Varma takes frequent liberties with the truth in this remake of his own Kannada film Killing Veerappan, but what you leave the cinema with at the end are shattered eardrums from the incessant background music.

The dizzying camera angles which have marred so many of RGV’s recent outings may have mercifully gone missing but the ear-shattering background music is right there.

It may well be a misfire, but Veerappan shows that at least RGV has his eyes open while squeezing the trigger. The dacoit is still at large.

…this 126-minute film has pace and a narrative technique which may give you a glimpse of RGV’s old charm. But, the mojo isn’t completely back yet.

RGV has told it taut, specially in the second half that is all about Operation Killing Veerappan. Sandeep’s tranformation as Veerappan is commendable — from his looks to his dialect. Here’s an actor waiting to be explored. Usha too plays it easy. Sachiin was a delight and perhaps this is his best performance so far.

This film is another reminder: it is time to launch a manhunt for the Ram Gopal Varma that Bollywood watchers once knew.

Or, else, let us just move on just as Hindi cinema has done from the heydays of the gangster flick.

In all fairness, Sandeep brings Veerappan alive and the National Award winner Usha as Muthulakshmi is convincing. Though not in top form, RGV does redeem himself to some degree. And his film does allow you to get up, close and personal with the notorious criminal who made a monkey of the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments, because he knew the loopholes in the system.

Ram Gopal Varma, whose skill sets as a director have plummeted drastically in the last few years, falls further into the abyss by bringing together a bunch of bad actors in “Veerappan” and egging them on towards even more mediocrity.

For someone still reeling from the after-effects of watching Not A Love Story (never mind that RGV had a string of could-have-beens after that), this comes as an opportunity to prove us wrong, wasted. Where have all the Shivas, Satyas, Sarkars and Shools gone?

At the end of the day, Veerappan is hardly the redemption Ram Gopal Varma could have hoped for. It is 2.5 hours of unbearable torture.

…has violence that may seem a bit over the top for a certain segment of audience. With its unconventional and extremely well-narrated story line and Ram Gopal Varma’s trademark filmmaking skills VEERAPPAN will most likely be patronized by a niche segment of the audience.

It’s not the worst film Ram Gopal Varma has made. Nor is it any close to his best. It’s just a middle-of-the-road offering where seeing an actor look like the mirror image of Veerappan catches your fancy for a few fleeting moments. Once the illusion withers away, there’s really nothing to hold on to.

Sachiin Joshi makes an attempt to look and act the role he plays, but then the attempt shows more than the talent. Sandeep Bharadwaj as Veerappan and Jadhav as Mutthulakshmi are perfectly cast and they both do a convincing job of it. Even then this could have been an engaging watch, if not spoiled by that constant assault on one’s eardrums.

This film is certainly not for the squeamish or the weak at heart. But for those  who are familiar with Ram GopalVarma’s appetite for the  abominable, Veerappan is just the beast to grab at your nearest theatre.

The film’s deficiencies are most unfortunate because in its pluses we get a glimpse of the old Ramu that we all once knew and loved, the man who gave us pathbreaking gangster and crime flicks such as Shiva, Satya and Company.

The movie spans only the period of April 2004 until October 18, 2004, but it feels like you have lived the life of Veerappan, in the jungles, surrounded by mosquitoes (and bad dialog and silly characters)… Even though the man who plays Veerappan looks spot on like the dacoit, Ram Gopal Varma misses this one by a mile.

Ram Gopal Varma has misplaced his filmmaking skills and he still can’t find it! Veerappan tells us that it took 10 years to kill Osama, 20 years to kill Veerappan and let me inform you it took 203 minutes to bore us to death ! Apart from Sandeep Bhardwaj, who plays Veerappan and does an amazing job of it, there is hardly anything new being offered . Wait for it to come on TV !

Overall, ‘Veerappan’ is a mediocre fare.

‘Veerappan’ is mildly menacing instead of an out and out menacing film. The movie had all the potential to become a hard-hitting cult drama if only the screenplay would have been a bit tight and had some better actors to perform.

Veerappan may be a let down if everyone expected this to be on lines with Band Queen or Paan Singh Tomar. However, there is a still a reason to smile here as we get to see the signs of RGV’s lost brilliance. If it was not for the lifeless performances from most of the cast and the silly BG score, this would have been a better film.

Ram Gopal Varma’s biopic of the sandalwood and ivory smuggler drowns out impressive production design and a captivating lead performance with jarring background music

The ending could have been far better. It’s a bit comical to see some of our central characters sitting out and having a nice tea picnic while something so significant is happening.

Still, the film is mostly gripping, sensational and involving. Veerappan’s story with his spectacular rise and fall was a big one. The film does it justice.

It’s upsetting that Ram Gopal Varma fans have to put up with this. Even the very few and far between visual flourishes are merely reminders of an auteur that was.

Veerappan is watchable because it belongs to Muthulakshmi. Usha Jadhav is excellent as Veerappan’s wife be it cooking in the jungles for her husband (Sandeep Bharadwaj) or braving police torture for him or loving him despite his indiscretions. She retains the innocence and vulnerability even as she reposes trust in a woman who is actually out to use her to avenge her husband’s death at the hands of Veerappan.

Overall, Veerappan serves as a strong reminder of what Ram Gopal Varma is capable of doing in front of the silver screen. If it wouldn’t have been for its overtly theatrical performances, the film could easily have passed for a documentary. Veerappan gives the impression of an overcooked meal which despite having all the right ingredients fails to meet the epicurean standards. After watching it one gets a feeling that Varma is stuck in a limbo of sorts, trying really hard to redeem himself like some great writer battling with writer’s block. Perhaps, the day is not far when he finally succeeds. Until then all we can do is wait and hope. 

We won’t call the script incoherent.  In fact,  one of the film’s biggest plusses is its writing.  Even when the actors stumble at their jobs,  the material comes to their rescue.  But Ramu’s vision is compromised towards the end.  It is almost as if he didn’t know how to execute his story.  His confidence helps the ship sail through,  but there is hardly anything noteworthy to say about it.  Barring the scene in which the dacoit kills an informer,  there is not another equally overwhelming scene to its credit. 

The most engaging scenes are the numerous shootouts and chases, especially one in which Veerappan and his men escape yet another STF attack through a vast area of red hillocks that resemble ant-hills. Men, women and children perish like flies and there are gut-wrenching torture scenes, but the real violence is felt by the ear-drums.

…it’s definitely not what you want spend money on this weekend, or the coming weekends for as long as this film manages to keep a hold on the box office.