KA Movie Review: An effective climax cannot save this thriller that fails to engage

Kiran Abbavaram’s KA has been a fascinating project from the start. It grabbed people’s attention with its title and promise of a finely written thriller. But the film has many problems to sustain the thrills and deliver on what it promises. It all starts with the ambition to bend your mind without grabbing it in the first place. The film wants to feed you a lot of Biryani without really making you hungry. A great thriller can have the finest climax, yet if the film never really grips you, or worse, tires you so much to the point you don’t mind grasping the answer, that’s an engagement problem. 

Director: Sujith - Sandeep

Cast: Kiran Abbavaram, Nayan Sarika, Tanvi Ram, Achyuth Kumar, Redin Kingsley

Set against the backdrop of the 1970s, KA follows Vasudev (Kiran Abbavaram), an orphan with an unusual habit of reading other people’s letters. He eventually takes on the role of a postman in the rural village of Krishnagiri, where he unearths troubling secrets about missing girls that haunt the village. Nayan Sarika plays Satyabhama, Vasudev's love interest. Simultaneously, the story introduces a perplexing subplot where Vasudev is held captive by masked figures who probe into his past and his time in Krishnagiri. This mystery, the captors’ identities and motives, frames the dual conflict that KA attempts to unravel.

However, these parallel storylines suffer from a lack of cohesion. The split focus, one narrative exploring Vasudev’s captivity and another tracing his investigative journey in Krishnagiri, don't blend perfectly, creating a sense of watching two disconnected films in one. While the premise of the missing girls in the village offers a rich setting for suspense, it remains underwritten and planted just to showcase smarts with the captivity plot.

Vasudev’s metaphorical representation of Krishna, his antics in the village, his love story with Satyabhama, and his general curiosity to solve a puzzle eat up a large chunk of the screenplay. A viewer has to apply too much benefit of doubt and keep themselves hooked to the bloated narration for the film to unravel everything. Now, that’s a heavy price to ask from today’s pea-sized attention span of audiences. Regardless of the lacklustre mystery, as the revelations start, you realise that the village story was never the actual plot. It was a 2-hour-30 minute tool used to somehow ‘blow your mind’ with a brilliant twist. How the viewer perceives KA completely depends on whether their minds are actually blown with the reveal. If the twist doesn’t resonate with you, then the film is an outright bland experience. 

Kiran Abbavaram deserves a lot of credit for taking up such a risky, mind-bending thriller. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea to shoulder a film like this. Although his performance has shown growth compared to previous projects, he still has ground to cover in portraying emotional nuance. His restrained expressions and monotone delivery occasionally dampen the dramatic impact, lacking the vibrant charm one might expect from a character with Krishna-like undertones. Yet, Abbavaram shines in moments of vulnerability, particularly in the captivity sequences where his helplessness feels genuine. Even in the action scenes, his effort is visible and his hunger is right there. Nayan Sarika’s role is minimal, while Tanvi Ram’s character offers more significance and depth to the unfolding drama. Meanwhile, Sam CS’s musical score adds an alluring touch to the narrative, particularly amplifying the reveal in the film’s climactic scenes.

Directors Sujith and Sandeep clearly aspire to weave a complex philosophical commentary on karma and consequence. A rich thriller needs to provide a blend of concept and revelation, making the audience’s journey feel worth it. However, in the end, KA feels like a rough draft that needs more refinement to reach its full potential. The film's philosophical ambition is evident, but its execution feels underdeveloped, as if the reveal overshadowed the narrative. With more time in writing, the film could have transformed its intriguing premise into a more satisfying thriller. You can watch the thriller only for the climax, but that would amount to an experience similar to sitting atop a beautiful mountain without really climbing.