Kaapa
Theatrical release poster
Directed byShaji Kailas
Written byG. R. Indugopan
Based onShankhumukhi
by G. R. Indugopan
Produced by
  • Dolwin Kuriakose
  • Jinu V. Abraham
  • Dileesh Nair
  • Vikram Mehra
  • Siddharth Anand Kumar
Starring
CinematographyJomon T. John
Edited byShameer Muhammed
Music by
Production
companies
Release date
  • 22 December 2022 (2022-12-22)
Running time
134 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Box office₹17 crore[2]

Kaapa is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film[3] directed by Shaji Kailas and written by G. R. Indugopan based on his novel Shankhumukhi. Produced by Fefka Writers Union, Theatre of Dreams and Saregama India Limited, it stars Prithviraj Sukumaran along with Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali and Anna Ben.

The film was announced in August 2021 with Venu assigned as the director. However, he stepped down as director in May 2022 citing creative differences.[4] Shaji Kailas later replaced him. Manju Warrier was initially cast as the lead actress but opted out due to schedule conflicts. She was replaced by Aparna Balamurali. Principal photography took place from July to September that year in Thiruvananthapuram. The music was composed by Dawn Vincent and Jakes Bejoy, cinematography by Jomon T. John and editing by Shameer Muhammed.

Kaapa was released in theatres on 22 December 2022 and received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

Anand, an IT professional recently moves to Thiruvananthapuram from Bangalore with his pregnant wife Binu Thrivikraman. During a routine police check in their neighbourhood, Anand learns that his wife's name is being included in the "KAAPA" (Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act) list, a list that includes the names of all the local gangsters. Anand decides to clear Binu's name and sends her to his hometown to have a safe pregnancy.

Later, Anand meets Arumanayagam, a police constable to seek his help for removing Binu's name, and soon learns about her involvement in leading a gang and her rivalry with the city's leading gangster and upcoming politician Kotta Madhu, as Madhu was responsible for Binu's brother's death. Anand meets Kotta Madhu and manages to earn his trust in order to help Binu. Later, Anand learns that a reporter named Latheef has hired goons to finish Madhu and informs Prameela, who later informs Madhu. Madhu thrashes them and Latheef gets scared of getting caught by Madhu.

Anand travels to Binu's hometown and arranges their baby's naming ceremony. Latheef meets Anand and reveals about his rivalry with Madhu resulted in his cousin Nazeer getting exiled to UAE, where he tells Anand to form a truce between him and Madhu in order to live a peaceful life. Though relucant, Madhu agrees and arrives at the spot where the truce is held, but Madhu is killed in a bomb blast by a boy, whose life was severely damaged by Madhu as he bombed an assassin due to his orders and was sent to juvenile prison.

Anand pays his last respect to Madhu and leaves the premises, where he feels guilty about being used by Latheef. After Madhu's autopsy report, Prameela learns that Binu is wearing Madhu's ring; thus revealing that she was the mastermind behind Madhu's death and Latheef was her family-friend. Binu was also the faceless leader leading a gang and attempted to kill Madhu while Anand was busy to prove her innocence. Prameela calls Binu and swears that she will avenge Madhu's death, while Binu also promises to protect her family without Anand's knowledge.

Cast

Production

Development

On 17 August 2021, Prithviraj Sukumaran announced that Mammootty and Mohanlal would be launching a project on 18 August, the next day. That day, 18 August, the motion poster was shared by them and the title was revealed to be Kaapa. The film was initiated by Fefka Writers Union. The title Kaapa is the short form of an act called Kerala Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Act. Venu was the director.[5] But in May 2022, Venu opted out of the film as director due to creative differences between him and Fefka Writers Union. He was then replaced by Shaji Kailas.[6] Cinematographer Sanu Varghese, editor Mahesh Narayanan and musician Justin Varghese were the initial technical crew of the film.[5] They were later replaced by Jomon T. John, Shameer Muhammed and musicians Dawn Vincent and Jakes Bejoy respectively. The film was scripted by G. R. Indugopan based on his novel Shankhumukhi.[7]

Casting

The film was initially announced with the cast of Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali, Manju Warrier and Anna Ben. However, Manju Warrier left the film as she was busy with her schedules on shooting for Ajith Kumar's Thunivu (2023).[8] Aparna Balamurali came as the replacement. Actors Dileesh Pothan, Jagadish Kumar and Nandhu were later revealed to be part of the cast.[9]

Filming

Thiruvananthapuram, where the entire film was shot

Filming was to begin on 20 May 2022 but was postponed due to Venu opting out of the film.[6] Principal photography began on 15 July 2022 in VJT Hall, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram.[8] On 16 July, director Shaji Kailas sought permission from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for a day's shooting in the area around the Kerala Government Secretariat as the Government of Kerala had enforced a ban there for shooting.[10] Sukumaran gave a 60 days date for the filming of Kaapa. An action scene with Sukumaran was shot on 26 July.[11] Filming came to a conclusion on 16 September 2022.[12]

Music

Kaapa
Soundtrack album by
Dawn Vincent and Jakes Bejoy
Released2022 (2022)
Recorded2022 (2022)
Studio
  • d's Den, Kochi
  • NHQ, Kochi
  • K7, Kochi
  • Sonic Island, Kochi
  • Mindscore Music, Kochi
  • Pop Media House, Kochi
  • Saptha Records, Kochi
GenreFilm soundtrack
Length6:44
LanguageMalayalam
LabelSaregama India Limited
ProducerJakes Bejoy
Singles from Kaapa
  1. "Yamam Veendum Vinnile"
    Released: 16 December 2022
  2. "Thiru Thiru Thiruvananthapurathu"
    Released: 19 December 2022
Dawn Vincent chronology
The Teacher
(2022)		 Kaapa
(2022)
Jakes Bejoy chronology
Aanaparambile World Cup
(2022)		 Kaapa
(2022)		 Iratta
(2023)

