''Killing Veerappan'' is a 2016 Indian

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

-language

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curric ...

Crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

film directed by

Ram Gopal Varma Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, primarily known for his work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu films.** * * Varma has dir ...

, who co-wrote the film with K. Balaji. The film is based on the events leading to Operation Cocoon to capture or kill Indian

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...

Veerappan Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian poacher, smuggler, domestic terrorist and Banditry, bandit who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwoo ...

. Featuring

Shiva Rajkumar Dr.Shiva Rajkumar (born Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy; 12 July 1962) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Ka ...

in the central role touted to be based on N. K. Senthamarai Kannan, the then

Superintendent of police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territori ...

, with the Indian Special Task Force, and the spy who masterminded Operation Cocoon. The Kannada version was released in over 200 screens in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

on January 1, 2016. Upon its wide release, critics praised the performances, background score, cinematography, screenplay, casting, and direction while becoming a box office success, and subsequently got screened in Kannada cinema section at the

9th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2017 9th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2017 (BIFFES 2017) was inaugurated by former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah on 2 February 2017 in Bengaluru. A total of 240 films from 60 countries including Oscar nominees of the year such ...

. The Telugu dubbed version was released on 7 January 2016 to positive reviews and had a decent run at the overseas box-office. The Kannada version has garnered three nominations at the

2nd IIFA Utsavam The 2nd IIFA Utsavam ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian film industry, South Indian cinema in 2016 was an event held on 28 and 29 March 2017 at the Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The event, which is the second e ...

including Best Picture in Kannada, while Parul Yadav and Yagna Shetty have each received the Performance In A Leading Role and Supporting Role - Female respectively. The film has also garnered five nominations; including Parul Yadav winning Critics Choice Award for Best Actress at the 6th SIIMA Awards, and one nomination for Best Actress at the

64th Filmfare Awards South The 64th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honoring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian cinema Cinema of South India, refers to the cinema of the four major film industries in South India; primarily engaged in making feature ...

. The film was remade into Hindi as ''

'' (2016) with Bharadwaj reprising his role.

Plot

Forest brigand

(Sandeep Bhardwaj), dominant in Sathyamangalam Forest in the states of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, defies the governments, and Indian Border security paramilitary forces, and maintains a small army of his own. He is wanted for killing approximately 184 people, about half of whom were police officers, including senior police and forest officials. He was also wanted for

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

about 200 elephants and

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

worth US$2,600,000 and about 10,000 tonnes of

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods. Sanda ...

worth approximately US$22,000,000. In 1991, Veerappan and his chief Intel, Gandhi (Sadh Orhan), behead IFS Officer P. Srinivas (Gadda Viji). Years later, Veerappan avenges the death of his close associate Gandhi by misleading Special Task Force (STF) personnel in their covert operation, through Gandhi's unnamed notorious informer (

Aziz Naser Aziz Naser (born Aziz Janbaz) is an Indian actor, writer and a voice artist who works in Deccani and Telugu films. He worked in Hyderabadi films such as '' The Angrez'' and '' Hyderabad Nawabs''. As a dubbing artist, he lent his voice for Son ...

). The covert mission led by T. Harikrishna S.P. (

Rockline Venkatesh Thirupathi Narasimhalunaidu Venkatesh (born 24 March 1963), better known by his stage name Rockline Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works in Kannada cinema, Kannada, Tamil and Bollywood, Hindi cinemas. He is the fo ...

), and his informer S.I. Shakeel Ahmed (Rajesh Nataranga) to kill Veerappan fails miserably. Veerappan, and his army brutally assassinate all the STF officers in the operation, and snatch their arms. The

STF chief K. Vijay Kumar I.P.S. (K. S. Sridhar) appoints his associate, an undercover I.P.S. spy in the

region, a master-strategist (

), who puts in place the Operation Cocoon through a network of tribals, and informers, such as Deputy spy (

Sanchari Vijay Vijay Kumar Basavarajaiah (17 July 1983 – 15 June 2021), known by his stage name Sanchari Vijay, was an Indian actor known for his work in Kannada cinema. He began his career as a stage actor. He trained on stage from Sanchari Theatre, a cul ...

), a woman STF spy and landlord, Shriya ( Parul Yadav), who befriends and rents out a house to Muthulakshmi-the wife of Veerappan ( Yagna Shetty). On the other hand, a team of loyal undercover cops led by Rambo Krishna ( K Gopalakrishnan), leave

Palar Palar (Tamil: ''பாலாறு'' pālāṟu �paːlaːɾu literally "milk river") is a river of southern India. It rises in the Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka state, and flows in Karnataka, in Andhra Pradesh and i ...

base of STF, near M. M. Hills, from

Kollegal Kollegal (or Kollegala) is the Major taluk in the Chamarajanagara District of Karnataka State in the south of India. Kollegala is well known for its silk industry which attracts traders from all over the state. History Until 1956, Kollegala ...

of Karnataka along with a team of 41 members which includes police from two states, forest officials, forest watchers and informers. The team travels in two vehicles, of which one is a bus carrying most of the team members, and a jeep carrying K.Goplakrishnan, the IPS officer. Veerappan gang plants landmines on the road in more than 14 places to halt their approach, and during the

Palar blast The Palar Blast was a landmine attack on 9 April 1993 in Karnataka, India. The attack, organized by the forest brigand Veerappan, killed 22 people, making it the deadliest explosive attack in Karnataka during the 20th century. Background The sa ...

