The current study represents the modification of the side-chain functionality of kafirin to prepare amide and ester derivatives. To explore the effect of the pendant group on kafirin protein, the derivatives were subjected to film formation by compression molding. Mechanical and thermal behaviors of these films were investigated. FTIR and NMR confirmed the formation of amide and ester derivatives. Amide-derived films showed a reduction in the water absorption capacity as compared to the ester-derived films. The mechanical properties of amide-derived films were higher than that of unmodified kafirin films due to the high proportion of grafted pendant groups. Kafirin treated with benzoyl chloride system has the highest tensile modulus as compared to the other modification. These findings suggest that the kafirin has the potential to be used as a packaging material in various sectors. [GRAPHICS] .