Movie Review : Kanguva
The much awaited Suriya starrer Kanguva, directed by Siruthai Siva and produced by Studio Green, hit screens today.
The story moves between the present day to a 1000 years ago. Francis ( Suriya) is a shadow cop who lives a carefree life in Goa along with his buddy ( Yogi Babu ). He is in competition with his rival bounty hunter (Disha Patani) and her aide ( Redin Kingsley). Into his life, one day, lands up a young boy who seems very disturbed. Francis is drawn to him inexplicably and has an urge to protect him. What he doesnt know is that the boy has escaped from a secret hub in Russia where experiments are done on kids' brains.
When an army of bad guys descends in Goa and capture the boy, Francis risks his life to save him. As he does so, he perceives a lost recollection of a bygone era, when he was actually a tribal prince, Kanguva.
The story then moves to the past. When Europeans ships descend on a group of 5 islands, a bloody war breaks out and Kanguva's island is first to take the brunt. As the story unfolds, many characters come into play. Kanguva has to face betrayal in the form of traitors and revenge from another king, Udhiran ( Bobby Deol). In the midst of all this, he also has a promise to keep to a little boy, of saving his life against all odds.
What happens to Kanguva and his people? Is he able to save them from invaders? Who is the young boy ?Do Kanguva and Francis stave off their enemies, both past and present successfully?
The major portion of the movie, deals with the ancient story, with Suriya in the pivotal role of Kanguva. And aware of his responsibility, the star -actor carries the entire film on his shoulders, with a spectacular larger-then-life act, which succeeds due to his solid screen presence and his raw and powerful performance, especially in the spectacular action sequences in various terrains from land to water and jungles in between. There is an emotional side to his character, which however is tapped fully only in a song with the young boy in the jungle, to the extent that one wishes there could have been few more quiet emotional moments on screen of Suriya the consummate actor that fans look forward to.
Tbough the film swings from one action block to another at a fast pace, giving the viewer hardly any breathing time, several rivetting sequences stand out, like the one in the forest when a group of women fight with enemies, Kanguva's battle with a crocodile, his fight sequence against an entire army of enemy soldiers in the jungle, using a plethora of weapons from swords to snakes and scorpions, and the scenes with Udhiran on the ship to name a few.
Bobby Deol stands out as the villainous Udhiran especially in the rivetting boat sequence, but more of a backstory could have helped to establish him more strongly as a menacing adversary.
Devi Sri Prasad's songs and accompanying visuals do elevate and add to the atmosphere of the film. But the jarringly high decibels cause considerable discomfort all through the film. Moreover, the almost constant bgm overlaps the dialogues and gives no space to absorb emotional highs nor any opportunity to connect with characters. These significant factors which affect the viewing experiencd surely should have been looked into by the sound department.
There are many significant characters in the period portions ( Natty, Bose Venkat, Karunas to name a few), but a tad more attention to their backstories could have established a stronger connect for the viewer. Disha Patani presence seems to have been more for the glam effect and the modern day portions, with their loud characters, weak attempts at comedy and attempts to look 'trendy' dont succeed in establishing any connect.
Watch out for Karthi's cameo presence in the final portions.
Overall, despite its flip side, what works for Kanguva is Suriya's stellar performance, extensive, raw, action sequences, grand staging, fantastic visuals by Vetri Palaniswamy, well mounted songs, realistic looking costumes, make-up and sets, all with extensive detailing, lending a credible touch to the period portions, a solid starcast and spectacular visuals in 3D.
Rating 3.5/5
KANGUVA
Movie Credits and Details
World-wide released in over 10,000 screens on 14th November 2024
Short Synopsis:
A tribal warrior Kanguva's fierce struggle to save his people a millennium ago is mysteriously linked to a shadow cop Francis’s perilous quest in the present.
Languages: Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam in theatres
Format: 3D and 2D.
Actors & Character Names:
Suriya – Kanguva and Francis
Bobby Deol – Udhiran
Disha Patani – Angelina
Yogi Babu – COLT 95
Redin Kingsley – Accelerator
Other actors in the film: Natty Nataraj, Kovai Sarala, K.S. Ravikumar, Bose Venkat, Karunas, Prem Kumar and many others.
Written and Directed by: Siva
Director of Photography: Vetri Palanisamy
Music: 'Rockstar' Devi Sri Prasad
Art Director: (Late) Milan
Editor: (Late) Nishad Yusuf
Action Chorographer: Supreme Sundar
Dialogues: Madan Karky
Co-Writer: Adi Narayana
Lyrics: Viveka - Madan Karky
Costume Designer: Anu Vardhan (Suriya) & Dhatsha Pillai
Dance Choreography: Shobi – Prem Rakshith
Sound Design: T Udhayakumar
Publicity Design: Kabilan Chelliah
Colorist: K S Rajasekaran (Igene)
VFX Head: Harihara Suthan
PRO: Suresh Chandra - Nasser
Executive Producer: A.G. Raja
Studio Green CEO: G. Dhananjeyan
Co-Producer: Neha Gnanavelraja
Produced by: K.E. Gnanavelraja | Vamsi-Pramod
Banner: Studio Green | UV Creations
