Agent Kannayiram movie review: Santhanam’s detective drama is another misfire from Manoj Beedha

The ideas might have played out well in Manoj’s head, but he fails to translate them for the screens. Strike that, it looks like the ideas didn’t even make it to the paper as the writing is extremely underwhelming. The scenes feel random and incoherent. On top of that, a lot of dialogues look like afterthoughts added during the dubbing because you don’t see the actors mouthing them.

The focus is on the aesthetics and style of the film, which looks and feels pretentious. Kannayiram lives in an abandoned mobile house like the ones you find in American thrillers. His father gives a gun, a family relic, to his mom instead of money for her survival. It’s all too Hollywoodish and wannabe. But that seems to have been the intent as well. Manoj even addresses it in the film when Kannayiram says his incongruous costume of a hat and long coat is more to do with the ‘feel’ than the utility. Maybe, it all worked in the Telugu original Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (Agent Kannayairam is loosely based on the Telugu hit). The problem is it doesn’t work here!

Agent Kannayiram is like the gun in the film. Manoj wants to undercut Chekhov’s gun theory by introducing the gun in the film, which never goes off till the end. Yet, the film fails to establish this like several other things. Everything is unpronounced and lacks the impact the director has aimed for thus we are left with an underwhelming film that tries too hard. Not just the gun, even the film fails to fire.

Agent Kannayiram director: Manoj Beedha

Agent Kannayiram Indian Express rating: 2 stars

Agent Kannayiram cast: Santhanam, Riya Suman, Indhumathy, Pugazh, E Ramadoss