cop role i felt as if he is really dealing with virapan every moment in the movie is filled with suspense,eager,anxiety the girl parul yadav character is also very interesting the yagna shetty played a great role which is important to story in the movie what makes us to talk about it is the way the cameras were placed the zoom in and out is extraordinary the background score is ultimate it is a kind of tragic beat we will get immersed into the cinema the way the climax ended is awesome and this Advent will change the way of taking of movies in future thanks for a great movie RGV Sir actually i was not aware of sivarajkumar sir but after this movie i became his huge fan..

A desirable addition to Indian movies pertaining to the police/armed forces

[omkar1984 · 8/10 · 2 December 2017]

In my opinion, the Indian cinema lacks the traction(reasons, immaterial!)when it comes to sensible, no-nonsense, non-'masala' movies about professionals like the armed forces, Intel. agencies and so on. In such circumstances, movies like these are a relief and a glimmer of hope.

First of all, the show is stolen by Shiva Rajkumar! His portrayal of an obsessed and workaholic, ruthless and unconventional, loyal and righteous officer is thrilling. Note that he isn't named in the whole movie(at least, I didn't realize!). His numerous disguises in the movie seem genuine. Nowhere, as the STF chief, he sermonizes about good or bad, he effectively conveys the fact that he's doing what it takes to eliminate Veerappan. When questioned about his ruthless killing of Veerappan's team members, he shrugs saying 'I am killing to tell people that killing is not justified'.

As I said in the beginning, the presentation of the movie's plot and the sequence of events are something that majority of Indian movies lack. There are almost no 'masala' or melodramatic moments. The occupational hazards, the perils, the dedication of the police officers makes service-class,9-5 types people like me feel puny. Tracing a soulless criminal like Veerappan in the dense forests, getting ambushed, betrayals - all these facts are daunting for a common man. Unlike the masterpiece 'Madras Cafe', the director and his team haven't shied from directly referring to LTTE's Prabhakaran, the martyred officers, Veerappan's family and team members. From guessing and eliminating mole within STF, then following the leads provided by that mole to uncover more leads and information reminded me of another classic 'Sarfarosh'.

The plot of the movie is the second strong point. In a span of 2.5h, the writers have tried to cover/mention as many significant incidents pertaining to Veerappan as possible, in the least gory ways.There are several scenes in the movie worth mentioning: 1. Since the beginning, the STF leader(played by Shiva Rajkumar)is clear on the point that Veerappan can be captured/eliminated only after he is lured out of the jungle. During the entire mission, he doesn't sway from that track and constantly improvises his approach 2. Interrogating for information and later eliminating Veerappan's team members, ensuring the spy cam removal before Mutthulakshmi returns to her rented apartment 3. STF chief mocks his subordinate's logic and says that he's a History student and knows how to learn from History 4. Breaking the leg of the captured arms supplier just to ensure that Veerappan buys the idea that the dealer cannot deliver arms in person but rather delegate it to someone else

The cinematography is well-suited to the movie's plot and pace. The make-up crew deserves special mention, the actors seem genuinely the characters(another aspect that Indian movies, especially, Bollywood lack - even a soldier toiling in the desert is having a clean face, without a particle of sand!).

The movie isn't the best of Ram Gopal Varma's works. The camera movements are often irritable, especially, during the shootout near the guest house near the forest. While Varma is known to take liberties, which he accepts openly, there are some points that cannot be digested e.g: Shreya being part of STF after her cover is blown, despite of the lack of combat experience, she participates in all field actions, her identity is disclosed at the end to Mutthulakshmi, the manner in which Gandhi is planned to be arrested - all these are mishaps that no police professional would land in. The lyrics of the songs are defiant and pump up the blood but the music composition for the same is lame !!!

Overall, I would place this movie in the top 10 Indian police movies.

Trilling Encountar Ducudrama

[rockvishnu-68301 · 8/10 · 16 June 2021]

The movie is based on Veerappan's real life and is in Rgv style. Sandeep Bhardwaj, who played Veerappan, did very well. Shivraj Kumar, who acted as the Commissioner of Police, acted very well.other actor performance just ok but movie nice. Story not to say, I have to watch the movie.