Kannappa review: Prabhas shines in a famous story that remembers its soul
Kannappa Movie Review: With a cameo extended by Prabas, Akshay Kumar and Mohanlal, starring Vishnu Manchu in the lead, it is more on the devotion and star power of Kaamos and star power than the mythological film screenplay, direction and execution.
In short
- Kannappa is a modern day retailing of the story of the iconic Shiva devotee
- In the film, Vishnu Manchu is mainly shown with the cameo by Prabas, Mohanlal and Akshay Kumar.
- The devotional film was released in theaters on 27 June 2025
cast Crew
Radiance
actor
Akshay Kumar
The story of Kannappa, an enthusiastic devotee of Lord Shiva, who introduced his eyes to God with devotion is a familiar story for most South Indians. One of the main reasons for this acquaintance, Kannappa Nayar, 1938, in the 1954 Kannada film, Dr. Rajkumar, Bedra Kannappa’s acting is an evergreen classic films – which was also released as a 1976 Telugu film in Telugu, Rajkumar, Shiva Machida Kannappa.
Telugu actor Vishnu Manchu has invested his heart, soul and money with his father and experienced Telugu actor Mohan Babu, in an attempt to re -present the story of this prestigious devotee for the modern audience. From extensive shoots in live places to a contingent of artists of famous actors, including Prabhas, Mohanlal, Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal, the film is echoing with updates since its announcement. But from a creative point of view, does the film reflect the investment made? Does it live for its predecessors? Let’s know!
Thinnadu (Vishnu Manchu) is a fierce warrior who does not see any divinity in idols – only stone. A staunch non-prosecutor, he rejects rituals and ridicules the customs of his tribe. However, in the celestial region of Kailasa, Lord Shiva (Akshay Kumar) and Goddess Parvati (Kajal Aggarwal) closely inspected every step in Thinnadu. Looking at the fate of Shiva, Thinnadu, know that this doubt is ready to become one of his most dedicated followers.
Thinnadu, son of the tribal head (Sarathkumar), is deported to incite a quarrel with his community and to create changes between neighboring tribes, after falling in love with Nemali (Preeti Mukundan), a neighbor’s princess – someone who was promised. This region is the home of five different tribes, and the sacred ‘vulling’ in the heart of their land – an objective of immense spiritual importance. Its divine energy soon attracts the intention of a dark force. As evil on tribes, bets arise: their culture, unity, and survival hangs in balance.
What is the danger of vuling? How will Thinnadu grow to protect your people? Which journey brought him from atheism to full devotion? And who plays a role in bringing him closer to Lord Shiva? Answers to these questions make the story of the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joj8zgit808
The film deserves music, especially devotional songs, first mention. It may look unconventional for a review to start with songs, but for the offering of devotional tracks for experience, they are definitely worth highlight. Shiva Shiva Shankara and Om Naam Shiva left Shakti through their creation. The background score also contributes significantly to the story. The composer shines with singers such as Stephen Dewasi, Vijay Prakash and Shankar Mahadevan.
Vishnu Manchu, as Thinnadu, an atheist warrior, gives a great performance except for action scenes. While the character and circumstances he demands many types of manifestations – since the tone of the scenes continues to change – Vishnu seems to have struggled to maintain and distribute the essential versatility.
However, in the last 50 minutes, when Thinnadu’s character undergoes a change and becomes an enthusiastic devotee of Lord Shiva, adds depth to Vishnu’s natural innocence role. While her romantic scenes with Preeti Mukundan feel like a poorly distraction, she shares chemistry with AASA to actor AASA.
When it comes to direction, screenplay and execution, Kannappa stumbles. Director Mukesh Kumar Singh, known for many mythological TV serials, brings the same melodramatic and slightly old touch to the film. The story and screenplay written by Vishnu Manchu itself adds a fictional arc in the story of devotion that we all know. Although there are interesting ideas in Arc, it suffers from poor execution in both writing and direction.
Apart from Vishnu Manchu, Kannappa has an artist of artists, including veterans like Mohan Babu, Sarathkumar, Brahminandam, Devraj, Madhu and Mukesh Rishi, as well as familiar faces like Preity Mukandan, Brahmaji and Aishwarya Bhaskaran. Preeti Mukundan, as a female lead, provides an impressive performance – brings beauty, elegance, attraction and strong screen appearance to her character. The rest of the artists also perform well.
Prabhas, Akshay Kumar, and Kajal Aggarwal appear in extended cameo roles, while Mohanlal makes a brief appearance in a complicated segment. Prabhas has the most impact as Rudra, with the speed of the story increases considerably after his entry in the second half. Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal, however, are presented in an old school TV serial format, which is slightly reduced to their appearance.
Cinematography by Sheldon Chow, especially during sightseeing scenes shot in New Zealand, is beautiful. However, the VFX provided in patch scenes is quite inconsistent in work quality. The most disappointing technical aspect of the film is editing. While the film could have been crisp, for the audience with pets for poor infections, it could be a difficult watch.
Kannappa has its own proper part of the shortcomings, but from the perspective of a devotion, it manages to tap in the right feelings to the end. The climax offers a dramatic experience that is worth seeing – if someone has patience to wait for it.
