Kannappa movie review: A messy epic where devotion arrives too late

First off, because people had modest to low expectations on this film, it’s safe to say that there are many positives here, more than expected. Vishnu Manchu’s much-publicised magnum opus positions itself as a spiritual retelling of a tribal warrior’s transformation into Lord Shiva’s most ardent devotee. Unfortunately, it spends more time in disjointed subplots that don’t do anything to the plot. By the time Kannappa finally discovers the pulse of its own story, some two hours into its bloated runtime, the audience is already spiritually liberated from the act of caring. 

Director: Mukesh Kumar Singh

Cast: Vishnu Manchu, Mohan Babu, Prabhas, Mohanlal, Akshay Kumar, Kajal Aggarwal

Kannappa is based on the classic arc of the non-believer-turned believer. Our protagonist Thinnadu (Vishnu Manchu) is an atheist in the second century who despises the rituals of his tribes and rebels against the norms. Which sounds promising on paper, except the film never explores what that really means. Instead, we are launched into a painfully superficial love story with Nemali (Preity Mukundhan), which mostly serves as an excuse for the awkward age-gap romance and heavy midriff shots. After an uninspired war, an ironic love story, and a brief encounter with the divine, Thinnadu evolves into the devout Kannappa. 

The biggest sin here is lack of narrative urgency. Thinnadu's spiritual awakening, arguably the core of the story, arrives in the final thirty minutes. Until then, we are fed a series of unconnected drama and action scenes that look like rejected Braveheart footage. The choice of shooting this epic in New Zealand feels bizarre. It is not strange to see unlimited green landscapes in the second century but the film doesn’t believe in the idea of costume and set design at all. There’s barely any effort there to convince us of the period setting. The fake beards, the super-sharp beard shapes, the stylised tattoos on arms and the glistening skin of people instantly turn you off. 

It doesn't help that the VFX gives out midway through every significant scene. When Thinnadu encounters Rudra (Prabhas in a glorified cameo), the moment is meant to be thunderous, a spiritual turning point. What we get instead is a rough CGI studio set in a world where the green screen hasn’t finished loading. If you look hard enough, you can almost see the chroma key outline around Prabhas’ wig. The VFX is not just underwhelming, it is anti-immersive. It breaks what little engagement the film builds. There were talks of this film having a huge budget, if that’s true, all the money went only to the cameos. 

But perhaps the most jarring element is the depiction of the female characters. For something marketed as a devotional film, Kannappa spends a large amount of time indulging in slow-motion ogling of its female lead. In any other film, this would add up to the generic entertainment value. But here, the makers constantly paraded that it’s a spiritual exercise. And Preity Mukundhan’s character is reduced to a moisturiser advertisement’s brand ambassador, fluttering hair, glistening skin, vacant gaze. 

The film’s emotional core, crucial to such epic narratives, is non-existent. Thinnadu talks about his late mother, but the film never shows us their bond. His relationships within the tribe feel mechanical, rushed, or simply forgotten. In his childhood, because of the human sacrifice ritual performed on his friend, Thinnadu declares himself as being against the idea of god but this setup does not lead to an emotional payoff. Thinnadu’s transformation from sceptic to believer is not earned but stapled to the end of the film like an afterthought. Devotion, after all, is a journey. Here, it's more of a memo delivered just before the final act.

That’s not to say Kannappa is without merit. When Prabhas shows up as Rudra, the film takes an interesting dialogue-based confrontation zone and that feels intriguing. The ideological battle between Rudra and Mohan Babu’s Mahadeva Shastry highlights the film’s themes that a person’s relationship with God need not blindly depend on rituals and purity. Prabhas impressively becomes the wise mouth of the film. Mohan Babu, being the veteran he is, adds the needed rooting and stability to the film. Those sequences of dialogue exchange deliver what the film misses from the beginning. 

Akshay Kumar as Lord Shiva doesn’t bring the needed charisma and calmness to the role. It’s ornamentary depiction at best. The AI dialogue replacement and his mismatched lip movement feels like a disservice to the film. Vishnu Manchu, who for the most part seems unsuitable, in the final stretch, engages you. When his character turns into the innocent believer, Vishnu humanises him and carries the ultimate sacrifice incredibly well. In those crucial last scenes where Thinnadu sacrifices for his faith, you see bits of the film Kannappa wanted to be. There is heart there, even if buried under two hours of misdirection. Had the script been tighter, the writing more grounded, and the spiritual core more central, this could have been an important film.

Ultimately, Kannappa is less about Shiva and more about the makers trying very hard to mount a legacy project. There’s ambition here, no doubt. But ambition without clarity is vanity. What could have been a compelling modern retelling of faith and transformation becomes a bloated star showcase dressed in mythological cosplay.