Dawn Vincent and Jakes Bejoy composed the film's music. All recordings were done at Kochi. The first single titled "Yamam Veendum Vinnile" was released on 16 December 2022[13] while the second single, "Thiru Thiru Thiruvananthapurathu", was released on 19 December 2022.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Yamam Veendum Vinnile"Vinayak SasikumarDawn VincentKapil Kapilan3:00
2."Thiru Thiru Thiruvananthapurathu"Santhosh VarmaJakes BejoySubhash Babu B, Anugrah Digosh, Akhil J. Chand, Jakes Bejoy3:44
Total length:6:44

Release

Theatrical

Kaapa was released theatrically on 22 December 2022 during Christmas.[15]

Home media

Kaapa had its post-theatrical streaming on Netflix starting from 19 January 2023.[16]

Reception

Critical response

Gopika I. S. of The Times of India gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "More or less, Shaji Kailas has succeeded in delivering a satisfying gangster movie."[17] Latha Srinivasan of India Today gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote that "Kaapa is one of the better films from Prithviraj this year, among the six releases he had. Those going to watch Kaapa for Shaji Kailas and Prithviraj must go with an open mind for a new experience."[18]

Shubham Kulkarni of Koimoi gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Kaapa is a very interesting and fresh landscape but falls prey to a predictable narrative."[19] Sanjith Sridharan of OTTplay gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Shaji Kailas hits a meter from the first scene of the film and maintains this till the end, which is a tough aspect to do and this makes the movie watchable."[20]

Behindwoods gave 2.75 out of 5 stars and wrote "Kaapa is a dark gangster drama with convincing performances and a different take on such stories."[21] Manoj Kumar R. of The Indian Express gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Prithviraj's act as Madhu is hard to buy as he comes across as an indecisive and unwise criminal, despite being the head of a crime syndicate."[22]

Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "Shaji Kailas's Prithviraj starrer doesn't work as a mass-action film because it doesn't have enough originality."[23] Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost gave 1.75 out of 5 stars and wrote "Prithviraj Sukumaran and Shaji Kailas serve up a clichéd, bloody gangster drama in which women are not written as fully fleshed out characters but as mere plot devices."[24]

S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "One sees glimmers of what the movie could have been in some of the well-conceived background stories, but director Shaji Kailas ends up giving it a predictable treatment."[25] Nirmal Jovial of The Week wrote "When compared with gangster films of the 2010s, Shaji Kailas's Kaapa is more of a safe-formula film. It ticks almost all boxes—slow-mos, stylised action, ultra-close-ups, punch dialogues."[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Kaapa". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "'Kaapa' box office collection: Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer crosses Rs 17 crores". The Times of India. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Kaapa (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Did Venu opt out from directing Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'Kaapa'? Details inside". The Times of India. 31 May 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Kaapa: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Asif Ali, and Anna Ben to star in FEFKA's film". The Times of India. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Did Venu opt out from directing Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'Kaapa'? Details inside". The Times of India. 31 May 2022. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "'Kaapa': Makers unveil an intriguing teaser for the Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer". The Times of India. 17 October 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Manju Warrier opts out of 'Kaapa' due to her tight schedule". The Times of India. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "National award-winning actress Aparna Balamurali replaces Manju Warrier in 'Kaapa'". The Times of India. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "No more film shooting around Kerala Secretariat now". The Times of India. 16 July 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Watch: Prithviraj Sukumaran performing fight sequences for 'Kaapa'". The Times of India. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "It's a schedule wrap for Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'Kaapa'". The Times of India. 16 September 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "'Yamam Veendum Vinnile': Makers unveil the lyrical song from Prithviraj starrer 'Kaapa'". The Times of India. 17 December 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "'Thiru Thiru Thiruvananthapurathu': Latest video song from Prithviraj Sukumaran's 'Kaapa' goes viral". The Times of India. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer 'Kaapa' to hit the big screens on December". The Times of India. 15 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "Prithviraj's Kaapa gets OTT release date". The Indian Express. 12 January 2023. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  17. ↑ IS, Gopika (24 December 2022). "Kaapa Movie Review: Interesting, if predictable, gangster movie". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  18. ↑ Srinivasan, Latha (23 December 2022). "Kaapa Movie Review: This Prithviraj gangster drama is a different attempt from Shaji Kailas". India Today. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Kaapa Movie Review: Prithviraj Sukumaran's Unique Gangster Drama Is Brilliant In Flashbacks But Equally Predictable In Present". Koimoi.
  20. ↑ "Kaapa movie review: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Asif Ali's gangster-drama lacks emotional heft to be engaging enough". OTTplay.
  21. ↑ "KAAPA MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods.
  22. ↑ R, Manoj Kumar (22 December 2022). "Kaapa movie review: Prithviraj plays an unwise criminal in this unconvincing gangster drama". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  23. ↑ Rajendran, Sowmya (23 December 2022). "Kaapa review: Prithviraj's action thriller is old wine in a prehistoric bottle". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  24. ↑ Vetticad, Anna MM (24 December 2022). "Kaapa movie review: The 'trying to be a Mohanlal/Mammootty-type mass superstar' genre returns". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  25. ↑ Praveen, S. R. (22 December 2022). "'Kaapa' movie review: Prithviraj Sukumaran stars in a typical gangland drama that brims with untapped potential". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "'Kaapa' review: A formulaic but largely enjoyable gangster drama". The Week.
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