, K.Gopalakrishnan, standing on the foot board of the jeep is thrown out, and suffers severe injuries, leaving the police to retaliate and ultimately prevent the snatching of arms. After few failed attempts, including the one led by another undercover cop (Gundragovi Satya), disguised as a subordinate to Muslim underworld Don-Kadaani (Ramesh Pandit), to negotiate an arms deal with Veerappan's gang, the STF team led by master-strategist, and an ex-spy turned timberyard owner-Kumar (

Srikanth Iyyengar Srikanth Krishnaswamy Iyengar is an Indian actor and director who works in Telugu cinema. He is a medical doctor by profession and turned actor due to passion towards the acting. Srikanth has acted in films like '' Veerapan, Dear Comrade, Mehaboo ...

), finally succeed on 18 October 2004. On that day, Veerappan is escorted out of the forest by Kumar who earlier infiltrates Veerappan's gang in disguise to negotiate another arms deal with

Velupillai Prabhakaran Velupillai Prabhakaran (; ; ; 26 November 1954 – 18 May 2009) was a Sri Lankan guerrilla and a major figure of Tamil nationalism, being the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE was a militant organiza ...

. Subsequently, Veerappan and his men board an

ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...

stationed at Papparapatti village in

Dharmapuri Dharmapuri is a city in the north western part of Tamil Nadu, India. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Dharmapuri district which is the first district created in Tamil Nadu after the independence of India by splitting it from ...

district, Veerappan and his men are first warned and then asked to surrender, which they refuse, and the men start firing at the STF personnel. The STF retaliate by firing grenades and gun fire, subsequently Veerappan and his men are killed on the spot.

Cast

as an unnamed STF master-strategist, touted to be based on N. K. Senthamarai Kannan, the head of intelligence wing in the Operation Cocoon. * Sandeep Bharadwaj as

, the forest brigand * Rahaao as Gandhi, chief intel of Veerappan's team * Yagna Shetty as

Muthulakshmi Muthulakshmi was the wife of bandit Veerappan, from 1990 to his death in 2004. She lived in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. She was born in Neruppore village, Dharmapuri District to a farming family. Wife of Veerappan She married Veerappan in 1990, and ...

, Veerappan's wife * K.S.Sridhar as K Vijay Kumar, Chief of Tamil Nadu STF during Operation Cocoon * Gadda Viji as Pandillapalli Srinivas, IFS Officer who was killed by Veerappan *

as STF Rookie Officer Gopal *

Rajesh Nataranga Rajesh Nataranga is an Indian actor who works in Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. ...

as SI Shakeel Ahmed *

as STF Officer Shashi who is a secret informer to Gandhi * Parul Yadav as Shreya, STF spy / informer and landlord who rents out house to Muttulakshmi *

as T Harikrishna, SP of Kolar/Mysore, who was killed by Veerappan *

as ex-spy turned timberyard owner * Ramesh Pandit as Kadhani, an underworld don * ''Gundragovi'' Sathya as undercover cop Anees who goes to Veerappan in the disguise of a subordinate of the underworld don ''Kadhani'' for settling the arms deal * 'Satish' Adla Satish Kumar as Sethukali Govindan, a close aid of Veerappan from his childhood till death

Production

Killing Veerappan is Ram Gopal Varma's second

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...

since the release of '' The Attacks of 26/11''. Killing Veerappan is produced by B. V. Manjunath, B. S. Sudhindra, E. Shivaprakash, and Ram Gopal Varma under the production house of ZED3 Pictures & G.R. Pictures. The film's music was composed by Ravi Shankar, Rajasekhar and the Background score was done by Sandy. The dialogues were written by Balaji K and the cinematography was helmed by Rammy.

Soundtrack

Ravishankar scored the film's background music and co-composed for the soundtrack along with Rajasekhar, Munna Kasi, Sathya Kashyap and Sandy. Lyrics for the soundtrack was penned by Chethan Kumar and Srujan. The soundtrack album consists of nine tracks including three

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

s. It was released on 3 November 2015 in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Reception

Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...

praised

's performance, noting, "Forget

, watch it for Shivanna."

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...

wrote, "Shiva Rajkumar as a cop is scarier than Veerappan".

References

External links

* * {{Ram Gopal Varma 2016 films Indian crime action films 2010s biographical films 2010s Kannada-language films Biographical films about bandits 2016 crime action films Indian docudrama films Crime in Karnataka Films directed by Ram Gopal Varma Films set in forests Biographical action films Action films based on actual events Indian avant-garde and experimental films Indian biographical films Indian spy action films Kannada films remade in other languages Indian films based on actual events Films set in Karnataka Films set in Tamil Nadu Films set in Kerala Films shot in Palakkad 2010s avant-garde and experimental films Illegal logging in India Fictional portrayals of the Tamil Nadu Police Fictional portrayals of the Karnataka Police Indian gangster films