Kanguva Review: A Visual Spectacle with Untapped Potential\

Kanguva, the new fantasy epical with Suriya starring in it, tries to clearly find its place in the pantheon of such cinematic grandeur akin to Baahubali and KGF. With its soaring visuals, mythic storytelling, and having a lead actor whose screen presence is magnetic, the film clearly tries to stake its claim as a Tamil blockbuster. But, for all the film’s dazzling spectacle, it ultimately stumbles on an incongruous narrative and unexploited potential that seems to thwart it from reaching its finest heights.

A Story That Opens with a Bang and Closes with a Whimper

This Siva-directed film starts off on the wrong tragic note. The first 30 minutes of Kanguva are as messy as they come—sloppy writing, exaggerated performances, and a story that seems to lose its way. We are introduced to three present-day bounty hunters, including the lead, Francis Theodore (Suriya), and his goofy sidekick, Colt 95 (Yogi Babu), who embark on a chaotic mission. There is very little in the writing that makes meaningful connections to the characters, and the dialogue too often feels hollow, much of the comedy feeling forced and irrelevant.

The opening scenes of the movie are a rush prelude that establishes nothing significant. What little one knows about Francis’s love life and professional life can’t be stopped, as Angela, played by Disha Patani, is somewhat just an ephemeral shadow who wants to be this line that was strictly fleshed out in detail. It creates early problems in becoming emotionally attached to the affairs in the screen as it is difficult to really care with what is taking place since it seems that all characters appear almost somewhat interchangeable and shallow as well.

But Kanguva really gets cranked up when it becomes the story of five island tribes in a state of war and takes one back around 1070 AD. This is the part of the movie where it started to feel it was really getting its feet wet and becoming much more immersive. The spotlight now shifts to Kanguva (Suriya as well), the powerful prince of Perumaachi island, a place whose people reverence fire and live in a verdant, idyllic paradise that becomes the site of battle for an impending Roman conquest. Charisma Galore, But the Script Falters

No question that dual roles of Suriya in Kanguva remain the biggest attractions to the movie. As Kanguva, he plays out a role that fits into the archetype of the unstoppable warrior: fierce, honorable, and seemingly unbeatable. His multiple performances as the larger-than-life hero come out fine, especially in the scenes that take place in the past, with the pomp of the visual effects taking the shine off his commanding presence.

However, owing to his attempt, it does not help provide Kanguva with an emotional depth that could have made the journey interesting enough. Some instances in the movie reveal Kanguva about to become soft and gentle, especially when caring for a little orphan. However, his potential for emotional richness comes a waste because the film returns to being a role of stereotypical shootouts and machismo posturing right away.

It is quite evident that the film wants to achieve the same mythic heft of Baahubali or KGF. In a sense, however, Kanguva cannot emerge out from the shade of these films as there is no coherent storytelling and character development. Because the hero is described broadly, there is little space for nuances, and hence the emotional stoke never gets as high as it should get.

A Feast for the Eyes, If Maybe Lacking in Meat

Visually, at least, Kanguva is a feast to behold.

The cinematography by Vetri Palanisamy is done to sublime effect in these sweeping frames that somehow bring the viewer right into the world of the film. The elemental forces of wind, water, and fire are central to the film’s themes, and it shows remarkably so in the visuals of the film, especially in the war scenes. The visuals have a lot of splendor to it, with some quite mind-boggling CGI that make up for a feast for the eyes, especially in action-heavy sequences set in the past. However, the entire sound design and music of the film is quite disappointing. The background score which is supposed to enhance the heroism of Kanguva at times becomes distracting. This music is way too melodramatic, and voiceovers which sideline enough space by commenting on what’s transpiring in the protagonist’s mind, despite trying to create an experience for the audience, do a disservice to the same.

Poor Villain
One of the big misses of Kanguva is its weak villain.

Bobby Deol makes his Tamil debut as Uthiran, a general heading the Roman invasion of the island. Alas, the character of Uthiran is nothing but one-dimensional and is more or less a plot tool rather than a proper nemesis to Kanguva. Never once does the script develop the villain, so when the villain does come into play, his actions feel predictable and uninspired. The climax of the movie, which brings together, finally, the confrontation between hero and villain, past and present, doesn’t exactly live up to what that plot had promised.

Two Films in One: A Jarring Mix of Timelines and Genres

One of the more ambitious elements in Kanguva is its attempted fusion of timelines—the present and the past. No one can get away from laying a level of ambition on that.

This concept is never fully realized. The transitions between the two timelines come off a bit disjointedly, and the film often has trouble finding balance between its tones. The contemporary pieces, particularly the sci-fi thriller elements, come across as awkwardly forced and pull away from the film’s epic quality. But scenes portraying the past are more engaging in such a movie; they have a much better structured narrative about Kanguva’s fight against aggressors and treachery. It gives some much-needed visual scope to the film, and Suriya the much-needed space to earn all the credit. But such a contrast between this story now and the story of the former creates a disjointed viewing experience that the film never earns its pace for. The Future: Chances of a Sequel, but Only on a Strengthened Script

As Kanguva draws to a close, one can quite easily see the signs of a sequel.

The movie ends at the end, and with such an ending, it seems doors open for the expansion of this storyline further. However, that would only rely on the strength of the script if the franchise is ever completed.

If the writing does not get much better than it is here, Kanguva will not be able to build a lasting legacy as Baahubali or KGF have. Currently, though, Kanguva is a slick cinematic visual treat that goes through the motions of carrying off Suriya’s star power while managing to waste those opportunities with incoherent storytelling and neglected character work. It is a film with potential-it waits to bloom into better writing and narration throughout. Verdict: Kanguva is a feast for the eyes but leaves the mind unsatisfied.

It is an ambitious effort that falls extremely short of where it needs to be in emotional and narrative depth, for a movie to really be an epic.

Wherein Suriya’s performance and the visuals are breathtaking, the inability of the film to balance scale with coherent storytelling proves a huge limitation in realizing the full potential of the movie.

Indeed, if it does come, the sequel will certainly require a much more substantial script to live up to the greatness in which its premise enlarges Kanguva.