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Killing Veerappan

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This article is about 2016 Kannada film. For the Bollywood film, see Veerappan (2016 film).

Killing Veerappan
Poster
Directed byRam Gopal Varma
Written byRam Gopal Varma
K Balaji
Screenplay byRam Gopal Varma
K. Balaji
Story byRam Gopal Varma
Based onOperation Cocoon
Produced byB. V. Manjunath
B. S. Sudhindra
E. Shivaprakash
Starring
CinematographyRammy
Edited byAnwar Ali
Music byRavi Shankar
Production
company
ZED3 Pictures
Distributed byG. R. Pictures
Release date
  • 1 January 2016 (2016-01-01) (India)
Running time
151 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Box officeest. ₹20 crore (US$2.3 million)[1]

Killing Veerappan is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language biographical crime film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, who co-wrote the film with K. Balaji.[2] The film is based on the events leading to Operation Cocoon to capture or kill Indian bandit Veerappan.[3] Featuring Shiva Rajkumar in the central role touted to be based on N. K. Senthamarai Kannan, the then Superintendent of police, with the Indian Special Task Force, and the spy who masterminded Operation Cocoon.[4]

The Kannada version was released in over 200 screens in the state of Karnataka on January 1, 2016.[5][6][7][8] Upon its wide release, critics praised the performances, background score, cinematography, screenplay, casting, and direction while becoming a box office success,[9][10] and subsequently got screened in Kannada cinema section at the 9th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2017.[11]

The Telugu dubbed version was released on 7 January 2016 to positive reviews [12][13] and had a decent run at the overseas box-office.[14] The Kannada version has garnered three nominations at the 2nd IIFA Utsavam including Best Picture in Kannada, while Parul Yadav and Yagna Shetty have each received the Performance In A Leading Role and Supporting Role - Female respectively.[15] The film has also garnered five nominations; including Parul Yadav winning Critics Choice Award for Best Actress at the 6th SIIMA Awards,[16][17] and one nomination for Best Actress at the 64th Filmfare Awards South.[18] The film was remade into Hindi as Veerappan (2016) with Bharadwaj reprising his role.[19][20]

Plot

[edit]

Forest brigand Veerappan (Sandeep Bhardwaj), dominant in Sathyamangalam Forest in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, defies the governments, and Indian Border security paramilitary forces, and maintains a small army of his own. He is wanted for killing approximately 184 people, about half of whom were police officers, including senior police and forest officials. He was also wanted for poaching about 200 elephants and smuggling ivory worth US$2,600,000 and about 10,000 tonnes of sandalwood worth approximately US$22,000,000.

In 1991, Veerappan and his chief Intel, Gandhi (Sadh Orhan), behead IFS Officer P. Srinivas (Gadda Viji). Years later, Veerappan avenges the death of his close associate Gandhi by misleading Special Task Force (STF) personnel in their covert operation, through Gandhi's unnamed notorious informer (Aziz Naser). The covert mission led by T. Harikrishna S.P. (Rockline Venkatesh), and his informer S.I. Shakeel Ahmed (Rajesh Nataranga) to kill Veerappan fails miserably. Veerappan, and his army brutally assassinate all the STF officers in the operation, and snatch their arms.

The Tamil Nadu STF chief K. Vijay Kumar I.P.S. (K. S. Sridhar) appoints his associate, an undercover I.P.S. spy in the Karnataka region, a master-strategist (Shiva Rajkumar), who puts in place the Operation Cocoon through a network of tribals, and informers, such as Deputy spy (Sanchari Vijay), a woman STF spy and landlord, Shriya (Parul Yadav), who befriends and rents out a house to Muthulakshmi-the wife of Veerappan (Yagna Shetty). On the other hand, a team of loyal undercover cops led by Rambo Krishna (K Gopalakrishnan), leave Palar base of STF, near M. M. Hills, 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Kollegal of Karnataka along with a team of 41 members which includes police from two states, forest officials, forest watchers and informers. The team travels in two vehicles, of which one is a bus carrying most of the team members, and a jeep carrying K.Goplakrishnan, the IPS officer. Veerappan gang plants landmines on the road in more than 14 places to halt their approach, and during the Palar blast, K.Gopalakrishnan, standing on the foot board of the jeep is thrown out, and suffers severe injuries, leaving the police to retaliate and ultimately prevent the snatching of arms.

