Kavacha
Kavacha (transl. Armour) is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by G. V. R. Vasu in his directorial debut. It is a remake of Priyadarshan's Mohanlal starrer 2016 Malayalam blockbuster Oppam, with changes made in the script to suit the interests of Kannada-speaking audiences. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Kruthika Jayakumar, Isha Koppikar, Baby Meenakshi and Vasishta N. Simha in the lead roles. It was released worldwide on 5 April 2019 and got positive reviews from critics.
Kavacha | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | G. V. R. Vasu |
Produced by |
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Written by | M. S. Ramesh (Dialogues) |
Screenplay by | G. V. R. Vasu |
Story by | Govind Vijayan |
Based on | Oppam |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Ananth Nag |
Music by | Arjun Janya 4 Musics |
Cinematography | Rahul Shrivastav |
Edited by | Joni Harsha |
Production company | Hayagriva Movie Adishtana |
Distributed by | Jayanna Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 158 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Kannada |
Plot
Jayarama is a blind handyman in an apartment complex. When a retired Supreme Court judge who resides there trusts him with a secret and makes him the guardian of his daughter before he is murdered, Jayarama's world changes. He now has to deal with Vasudeva, a vengeful serial killer.
Cast
- Shiva Rajkumar as Jayarama alias Ramappa[1]
- Kruthika Jayakumar as Revathi[2]
- Isha Koppikar as Gowri[3]
- Baby Meenakshi as Nandhini[1]
- Vasishta N. Simha as Vasudeva[1]
- Iti Acharya[4]
- Ravi Kale[5]
- Rajesh Nataranga
- Ramesh Bhat
- Girija Lokesh
- Vishwas Bharadwaj
- Srinivas Prabhu
- Jayaprakash as Krishna Murthy
- Laya Kokila
- Tabla Nani
- Prakash Thuminad
- Madhu Hegde
- K. S. Ravindranath
- Malathi Shekhar
- Girish Jatti
- Krishna Hebbale
- Balaraj
- Lakshmi Hegde
- Ganesh Rao Kesarkar
Production
In November 2016, Priyadarshan confirmed that a Kannada remake of his Malayalam directorial venture Oppam would star Shiva Rajkumar as the male lead.[6] The remake, titled Kavacha, is produced by M. V. V. Satyanarayana and A. Sampath under Hayagriva Movie Adishtana,[7] and marks the directorial debut of G. V. R. Vasu.[5] 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 elements.[8] Baby Meenakshi was chosen to reprise her role from the original.[9] Principal photography began on 23 November 2017,[10][11] and ended in early August 2018. Shooting took place in Mysore, Ooty, and Bangalore. Rahul Shrivastav was the cinematographer.[5]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Arjun Janya and 4 Musics.[12] Janya composed all songs except "Rekkeya", which 4 Musics composed; that song has two versions, a duet and a solo.[13] The film features a remix of the song "Hosa Belaku Moodutidde" from Hosa Belaku (1982), but that does not appear on the soundtrack.[14]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Kanneera" | K. Kalyan | Arjun Janya | Vyasraj | 4:35 |
2. | "Yaaro Nee" | K. Kalyan | Arjun Janya | Vyasraj | 3:32 |
3. | "Rekkeya" (duet) | V. Nagendra Prasad | 4 Musics | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sreya Jayadeep | 5:09 |
4. | "Rekkeya" (solo) | V. Nagendra Prasad | 4 Musics | Sreya Jayadeep | 4:43 |
Release
Kavacha was released worldwide on 5 April 2019.[15] It was originally scheduled for released on 7 December 2018,[16] but was postponed due to "technical issues" with the sound mixing.[17]
Critical response
The film received positive critical response. Shyamprasad S of Bangalore Mirror said "Shiva Rajkumar as a blind man delivers a stunning performance" and "Kavacha will remain as one [of] Shiva Rajkumar's best films".[18] Sunayana Surresh of The Times of India 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.[19] 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.[1] 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.[20]
References
- Sharadhaa, A. (6 April 2019). "'Kavacha' review: Shivarajkumar steals the show". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- "My dream of acting with Shivarajkumar is fulfilled: Kruthika Jayakumar". The Times of India. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- Desai, Dhwani (30 March 2019). "Isha Koppikar thinks this kind of role suits her". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- "Acting classes are a must: Iti". Deccan Herald. 7 September 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- "'Kavacha': It is a wrap for the Shivraj Kumar starrer". The Times of India. 2 August 2018. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- Aravind, K. S. (30 November 2016). "Oppam to be dubbed in Tamil". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- Sharadhaa, A. (26 March 2018). "Shivarajkumar wears a different hat in 'Kavacha'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- Desai, Dhwani (15 December 2018). "Shivarajkumar's first remake in 14 years has a lot of original content". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- Nischith, N. (24 November 2017). "Kannada superstar Shivrajkumar back to remakes: Kavacha is the remake of 2016 Malayalam crime thriller Oppam". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- Sundar, Priyanka (23 November 2017). "Kavacha first look: Shivarajkumar stars in the Kannada remake of Malayalam film Oppam". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- Manoj Kumar, R. (23 November 2017). "Shivarajkumar's Kavacha goes on floor, see first look of Oppam remake". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- "Kavacha". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- Zee Music South (12 November 2018). "Kavacha – Audio Jukebox | Shivaraj Kumar & Baby Anunaya". YouTube. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- Sharadhaa, A. (3 January 2019). "Popular track Hosa belaku from Rajkumar's recreated for Shivarajkumar's Kavacha". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- Suresh, Sunanya (5 April 2019). "Kavacha Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- "Kavacha all set to release on December 7". The Times of India. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- Md, Yacoob (16 March 2019). "Exclusive: Sandalwood Hattrick Hero Shivrajkumar-starrer Kavacha to release worldwide on April 5: Director Vasu". Asianet News. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- Shyam Prasad, S. (5 April 2019). "Kavacha movie review: Shiva Rajkumar as a blind man delivers a stunning performance". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- Suresh, Sunayana (5 April 2019). "Kavacha Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- Shwetha, Aravind (5 April 2019). "'Kavacha' review: Shiva Rajkumar's thriller makes for an engaging watch". The News Minute. Retrieved 8 April 2019.