Veerappan Movie Review: Good Gun, Bad Bullets. RGV misfires

As any other child growing up in the 80s/90s era, I can tell you that Veerappan was the ultimate dacoit. Khoonkaar Jaanwar, Journalist ka Dost, Kanoon ka Dushman, Garibon ka Maseeha (though conveniently only for the villagers who helped him out of fear or for petty cash incentives). Not a day went by when there was no article about him in the daily newspapers; the only source of information before social media happened. So, needless to say that I was super excited when I heard that RGV was making a movie about him. Almost immediately, I saw the Telugu version with subtitles starring Shiva Kumar. Today, when I saw the hindi version, I was extremely disappointed and feel as if RGV cheated the hindi audience.

Sachin Joshi (actor & producer) is better off selling Gutkhas. Yes, for those who don't know, he is the owner of the 'Goa' Gutkha brand. The movie is rested on his character's shoulders and he simply shrugs it.

Newcomer 'Sandeep Bhardwaj' who plays Veerappan deserves an award for his performance. He plays Veerappan with panache and with such ease that it's hard to believe that this is a portrayal of another person. He is to Veerappan what Manoj Bajpai was to Bhiku Mhatre.

Lisa Ray is a miscast, but one can't complain as she is friends with Mrs. Sachin Joshi.- Urvashi Sharma (you might remember her as the girl from Atif Aslam's Doorie and Abbas Mastan's Naqaab).

What’s with the background score? Was the sound recordist deaf? Kaan ke parde phaad diye kuch scenes mein!! 

The camerawork is just about okay. But in all honesty, this is definitely a better attempt from RGV. Ramu shows us glimpses of the good (factory) director he once was. I don't understand why he chose to re-use certain scenes from the Telugu version (including when Veerappan kills his own daughter & the climax). Come to think of it... it would have been a better idea to simply dub it in Hindi (@SetMax: Hope you're reading this).

We suggest you avoid this and watch the Telugu version instead. You can thank me later.

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