Cast: Karthi, Rakul Preet Singh, Ranjith, Abhimanyu Singh, Bose Venkat and others
Director: H Vinoth
It must run in the family. Karthi pulls off his role as a cop in Khakee with aplomb, after brother Suriya’s Singham and its sequels. Before its release, Karthi had said Khakee would be more realistic and than Singham, and the film lives up to that promise. Khakee is set in the decade from 1995. Dheeraj (Karthi) is a newly recruited DSP and is sent to a small town in Tamil Nadu. He learns of a dacoit gang that operates in the neighbourhood, striking at will, killing people, looting cash and gold. Dheeraj sets on nabbing this gang, and the trial leads to Rajasthan. He asks for a team to take on the gang, but is turned down. He gets the go-ahead when the dacoits kill an MLA. There are many stories featuring police officers, but most are commercialised. Director Vinoth treats Khakee in a more authentic manner. In the first half, it must be said, he takes his time to get to the point and it can get to be a tad stretched. The focus in the first half an hour is mainly on Karthi and Rakul Preet Singh.
Once Vinoth warms up, things get interesting. The second half gripping, and the backdrop of Rajasthan adds to the mood. The scenes where Karthi and his team are attacked by villagers and how the cops nab a key suspect are worth mentioning. The bus chase sequence has a nice touch to it. Vinoth also spares a moment for the police who go off on operations and miss their families. The director has also done some research on the dacoit gangs, and it shows. Karthi simply steals the show, with what definitely is one of his best performances.
He lives the role, and does so in an original manner. Bose Venkat as Karthi’s assistant is lively. Abhimanyu Singh fits well into the villain’s role. Rakul Preet Singh’s appearance is limited to the first half. The cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan is one of the highlights, especially the chases in Rajasthan. The film goes easy on dialogues, and the story flows through the visuals. The background music is good, but the songs are not impressive. Khakee is a different experience for the Telugu audience with Karthi’s performance and the entire second half set in Rajasthan to recommend it.
