Kabadadaari Review 

Remaking films is not an easy process. And when the source content is from a Kannada film, the process deserves more effort. Pradeep Krishnamoorthy's third directorial outing in Kabadadaari is a clean remake that keeps the momentum going for a majority of its runtime. The film does have its flaws, but does not seep into unwanted territories, following its skeleton to the fullest.

Shakti (Sibiraj) is an earnest cop who works in the traffic department. On one day, he finds three skulls in a site near his point of work, and develops interest to find out the truth behind the case. Shakti gets help from a journalist and also extends the case to Ranjan, an ex-cop who helps him with the details. The film moves on a patient path where the bits and pieces of information on the case are fed to the audiences through a well spread-out narrative. The first half is very neat and catapults the core of the plot to the forefront very well, setting things up perfectly at the halfway mark. The second half has a lot of reveals, but the inconsistencies begin to sweep in and break down the flow of the film by a bit. However, the final stretch of the film does its job well and ends on a good note.

Kabadadaari has Sibi delivering another fair performance as a tough cop. The actor looks quite confident and carries out his dialogues well. The two seasoned actors in Nasser and Jayaprakash do justice to their parts with good performances that earn them enough attention.

Technically, Kabadadaari is solid with Rasamathi's cinematography doing a great job with many impressive frames. Simon King's songs and background score are done in a fabulous manner, turning out to be one of the best things about the film. His BGM cues in particular, elevate a lot of the scenes in the film.

On the whole, Kabadadaari is a finely crafted crime drama that keeps the clock ticking despite the flaws. The film has a racy and good first half, followed by a second half that walks along with some lags. The team of Pradeep Krishnamoorthy along with the dialogue writers John Mahendran and Dhananjayan have ensured that the procedural part of the film remains intact, and have kept the focus on the case without giving way to commercial compromises. The film could've been made with more clarity and excitement in the proceedings, but what has come now is definitely a faithful remake that delivers the goods.

Bottomline

Sibi Sathyaraj is earnest in this engaging crime drama. 

Rating: 3/5