My Honest Take on the Kannappa Budget: Was That ₹200 Crores an Epic Gamble?

When I started watching Kannappa on Amazon Prime Video, I had high hopes for this movie. After all, a ₹200 crore budget movie does not happen every day. 

The money is clearly on screen: the sets are jaw-dropping, there are international locations, and big-name cameos. However, while it looks great, I found that the action does not match the spectacle. Here is my honest review of Kannappa.

An Ambitious Tale with a Huge Budget

I watched Kannappa on Amazon Prime Video. I personally think that this movie is a visual treat that justifies its massive budget of ₹200 crore. But the plot and story of this mythological drama fail to grab the attention of the viewers and keep up with the grandeur as expected. This Kannappa movie review will give you a comprehensive overview of the film.

Short Synopsis (NO SPOILER)

The movie tells the legendary story of Bhakta Kannappa, an ardent believer of Lord Shiva. The narrative follows Thinnadu, a tribal hunter with no belief in God, on his journey of self-exploration and transformation upon finding a lingam in the woods. His journey of devotion has challenges, leading to a striking and emotional climax.

The movie was initially scheduled for release on April 25, 2025, but was later postponed due to post-production and VFX enhancements. Kannappa was released in theatres on June 27, 2025, in multiple languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada.

The OTT release was on Sep 4, 2025. The movie was released on Amazon Prime in multiple languages.

Acting

Vishnu Manchu gives a fierce performance as Thinnadu. He captures the raw emotion of the character, especially in crucial moments. Moreover, Manchu also does a great job physically committing to the part. 

But the cameos of the stars feel like a missed opportunity. Prabhas as Rudra and Akshay Kumar as Lord Shiva have strong screen presence, but their parts don’t allow them to have a lasting effect. 

Mohanlal’s Kirata is understated and effective, but again short-lived as well. However, some of the supporting performances feel underwritten, so sometimes the emotional beats land unevenly.

Direction

Mukesh Kumar Singh’s direction is ambitious and large in scope. He delivers a fantastic and visually impressive world, from the lush and pristine greenery of the forests to the beauty of the heavens. 

From the beginning, the size of everything is impressive, and it is evident that he wanted the film to be an epic in scale. But at times, he loses sight of the emotional arc of the story, especially in the first part of it. Kannappa also confuses bombast and momentum by running long on some of the scenes that could have utilized tighter focus.

Screenplay

The screenplay, by Vishnu Manchu, is the weakest point in the movie. The flow was slow and inconsistent, starting with a dull romantic subplot and then gathering momentum in the second half with Kannappa’s change in spirituality. 

While the underlying theme of faith vs. doubt is significant, the narrative feels episodic, with important character changes rushed through and emotional anchor points dismissed for broad set pieces. 

The dialogues work, but they lack poetic weight for a mythological epic, producing strong scenes individually, but not necessarily forming a whole piece of work.

Music

The background score composed by Stephen Devassy is one of the plus points of the film. The music helps elevate the overall experience of watching the movie. It is grand and elicits powerful feelings. 

It’s best in the climactic moments, capturing the essence of spiritual around its heart. The choral themes and frenetic and energetic cues to battles enhance the visuals, and though there are songs that feel more like ornamentation than progressing the story (even if entertaining or beautiful), they still do not pull down the overall experience.

Cinematography

The background score composed by Stephen Devassy is one of the USPs of Kannappa. It significantly enhanced the viewing experience. The music is grand and full of emotion and very powerful in the film’s climax as it captures the spirit of the movie. 

The choral elements and the forceful battle sounds enhance the scenes, yet a few songs have a more decorative effect than logical progression in the narrative.

Pacing

Kannappa has a very slow pace and uneven duration. The first half moves at a slow pace and includes a romantic subplot that feels redundant and unnecessary. The entire middle section feels drawn out due to repeated sequences of action that reduce the urgency of the events. 

As a result, the last act, while emotionally impactful and filled with action sequences, feels rushed. A leaner runtime with better editing would result in a story that is more streamlined and has more impact.

Pros

• A Visual Treat: The cinematography and production of Kannappa are stunning. This is among the main USPs of this movie.
• Powerful Background Score: The music and background score are power and hit the emotional chord with the audience according to the storyline.
• Sincere Lead Performance: The performance of Vishnu Manchu as protagonist Thinnadu is praiseworthy.
• Amazing Climax: The final act of the movie certainly delivers a strong and emotional sucker punch.

Cons

• Inconsistent Pacing: The slow pacing during the first half makes the viewers bored.
• Weak Screenplay: The plot feels disconnected and redundant in many places in the movie. Despite the huge budget, the film lacks narrative tightness.
• Underutilized Talent: All the A-list cameos are given lesser screen time to leave a lasting impact.
• Inconsistent VFX: The VFX feels out of place in some scenes of the movie.

Verdict

Kannappa was a flop movie, a box-office bomb considering Kannappa movie budget and collection. Despite the massive budget of ₹200 crore, this movie only managed to collect ₹46 crore worldwide.

But putting aside the financial and box-office earnings, let’s analyze the movie on the basis of its content:

Kannappa is a film that lives up to its grand, epic promised in regards to visuals. The breathtaking visuals and great background score definitely present a spectacle of epic proportions. However, due to the narrative flaws, uneven pacing, and underdeveloped first half, it cannot reach true greatness. 

An experience worth having and an experience worth seeing purely for the visual style and the emotional climax, but be prepared for a long, slow journey to get there.

Who All Should Watch This Movie: If you are into mythological epics, then you should not miss out on Kannappa. The fans of Vishnu Manchu are also supposed to give this movie a shot. But if you are a casual viewer, then the slow pacing of the movie, especially during the first half, might bore you to death. So use your discretion to watch the movie.

My Personal Take: As a movie buff, I liked the movie overall. Yes, some of the aspects of the movie could have been better, but the positive points like cinematography, the lead cast’s performance, and BGM (background music) certainly more than make up for it.

Rating: I would give it 3.5/5

SPOILERS ALERT: Read Only if You Have Watched the Movie

The film’s emotional climax rests on the original Kannappa legend: a devotion so complete that the end result is a sacrifice of the body. If you know the story, you’ll feel at home with the film; otherwise, even if you’re unacquainted with the original tale, the symbolism involved in the final act could still be powerful, though some viewers will likely see the moral conclusion as abrupt.

Thanks for reading my experience. You can read my whole blog, where I share my only experience with my lovely audience.

Soma Chatterjee

I am a content writer with proven experience in crafting engaging, SEO-optimized content tailored to diverse audiences. Over the years, I’ve worked with School Dekho, various startup pages, and multiple USA-based clients, helping brands grow their online visibility through well-researched and impactful writing.