Many viewers describe Shaji Kailas' Kaapa as a gangster film, but it is not. To be a wide spread film, there must be clear heroes and villains. There isn't a hero or villain in Kaapa. It was about gang wars in Trivandrum.
Anand (Asif Ali) and Binu Trivikraman (Anna Ben) resettle from Bangalore to Trivandrum, thrilled well about arrival of their first child. Their joy is short-lived, even so, as police constable Arumanayakam (Nandhu) informs Anand of Binu's dark past, which probably contributed to her inclusion on the Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act (KAAPA) list. It is a similar act to goonda acts in that it allows state law enforcement to anticipate criminals.
Kaapa tells a familiar genre film story in flashbacks. At the heart of it all is Prithviraj Sukumaran's Kotta Madhu, a terrifying gang lord whose mere presence sends shivers down the ridges of even law enforcement. He rides up on a Royal Enfield motor bike and watches his gang members sever a man's throat in the middle of the road. He drives an iron rod through his opposition's stomach. Madhu's heinous actions place him on the hit list of not only cops, but also other gangs and individuals. Madhu's main rival is a newspaper owner named Latheef (Dileesh Pothan), who blames Binu Trivikraman for the most of of the city's crimes. As a result, Anand is concerned about his pregnant wife's health.
Kaapa did lack a conventional villain or hero. The film is organized in such a way that it is difficult to sympathise with any of its main characters. Some films, such as Lucifer, are a battle between evil and lesser evil, but Kaapa does not fit that mold.
The film looks and feels like a mass manufacturing, but it has a powerful plot, realistic treatment, and engaging conflicts. The Kotta Madhu character has a backstory, and I really like how the creators use it to add intrigue to the story. It's familiar and somewhat easy to predict, but there's something to chew on in the material.
