'King Of Kotha' Movie Review

'King Of Kotha' Review

Cast: Dulquer Salman, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shabir, Prasanna, Gokul Suresh, Saran Shakti, Anikha Surendran, Chemban Vinod, TG Ravi and others.

Music: Jakes Bejoy – Shaan Rahman

Cinematography: Nimish Ravi

Writer: Abhilash Chandran

Producer: Dulquer Salman – Zee Studios

Director: Abhilash Joshi

Dulquer Salman gained a lot of following in Telugu with movies like 'OK Bangaram', 'Mahanati' and 'Sita Ramam'. The Malayali star hero who is known for choosing versatile scripts every time has selected a gangster drama this time. Titled 'King Of Kotha', the movie released on a pan-Indian level with good hype and buzz. Let us see how the movie turned out.

Story:

Kanna (Shabir) keeps the city of Kotha under his grip. He sells drugs throughout the city and does all kinds of illegal activities. Newly appointed CI Hasan (Prasanna) tries to stop Kanna's wrongdoings. But Kanna puts a check on Hasan immediately. Hasan finds out about Raju (Dulquer Salman) who is a good friend of Kanna and ruled Kotha at one point in time. After knowing Raju's story, Hasan decides to bring back Raju to Kotha. What happens after that? Why did Raju leave Kotha? Answers to all these questions form the rest of the story.

Analysis:

All the gangster dramas follow a set pattern. A normal man becomes a rowdy under unavoidable circumstances. He starts off small and grows into a kingpin. But the same crime which made him the king turns against him and he leaves the place. He comes back after some time and gets back his throne by killing the existing criminals. We have seen a lot of movies in the same format. No matter how it starts, the end is always the same. When Dulquer Salman selects a gangster flick and even agrees to produce it, one may expect something different from 'King of Kotha'. But this film also turns out to be a regular gangster flick which is majorly carried by Dulquer himself along with the rest of the artists and rich technical quality. In this film spanning around three hours, the movie engages you only on multiple occasions.

People who got used to Malayalam films in OTT platforms know how they run. Unlike other regional cinema, they won't have a racy screenplay and they focus more on detailing. There will not be any punch dialogues or huge elevation scenes. Rather than a few heroic moments and mass scenes, 'King Of Kotha' too follows the same template. But what the film did not have are the twists that we see in Malayalam thrillers or the deep emotional drama. 'King Of Kotha' is not a complete South Indian action drama or a typical Malayalam film. There are not many moments in the film which give a high to the audience.

Rather than showing the hero as a zero at the start, he was introduced as a don right at the beginning. This is the only thing that is different in 'King Of Kotha'. Elevating the villain first and introducing the hero as the only man to beat him is a good strategy. But the backstory of the hero is not strong. The flashback which lasts for an hour doesn't have any wow moments. Showing the hero as a footballer and him playing with his gang alongside doing crime is an interesting touch. The love track lacks freshness and it is Dulquer's screen presence along with Jakes Bejoy's music that makes the audience engaged.

The first half is passable with decent twists and some good scenes but the second half tests the patience of the viewers. The scenes showcasing the hero's return to Kotha and ending the villain's rule are very routine. One action scene arrives after another but the story doesn't move forward. The audience wait for the climax as they already know how the movie ends. You need a lot of inner strength to watch a three-hour movie with a slow pace and regular turns. If you are okay with that, Dulquer's performance, background score and stylish taking will impress you. While it is a must-watch for Dulquer's fans, the same cannot be said about the regular audience.

Performances:

No matter what role Dulquer Salman plays, he owns it completely. His acting is perfect in this movie. This is the first time that he is doing a character with mass touch but he fitted in straightaway. He suited the elevation scenes too and carried a lot of scenes with intensity too. His fans will immensely like his character and he is phenomenal. He carried the film on his shoulders. Shabir who mesmerised everyone in the Dancing Rose role in 'Sarpatta' has impressed big time as a villain. He played a completely different role from what he did in 'Sarpatta'. Aishwarya Lekshmi is fine in terms of acting but she looks very ordinary in terms of looks. Naila did well as the villain's wife. Chemban Vinod is impressive as an English-speaking don. The rest of the cast are okay.

Technicians:

Jakes Bejoy who worked in a couple of Telugu movies has given a fantastic background score for 'King Of Kotha'. It may not be what the Telugu audiences are used to but it is the major plus point of the movie. Ravi's cinematography is wonderful and his mood lighting was perfect for a gangster-themed movie. The movie is technically amazing and Abhilash Joshi's taking is quite good but the lack of novelty in the story and screenplay are the minus points of 'King Of Kotha'. There are not many turns in the movie and drama did not work well too. On top of that, the pace of the film is too slow.

Verdict: 'King Of Kotha' – Same Story & Snail Pace!

Rating: 2/5