''Kavacha'' () is a 2019 Indian
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
-language
action thriller film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
written and directed by G. V. R. Vasu in his
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. It is the remake of the 2016
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
film ''
Oppam
''Oppam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas and starred Mohanlal, Anusree, Meenakshi, Sam ...
'', with changes made in the script to suit the interests of Kannada-speaking audiences. The film stars
Shiva Rajkumar
Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy (born 12 July 1962) known by his screen name Shiva Rajkumar, is an Indian actor, producer and television presenter, predominantly works in Kannada cinema. ,
Kruthika Jayakumar
Kruthika Jayakumar is an Indian actress and classical dancer. She appears in South India films.Kruthika has worked in popular movies like Kavacha, Intlo Deyyam Nakem Bayam. Kruthika's previous film to hit the theatres was Kavacha in the year ...
,
Isha Koppikar
Isha Koppikar (born 19 September 1976) is an Indian actress, model and politician who has mostly appeared in Hindi cinema. She has also acted in several Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Marathi films.
Background
Koppikar was born in Mahim, Bombay (no ...
,
Baby Meenakshi
Anunaya Anoop better known by her stage name Meenakshi Anoop, is an Indian actress who works primarily in the Malayalam film industry. She is best known for her role as Fathima (Pathu/Pathumma) in the 2015 comedy film '' Amar Akbar Anthony ''and ...
and
Vasishta N. Simha. It was released worldwide on 5 April 2019 and got positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Jayarama is a blind man, who is a part of a large family, and works as a
lift operator
An elevator operator (North American English), liftman (in Commonwealth English, usually lift attendant), or lift girl (in British English), is a person specifically employed to operate a manually operated elevator.
Description
Being an effec ...
and caretaker in a apartment building in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
. He takes responsibility to earn money for his sister's wedding and is loyal to Krishnamurthy, a retired
Supreme Court Judge
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
who lives in the apartment and accompanies Krishnamurthy on a long search for someone. On one trip, Krishnamurthy tells about the reason behind his search to Jayarama. Years ago, a man named Vasudeva was imprisoned by Krishnamurthy for a crime he did not commit. Although Krishnamurthy knew that Vasu was innocent, he followed the
letter of the law
The letter of the law and the spirit of the law are two possible ways to regard rules, or laws. To obey the letter of the law is to follow the literal reading of the words of the law, whereas following the spirit of the law means enacting the ...
. As a result, Vasu's family poisoned themselves, which leaves Vasu insane, and resolves to avenge his loss by warning Krishnamurthy that he will kill him and his family.
Vasu has been released from prison, and Krishnamurthy feels threatened. Krishnamurthy has a young daughter Nandini, and is afraid that Vasu will kill her if he learns of her existence. To keep her safe, he sent her to a
convent school
Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...
where she knows nothing about him. Nandini's only link to her father is Jayarama, who frequently visits her at Krishnamurthy's request. When Nandini asks Jayarama about her father at each visit, he replies that he will bring him some other day. Krishnamurthy and Jayarama transfer money from the former's
bank account
A bank account is a financial account maintained by a bank or other financial institution in which the financial transactions between the bank and a customer are recorded. Each financial institution sets the terms and conditions for each type o ...
to another account, which was opened for Nandini. To reduce scrutiny, they avoid an
electronic transfer.
Jayarama withdraws the money and gives it to Krishnamurthy, who puts the money in a safe in his apartment. A large wedding takes place, to which everyone in the building are invited. Jayarama heads to Krishnamurthy's apartment after the party to find him dead, where he senses the presence of someone in the apartment, where the killer tries to escape, but Jayarama subdues him. After learning Jayarama is blind, Vasu (who is the killer) sneak past him and escapes. In the chaos, Krishnamurthy's money is missing and the cops accuse Jayarama of stealing it. After a cat-and-mouse chase, Vasu kills Krishnamurthy's brother-in-law Natraj and also makes the cops to place murder charges on Jayarama for killing Krishnamurthy and Natraj.
