Although the whole thing was cleverly cut together to look as though one single shot, that ambitious boat fight is the best indicator of what Kattalan is like. It’s technically slick, visually solid and often spectacularly good, but there’s also a crime story starring the average man that’s playing on the surface. The film, focused on the little talked about ivory trade world, has to be credited for the departure from the smuggling rackets that have been the norm in the commercial thrillers of India. Director Paul George provides a commendable standpoint for the story, including some impressive elephant moments, action set pieces and dedicated performances from Antony Varghese. As the story unfolds, though, the novelty of the setting slowly wanes, revealing a screenplay characteristically burdened by the same old story, lackluster emotional connection and a protagonist morally suspect but never sufficiently interesting to keep them in the picture.
The story is set in a village that is constantly being attacked by elephants. Human-elephant conflict has caused several deaths, and the villagers are scared. A hunter comes in and offers to safeguard the people. Claiming that such tragedies should never happen again, he takes it upon himself to eliminate the threat posed by the elephants.
Underneath this fine image, however, is a much grimmer reality. He exploits the situation to hunt elephants, smuggle their tusks and slowly constructs an impressive empire out of ivory trading.
Things get interesting when the cops are in close proximity to smuggled merchandise moving through his network. He knows that there’s someone in the organisation who is leaking information, so he starts to find his way around to identify the problem. He meets an influential person at this pivotal moment. I won’t say who this person is, because it is definitely a big surprise in the movie. Eventually the partnership drags him into a bigger crime ring and the rest of the story unfolds.
What I liked about Kattalan was its technical aspect. Given the scope of this material and the resources available, the filmmakers have done a very careful job of staging the film. The first sections with elephants are interesting, and they set the tone. The cinematography does a wonderful job at showing the animals are both a danger and majestic, with a few moments that are definitely memorable.
The highlight of the technical achievement is a shot set against a boat. The sequence is cut together in a way that makes it look as if it were shot as a single scene. It’s a challenging piece of staging and one of the most impressive moments in the film. The attention to the visual presentation, production design and action choreography is clearly apparent through the duration of the film.
The performances are also used to keep the film interesting. Antony Varghese is very good in the title role, adding power and energy to the role. Other key characters include Sunil, Jagadeesh and Dushara Vijayan whose performances are convincing in their roles. The cast is convincing and enthusiastic, regardless of their characters written.
There are a couple of unexpected guest stars thrown in as well that will be sure to spark conversation among viewers. The film also provides foreshadowing of elements beyond its story, on which the audience can be left to exercise their own imagination.
Unfortunately, screenplay is the film’s main drawback. Ivory trafficking is a fascinating subject, but the story is too much of a cliché. In spite of the bizarre setting, the majority of the film plays out like a familiar crime movie, with narrative beats that don’t often feel new or innovative. The background is often unique, but the narrative is seldom as unique.
The one thing I wasn’t finding I could do right was the main character. He’s nothing but a straight-up bad guy for almost three-quarters of the movie. The filmmakers are trying to make it a moral conundrum, but it never feels convincing because he’s going into negative territory so quickly. I never had to feel attached to his success or failure. A morally dubious protagonist can be interesting but only if the audience has a good reason to invest in him. There, that connection never really takes place.
The film tries to add emotional depth nearer the end, but those scenes never really make the cut to creating any impact and turn the film. I felt no emotion for the recording, and the beating of the familiar story line became more apparent.
Another problem is the pacing, It is not particularly long, at about 2 hours, but has a few slow passages which make it feel rather longer than it is. It’s not the run time itself, but how the screenplay manages to fail to hold the attention throughout.
Here, too, logic is not a key issue. It may be wise not to go into much detail about these things for fans of big entertainment, but for those who want a realistic story they should temper their expectations. There are a number of things that will need a high degree of acceptance.
There’s the background score by Ravi Basrur which works well, but didn’t really stick with me. Many of the pieces are borrowed from themes from several of his previous compositions. The score definitely does help to bring the action moments alive but it doesn’t have the freshness that the film is so desperately short of.
Audiences need to know that this is an extremely violent movie. No sex but the killing is gory and never-ending. The A is fully deserved and anyone who is sensitive to violence should be aware of it before going to see it.
I also highly suggest holding through the whole credits. The mid-credit sequence and post-credit sequence are packed with moments that were surprising, and definitely say something about the extent to which the filmmakers are going to explore this story. The setup is intriguing enough to spark curiosity as to what those future developments can offer is yet to be seen.
Ultimately, Kattalan is a well-made action film with great acting and special effects, and an underworld that is not often explored in the context of the ivory trade. However, it never leaves the audience with much to ponder over due to its familiar tale, flabby narrative and uneven rhythm. It’s still in sight but not that interesting.
Rating: 2.5/5
