Kanguva: Suriya in extravagant visuals cannot compensate for convoluted and noisy writing in Siva film

Kanguva: Despite its ambition, the Suriya film fails to deliver a satisfying viewing experience due to its uneven screenplay and emphasis on spectacle over substance.

Suriya in and as Kanguva

The very first visual that we see as the introductory credits of Kanguva roll on, is that of a man on a horse as the animal attempts to jump off a cliff that it possibly couldn’t survive. Kanguva pretty much feels like that, with so much going around that it early on itself gives you the realization that the noisy atmosphere of the film cannot satiate for a satisfied watch. Despite Suriya giving it all, and being the soul of the film, the flaws in final deliverable are evident and jarring.

Also read: Kanguva star's loss is Amaran actor's gain? How Sivakarthikeyan got the lead role in film meant for Suriya

Kanguva's extravagent visuals cannot save Suriya-starrer

To begin with, I think it is time that we try not to see our heroes and protagonists as superheroes who can rise above the humanly levels of survival and craftsmanship, despite how powerful and mighty they are portrayed. More than the physical strength, it is that of the character that the story demands, and that is exactly why Kanguva begins to slope. Suriya is fabulous as Kanguva, and one can see the physical stature of the actor resonating so much of his character being a warrior prince, but when the film goes overboard, the sour taste begins to kick in. If Suriya as Kanguva can defy the strength of a crocodile in water swamps, and valiant to hold the ropes of the ship tight enough to save a child, the actor’s Francis Theodore is a man who can withstand the speed of high altitude and hang on by the aircraft with mere hands.

Also read: Kanguva on OTT: Suriya and Siva’s epic fantasy film to stream on this platform after theatrical run

Kanguva’s ambition is painted throughout the film. With Pirates of Caribbean-like ships and islands, luscious landscapes of Goa, the film is satisfying to the eyes. There is enough and more meticulous works that have gone into creating the sets, which aren’t enough when the writing lacks depth. Siva creates a world that runs between two timelines, and obviously, the past plays the major role. There are five islands by the coast of India; Mukadu, Vengadu, Aarathi, Perumachi and Mandayatu. The islands come with their own pros and cons, and Perumachi being the protagonist’s native, there is no doubt that Kanguva is its major advantage. Kanguva is the crown prince of the island, and punishing for a revenge, causes him to earn the wrath of a child who he takes under his wings. Cut to the present, we see Francis is a bounty hunter in Goa, who comes across a young boy, Zeta, who escaped brain cell experiment to reach Francis. There seems to be a connect between the two, and no brownie points for guesses that connect the past and present.

Siva film lacks cohesive writing

Siva begins his film with the present portions, and we know something is wrong with what’s going in the lab of experiment. Francis, on the other hand, is skillful bounty hunter, whose ex-girlfriend Angela (Disha Patani) is his rival in the field, for which we have no solid reason whatsoever. Her role too is limited, much obliging to the failure of sexy lamp test. After a series of attempted comical scenes, and caricature dialogue delivery, we see the escaped Zeta meeting Francis, forming an unexplainable bond. As the film shifts back to the past, and culminate in the present, we see a lot of drama unfolding and lot more of how the boy and Suriya are connected. In this scheme of things, however, what lacks is a coherent writing and faithful world-building.

Early on we are told about the five islands, their strengths, and what makes them unique. Despite this, it is hard to buy onto the Kanguva world, for it keeps you at bay with its extremely loud soundscape and constant conflicts. What starts as a betrayal for the Perumachi people, then slowly turns into a feud between Aarathi’s head Udhiran (Bobby Deol) and Kanguva, resulting in clash that culminates to the present connection. But Siva, poses a lot of convolutions that seems his only motive was to make a visually grand film and internally hollow.

Kanguva is high on ambition and there are no second thoughts on it. But as much as the team concentrated on making a film that appears unique, the movie still screams of uneven screenplay. The characters are lost, the questions are left unanswered, and much like recent films, Kanguva too hopes on to the bandwagon of surprise cameos, in this case by a certain brother leading on to a conflict that the sequel hopes to witness.

Had Kanguva concentrated more on the interpersonal relationships of the characters, the link between the past and future, the film would have resonated longer enough to buy the world. However, with its uneven writing and much noisy experience, Kanguva halves its opportunities, and doubles on its noisiness.

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