The cops arrest Jayarama, who pleads for a chance to find the killer. When Jayarama is forced by the cops to accept the blame by attempting to torture his girlfriend Revathi during the interrogation, he angrily fights back and escapes with Revathi. Jayarama tries to hide Nandini from Vasu with the aid of his friend
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
Gowri. Jayarama reveals to Gowri that Nandini is actually Vasu's daughter, whom the madman is about to kill. Jayarama, Nandini and Gowri hide in the convent under the Mother Superior's
supervision
Supervision is an act or instance of directing, managing, or oversight.
Etymology
The English noun "supervision" derives from the two Latin words "super" (above) and "videre" (see, observe).
Spelling
The spelling is "Supervision" in Standard E ...
. Vasu arrives at the convent and knocks out Gowri. After hearing Vasu's ringtone by calling him, Jayarama shoots him and reveals the truth about Nandini's origin to a dying Vasu. In the end, Jayarama, Revathi and Nandini begin a new life together as a loving family.
Cast
*
Shiva Rajkumar
Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy (born 12 July 1962) known by his screen name Shiva Rajkumar, is an Indian actor, producer and television presenter, predominantly works in Kannada cinema. as Jayarama aka Ramappa
*
Kruthika Jayakumar
Kruthika Jayakumar is an Indian actress and classical dancer. She appears in South India films.Kruthika has worked in popular movies like Kavacha, Intlo Deyyam Nakem Bayam. Kruthika's previous film to hit the theatres was Kavacha in the year ...
as Revathi
*
Isha Koppikar
Isha Koppikar (born 19 September 1976) is an Indian actress, model and politician who has mostly appeared in Hindi cinema. She has also acted in several Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Marathi films.
Background
Koppikar was born in Mahim, Bombay (no ...
as Gowri
*
Baby Meenakshi
Anunaya Anoop better known by her stage name Meenakshi Anoop, is an Indian actress who works primarily in the Malayalam film industry. She is best known for her role as Fathima (Pathu/Pathumma) in the 2015 comedy film '' Amar Akbar Anthony ''and ...
as Nandini
*
Vasishta N. Simha as Vasudeva
* Iti Acharya
*
Ravi Kale
Ravi Kale is an Indian actor known for his works in Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Marathi films.
Filmography
;Marathi
*''Bangarwadi'' (1995)
*'' Sumbaran'' (2009)
*'' Pipani'' (2012)
*'' Vanilla,Strawberry & Chocolate'' (2018)
;Hindi
*'' E ...
as
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
Basavaraj
* Rajesh Nataranga
*
Ramesh Bhat
Ramesh Bhat is a multiple-award–winning Indian actor. He has worked predominantly in Kannada films and television serials.
Early life
Ramesh Bhat was born in Kundapur. He completed his primary education at Manki and portrayed national leader ...
as Jayarama's uncle
*
Girija Lokesh
Girija Lokesh is an Indian theatre and film actress and occasional film producer who works in Kannada cinema. She is wife of actor Lokesh, and is the mother of former actress Pooja Lokesh, and actor and television presenter Srujan Lokesh. In re ...
as Jayarama's aunt
*Vishwas Bharadwaj
*
Srikanth Iyengar
Srikanth Krishnaswamy Iyengar is an Indian actor who works in Telugu-language films. 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, Mehabooba, C ...
as Natraj
*
Srinivas Prabhu
Srinivasa Prabhu is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry and a theatre artist in Karnataka, India. Some of the notable films of Srinivasa Prabhu as an actor include ''Bimba - Those 90 Minutes'' (2018), ''Kanooru Heggadithi'' (1999), Hudugar ...
*
Jayaprakash
V. Jayaprakash is an Indian actor and producer who works in Tamil and Telugu-language films. He ventured into film business in the early 2000s as a producer, making several films under his banner GJ Cinema and later turned actor, with Cheran's ...
as Krishnamurthy
*Laya Kokila as Manja
*
Tabla Nani
Tabla Nani is an Indian theatre and film actor who works primarily in Kannada cinema. He began his career as a supporting actor in the 2006 Kannada film '' Mata''. His role in the 2009 film ''Eddelu Manjunatha'' won him critical praise.
