Movie Review : King of Kotha
SI Shahul Hassan ( Prasanna) is posted at a town called Kotha. There Tara (Aishwarya Lakshmi) a social worker tells him about a cruel don Kannan Bhai ( Shabeer Kallarakkal) who indulges in selling ganja and other nefarious activities.
Shahul is determined to catch him but things are not so easy. Upon investigation he finds out about Kannan's history which involves his best friend Raju Bhai ( Dulquer Salman) who was the king of Kotha as a don. But a fallout between the duo led to gang wars and bloodshed.
What is their backstory ? Where is Raju now? What is the plan Shahul has to nab both the dons in one go? Does he succeed?
The film has gives off a KGF kind of vibe given the narrative of a period setting and a don backstory.
The splendid art work is immaculately done to take you back in time of the story setting (80's and 90's ).
The multiple supporting characters do a good job at performing and bringing the narrative to life.
Dulquer, the fine performer that he is, gives it his best, bringing a panache to his role with his style and presence. But he doesnt quite ace the power and menace of a don, shown mostly as lovelorn and drunk a major part of the time. However, hia action scenes pack a punch with scenes showcasing his agility and swift moves all at once.
Shabeer Kallarkkal with his hefty body build and crafty behaviour brings out both the angst and greed of his character very convincingly.
Aishwarya Lakshmi is in a role that hardly gives her any scope to perform. Nyla Usha as Kannan's wife brings out the shades of grey beautifully.
Prasanna is terrific as the cop with a plan and his presence is a huge plus.
The visuals are well captured and the bgm heightens the drama.
The film, a crime drama, sprinkled with betrayal, action and romance make it a power keg but some scenes give a repetitive vibe at times, slowing the pace. However, the movie, which could have had better writing, is held together with superb performances good Bgm, visuals and art work and nuggets of inter-personal relationship scenes which leave an impact.
Rating 3/5
King of Kotha
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Dancing Rose Shabeer, Prasanna, Nyla Usha, Chemban Vinod, Gokul Suresh, Shammi Thilakn, Shanthi Krishna, Vada Chennai Saran, and Anikha Surendran
Directed by: Abhilash Joshiy
Writer: Abhilash N Chandran
Cinematography: Nimish Ravi
Music: Jakes Bejoy
Editor: Shyam Sasidharan
Production Design: Nimesh M Thanoor
Stills: SBK
Sound Design: RESONANCE AUDIOS
Mixing: M R Rajakrishnan
Publicity Designs: NXT GEN Studio, Viyaki
Subtitles: Sherylene Rafeeque
Trailer Edit: Ruben
Editing Team: Newton Prabhu and Srihari