After few failed attempts, including the one led by another undercover cop (Gundragovi Satya), disguised as a subordinate to Muslim underworld Don-Kadaani (Ramesh Pandit), to negotiate an arms deal with Veerappan's gang, the STF team led by master-strategist, and an ex-spy turned timberyard owner-Kumar (Srikanth Iyyengar), finally succeed on 18 October 2004. On that day, Veerappan is escorted out of the forest by Kumar who earlier infiltrates Veerappan's gang in disguise to negotiate another arms deal with Velupillai Prabhakaran. Subsequently, Veerappan and his men board an ambulance stationed at Papparapatti village in Dharmapuri district, Veerappan and his men are first warned and then asked to surrender, which they refuse, and the men start firing at the STF personnel. The STF retaliate by firing grenades and gun fire, subsequently Veerappan and his men are killed on the spot.

Cast

[edit]
  • Shiva Rajkumar as an unnamed STF master-strategist, touted to be based on N. K. Senthamarai Kannan, the head of intelligence wing in the Operation Cocoon.[21]
  • Sandeep Bharadwaj as Veerappan, the forest brigand
  • Rahaao as Gandhi, chief intel of Veerappan's team
  • Yagna Shetty as Muthulakshmi, Veerappan's wife
  • K.S.Sridhar as K Vijay Kumar, Chief of Tamil Nadu STF during Operation Cocoon
  • Gadda Viji as Pandillapalli Srinivas, IFS Officer who was killed by Veerappan
  • Sanchari Vijay as STF Rookie Officer Gopal
  • Rajesh Nataranga as SI Shakeel Ahmed
  • Aziz Naser as STF Officer Shashi who is a secret informer to Gandhi
  • Parul Yadav as Shreya, STF spy / informer and landlord who rents out house to Muttulakshmi
  • Rockline Venkatesh as T Harikrishna, SP of Kolar/Mysore, who was killed by Veerappan
  • Srikanth Iyyengar as ex-spy turned timberyard owner
  • Ramesh Pandit as Kadhani, an underworld don
  • Gundragovi Sathya as undercover cop Anees who goes to Veerappan in the disguise of a subordinate of the underworld don Kadhani for settling the arms deal
  • 'Satish' Adla Satish Kumar as Sethukali Govindan, a close aid of Veerappan from his childhood till death

Production

[edit]

Killing Veerappan is Ram Gopal Varma's second docudrama since the release of The Attacks of 26/11. Killing Veerappan is produced by B. V. Manjunath, B. S. Sudhindra, E. Shivaprakash, and Ram Gopal Varma under the production house of ZED3 Pictures & G.R. Pictures. The film's music was composed by Ravi Shankar, Rajasekhar and the Background score was done by Sandy. The dialogues were written by Balaji K and the cinematography was helmed by Rammy.[22]

Soundtrack

[edit]
Killing Veerappan
Soundtrack album by
Ravi Shankar, Rajashekar, Munna Kasi, Sathya Kashyap, Sandy
Recorded2015
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length30:50
LanguageKannada
LabelLahari Music

Ravishankar scored the film's background music and co-composed for the soundtrack along with Rajasekhar, Munna Kasi, Sathya Kashyap and Sandy. Lyrics for the soundtrack was penned by Chethan Kumar and Srujan. The soundtrack album consists of nine tracks including three instrumentals.[23] It was released on 3 November 2015 in Bangalore.[24]

