Director: Raveendranath; Writer: Raveendranath; Producer: Chandulal Jain; Cinematographer: Mallikarjuna; Cast: Devaraj, Lokesh, Vanita Vasu, Sivakumar, Manu, Girish, Rajaram, Avinash, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Sundarakrishna Urs, Mukhyamantri Chandru, Mysore Lokesh, Triveni, Chandrakumari, Leela Basavaraj, Ratnamma, Sumalatha, Radha, Vijay, Seema, Ravivarma, B.M. Venkatesh
Summary: Topical film referring, in part, to notorious reallife
sandalwood smuggler Veerappan,
operating on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border,
who hit the news following a series of violent
encounters with the police in the early 90s.
Like crime journalism dramatising the
confrontations between the good and bad
while retaining a veneer of support for the
legal system, the film is formally dedicated to
the police who lost their lives in their efforts to
capture Veerappan. However, it begins with a
scene in which Veerappan (Devaraj) discusses
and gives his approval to the production. A
priest then explains Veerappan’s life as being a
consequence of his impoverished childhood.
This leads to the next character, Nayakan
(Lokesh), formerly Veerappan’s employer, but
now his enemy, who points to the latter’s
Robin Hood-type inclinations. Veerappan’s
revenge for the rape of his sister and his
encounters with the police then follow. The
film ends with a pair of brave police officers
setting out to get him, but he eludes them.
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