Arkeshwara (Upendra), an officer in the Indian Air Force, is descended from a family of independence fighters. He is in love with Madhumathi (Shriya Saran), a wealthy girl, and they both want to get married. On the contrary hand, we get to meet some terrible politicians and gangsters that are lusting after power in Amarapura.
Arkeshwara enters the criminal underworld and eventually ascends to the position of king in a complete change of events. Kabzaa’s main plot is around how Arkeshwara, a pilot trainee, develops into a feared underworld Don in post-Independence India.
n Kabzaa, Upendra, who is renowned for his powerful performances, plays a Don in a commercial manner. His persona has been flawlessly portrayed by Upendra. His on-screen charisma is great, and his action avatar was flawless.
Being Madhumathi, Shriya Saran bears the emotional component. Upendra’s love interest is Shriya. She doesn’t appear unusual because it is portrayed in a mature manner for her age and the time period in question.
Kiccha Sudeepa and Shiva Rajkumar’s cameos are a huge relief. Although being on screen for a relatively brief period of time, the actors leave an impression. These are humorous caricatures, the adversaries. As a member of the royal family, Murali Sharma is another actor who falls flat. Sudha overplays her role as Upendra’s mother to the hilt.
Every now and then, a movie breaks new ground with its original idea or style of presentation. One movie that did this was KGF, which revolutionized heroism in Indian cinema. There’s nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from such ground-breaking films, but Kabzaa’s issue is that it almost appears to be a copy of KGF. Kabzaa closely resembles KGF in every way, including the story, narration, and conversation.
The plot of R. Chandru’s narrative has been well explored in previous films. The plot is straightforward but gratifying; it follows the traditional gangster path, but there is significant commercial potential. The second half is comprised of a protracted action sequence with a boisterous background score. It is the classic example of the meaningless mass that has recently developed into a separate genre.
Nevertheless, the issue here is that there is so much senselessness that it overwhelms and drowns the crowd. One is worn out by the time the climax arrives. The conclusion does hint to a sequel, but at that point, one is more interested in finding the door than caring about it. The music of Ravi Basrur is very repetitive. It’s not surprising that the song doesn’t have much of an impact, but the background music is lacking.
The cinematography is passable despite the obvious similarities. Visually, it’s a mixed bag; some shots are really spectacular, but others have inadequately organized mass buildups. The editing also uses visual language that makes Kabzaa appear to be a knockoff.
Kabzaa is a letdown given the predictable plot, dull narration, and lack of feeling. Despite all of its showboating, it misses a soul that would compel us to care about it. Before incorporating violent action scenes into the movie, R. Chandru should really have focused on the plot and narrative. A Missed Opportunity!