Kannada track list
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Hayya Hayya (The Power of Shiva)"Chethan KumarRavishankarShiva Rajkumar4:49
2."Vadhayo Vadhayo"SrujanRajashekarRajashekar1:33
3."Spot Spot"Chethan KumarMunna KasiPuneeth Rajkumar3:09
4."Hayya Hayya (Women Power)"Chethan KumarRavishankarIndu Nagaraj4:42
5."Rakthava Kudiyo"Chethan KumarRavishankarGeetha Madhuri2:34
6."Elephant Scream" RajashekarInstrumental1:34
7."Kill Beat" RavishankarInstrumental2:03
8."Hayya Hayya (Veerappan Mix)"Chethan KumarSathya KashyapShiva Rajkumar5:17
9."Love You Veera" SandyInstrumental5:09
Total length:30:50

Reception

[edit]

Deccan Chronicle praised Shiva Rajkumar's performance, noting, "Forget Veerappan, watch it for Shivanna."[25][26] The New Indian Express wrote, "Shiva Rajkumar as a cop is scarier than Veerappan".[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Killing Veerappan box office collection: Ram Gopal Varma-Shivaraj Kumar's film mints Rs 20 crore in Karnataka". International Business Times, India Edition. 13 January 2016.
  2. ^ K. JESHI (26 August 2015). "Cinematographer Rammy on working with Ram Gopal Varma's film Killing Veerappan". The Hindu.
  3. ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (23 April 2015). "'Killing Veerappan' to be launched on Rajkumar's birthday - The Hindu". The Hindu. thehindu.com. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Killing Veerappan Trailer Review: A Fantastic One!". www.filmibeat.com. 13 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Killing Veerappan first day box office collection: Shivaraj Kumar-Ram Gopal Varma's flick enjoys a good opening". International Business Times, India Edition. 2 January 2016.
  6. ^ Muralidhara Khajane (January 2016). "Killing Veerappan to hit 700 screens today". The Hindu.
  7. ^ Steve Richardson. "Ram Gopal Varma's Killing Veerappan Movie Review/ Ratings/ Critics". HCN Dayton News. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  8. ^ "RGV's 'Killing Veerappan' release date". IndiaGlitz.com. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Killing Veerappan is a Slick RGV Thriller". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 January 2016.
  10. ^ Archana Nathan (2 January 2016). "Killing Veerappan movie review". The Hindu.
  11. ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (27 January 2017). "Oscar nominees among 240 films to be screened during Biffes". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  12. ^ "Killing Veerappan Movie Review: Dr Shivarajkumar's Best Performance Ever!". www.filmibeat.com. January 2016.
  13. ^ "Killing Veerappan Hitting Theatres on1st January". Chitramala. 8 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Killing Veerappan slows down Bhale Manchi Roju, Abbayitho Ammayi collection at US box office". International Business Times. 12 January 2016.
  15. ^ "IIFA Utsavam 2017 (2016) Kannada Full Show, Nominees & Winners". Updatebro.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Nominations list for the SIIMA 2017 announced!". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017.
  17. ^ "SIIMA awards 2017 nominations announced". Sify. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Winners of the 64th Jio Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  19. ^ "Sachiin Joshi to remake Ram Gopal Varma's 'Killing Veerappan' in Hindi". The Times of India. 27 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Shocking revelation in RGV's Veerappan". 18 May 2016.
  21. ^ "Killing Veerappan Movie Review". The Times of India.
  22. ^ "Killing Veerappan review by jeevi - Telugu cinema review - Sandeep Bharadwaj, Shivaraj Kumar, Rockline Venkatesh & Parul Yadav".
  23. ^ "Killing Veerappan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Killing Veerappan audio launch at Chamundeshwari studio in Bengaluru". The Times of India. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  25. ^ S M, Shashiprasad (2 January 2016). "Movie Review 'Killing Veerappan': Killed 'him' yet again, and that's it!". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  26. ^ N, Veena (1 January 2016). "Killing Veerappan Movie Review: Dr Shivarajkumar's Best Performance Ever!". filmibeat. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  27. ^ A M, Sharadhaa (31 December 2015). "'Shiva Rajkumar as a Cop is Scarier Than Veerappan'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
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