Career ...
as Gurusiddha, Jayarama's friend
*
Prakash Thuminad
Prakash Thuminad is an Indian film actor who works in Kannada cinema. He also the SIIMA award for best comedian in 2019 for his role in the film '' Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai''.
He is associated with the Kannada fi ...
as Balu, Jayarama's friend
*Madhu Hegde
*K. S. Ravindranath
*Malathi Shekhar
*Girish Jatti
*Krishna Hebbale
*
Balaraj
Balaraj is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. He has appeared in '' Anand'' (1986), '' Ratha Sapthami'' (1986), ''Shiva Mecchida Kannappa'' (1988) and ''Samyuktha'' (1988).
Television
# ''Silli Lalli''
Selected filmography
Balaraj h ...
as Shekhar
*Lakshmi Hegde
*Ganesh Rao Kesarkar
Production
In November 2016,
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
confirmed that a
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
remake of his
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
directorial venture ''
Oppam
''Oppam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas and starred Mohanlal, Anusree, Meenakshi, Sam ...
'' would star
Shiva Rajkumar
Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy (born 12 July 1962) known by his screen name Shiva Rajkumar, is an Indian actor, producer and television presenter, predominantly works in Kannada cinema. . The remake, titled ''Kavacha'', is produced by M. V. V. Satyanarayana and A. Sampath under Hayagriva Movie Adishtana, and marks the directorial debut of G. V. R. Vasu.
He also worked as screenwriter, working on the screenplay for more than seven months, rewriting it substantially to suit the interests of Kannada-speaking audiences, that included giving more emphasis to the
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
elements.
Baby Meenakshi
Anunaya Anoop better known by her stage name Meenakshi Anoop, is an Indian actress who works primarily in the Malayalam film industry. She is best known for her role as Fathima (Pathu/Pathumma) in the 2015 comedy film '' Amar Akbar Anthony ''and ...
was chosen to reprise her role from the original.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on 23 November 2017, and ended in early August 2018. Shooting took place in
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
,
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
, and
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
. Rahul Shrivastav was the cinematographer.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by
Arjun Janya
Arjun Janya (born Lokesh Kumar) is an Indian Film composer, film score soundtrack composer and singer. Arjun made his film debut in the 2006 Kannada film ''Autograph Please''. Since then he has composed and scored music for successful films suc ...
and
4 Musics. Janya composed all songs except "Rekkeya", which 4 Musics composed; that song has two versions, a duet and a solo. The film features a remix of the song "Hosa Belaku Moodutidde" from ''
Hosa Belaku
''Hosa Belaku'' () is a 1982 Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Dorai–Bhagavan duo. It is based on the novel of the same name by Vani. The film starred Rajkumar, Saritha, Mamatha Rao and K. S. Ashwath. The movie saw a theatrica ...
'' (1982), but that does not appear on the soundtrack.
Release
''Kavacha'' was released worldwide on 5 April 2019. It was originally scheduled for released on 7 December 2018, but was postponed due to "technical issues" with the sound mixing.
Critical response
Shyamprasad S of ''
Bangalore Mirror
''Bangalore Mirror'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Bangalore, India. It is a deputed newspaper and is the second-largest circulating English newspaper in the city
''Vijay Times''
''Vijay Times'' was an English newspaper st ...
'' said "Shiva Rajkumar as a blind man delivers a stunning performance" and "''Kavacha'' will remain as one
fShiva Rajkumar's best films". Sunayana Surresh of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' called it an emotional tale of revenge that has its moments, especially laudable for the nail-biting climax with both Shivarajkumar and Vasishta N Simha on top of their game. A Sharadhaa of ''New Indian Express'' said that in spite of being a remake, what makes Kavacha stands out on its own is the performance by Shivarajkumar – an obvious sign that he has risen to the stature of a realistic actor.
Aravind Shwetha of '' The News Minute'' noted that a lot of minor characters from the original have been eliminated for good making it a decent thriller with an exceptional performance by Shivanna.
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 8907970
2010s Kannada-language films
2019 action thriller films
2019 directorial debut films
2019 films
Films about blind people in India
Films shot in Bangalore
Films shot in Mysore
Films shot in Ooty
Indian action thriller films
Kannada remakes of Malayalam films