Starring: Sandeep Bharadwaj, Shiva Raj Kumar, Parul Yadav, Yagna Shetty.
Dir by Ram Gopal Varma.
Rating: ***
It has been over 11 years since Veerappan, feared bandit and sandalwood smuggler, was killed. It was a story waiting to be told on celluloid. After years of horrendous movies, Ram Gopal Varma is back with his magic touch. He tells the tale of Operation Cocoon through typically unusual camerawork, perfect forest locales and unheard of actors. Sandeep Bharadwaj is excellent as Veerappan—his snarling, animal-like persona give you a feel of Veerappan. But Varma stays detached from the character. He also does not get too attached to Shiva Raj Kumar’s character of a driven STF cop who tries again and again till he fells Veerappan. RGV neither glorifies the cop nor the bandit. The film basically narrates various plots, interwoven tightly, to lure Veerappan out of the dense jungles. Be it a gunfight or custodial torture scene, RGV shines.
Varma disowns too much responsibility by stating that it is “The Truth as I know it”. Parul Yadav as a key police informer and Yagna Shetty as Veerappan’s wife are impressive. The background music reminds one of Raktacharitra. One thing’s for sure—RGV has sprung alive in Killing Veerappan.
