'Koose Munisamy Veerappan' review: ZEE5 documentary's E01 is partly thrilling
Koose Munisamy Veerappan, a documentary based on the life and crimes of the notorious murderer and poacher Veerappan (the title is his full name), landed on ZEE5 on Thursday. A marriage of documentary footage and fictional recreation, the documentary is narrated from the perspective of Veerappan's family members, neighbors, police officers, and journalists. Despite such rich material at its core, it's not consistently thrilling.
But first, familiarize yourself with the criminal
As per the statistics presented in the 45-minute-long episode, Veerappan, who primarily operated from the dense forests of the South Indian states of India, poached about 2,000 elephants and murdered 187 people. Most of his victims were government officers, cops, and forest department officers. The episode also lays bare the nexus between criminals and government officers, underlining rampant corruption that facilitated uncontrolled wildlife hunting.
Veerappan exists as a myth, a legend
It's interesting to see how journalists and cops describe Veerappan; at one point, he is called a "TB patient" (figuratively) and at another juncture, he is hailed as someone who is "daring, ruthless, and cruel." Veerappan died in 2004, but he lives on in the memories of these people—he's almost a legend, a larger-than-life presence that corrupted the lives of an entire territory.
Can be a good way to learn about Veerappan
In case you're unfamiliar with Veerappan, this six-episode-long documentary is a good starting point, particularly because it drills into the psyche of how criminals think, operate, and execute crimes—in their eyes, they do no wrong. Incorporating Veerappan's real footage in the introductory episode is a good choice—it pulls the viewer in and raises the stakes. Whatever thrill this episode has, it emanates from here.
Flaws: Should have solely been a documentary, not fictional recreation
At several points while watching Episode 1, I wondered whether this episode could have worked better if it were not a marriage of fact and fiction (recreation and footage) and the makers had stuck to just the interviews. The unnecessary recreations don't add much value to the episode, specifically because more often than not, the actors are only reduced to body doubles.
How does it fare as compared to other documentaries?
Netflix is a frontrunner when it comes to documentaries based on ill-famous personalities, and it's a treasure trove of stories based on real people. ZEE5's documentary is quite feeble when contrasted with Netflix's titles such as Don't F**K With Cats, House of Secrets: Burari Deaths, The Tinder Swindler, and most importantly, the limited series The Hunt for Veerappan. KMV lacks that stinging bite.
Verdict: It gets 2.5/5 from us
The first episode offers a couple of points of heightened intrigue but it's unable to maintain its momentum consistently. Strangely enough, there are also spelling errors in the English subtitles and Veerappan's daughter's track (who I was excited to see) appears and disappears out of nowhere. Still, for its subject matter and because it features Veerappan himself, I would recommend you try it once.
