{"id":184593,"date":"2023-08-25T06:41:20","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T06:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/?p=184593"},"modified":"2023-08-25T06:41:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T06:41:20","slug":"dont-waste-your-onam-on-king-of-kotha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indiansapidnews.com\/tv-movies\/dont-waste-your-onam-on-king-of-kotha\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Waste Your Onam On King Of Kotha"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dulquer may be good looking, but how long can you watch him with a cigarette in his mouth, giving that deadpan expression, wonders Divya Nair.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blame it on the unusual success of KGF<\/em>, but there is a growing wave of unoriginal South cinema.<\/p>\n

The super success of the Kannada drama has inspired a slew of Malayalam films with wafer thin scripts that rely heavily on action and violence.<\/p>\n

The desire to deliver a pan-India blockbuster is clearly evident in Dulquer Salmaan’s latest theatrical King of Kotha<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Directed by debutante Abhilash Joshiy, the veteran film-maker Joshiy’s son, KOK<\/em> narrates the story of friendship, love and betrayal against the backdrop of an imaginary town Kotha where criminals battle it out to establish their supremacy.<\/p>\n

In the 1980s, childhood friends Raju (Dulquer) and Kannan Bhai (Shabeer Kallarakkal, remember Dancing Rose from Sarpatta Parambarai<\/em>?) rule Kotha with their illegal activities, simply because the janta love them.<\/p>\n

Raju is the poster boy of Kotha — disowned by his parents, adored by his younger sister, plays football, drinks, smokes, dances, fights like a man and lives by the moment.<\/p>\n

Enter Tara (Aishwarya Lekshmi), who runs a library and stands up against the drugs mafia.<\/p>\n

Raju falls madly in love with her and draws a boundary in his line of business — no drugs — thus standing in the way of Ranjith (Chemban Vinod), a druglord with comic timing.<\/p>\n

Obviously, Raju’s love comes with a cost and Kotha has to pay the price of it.<\/p>\n

Like you would guess, Raju and Kannan are pitted against each other.<\/p>\n

A distraught Raju, betrayed by his love and best friend, chooses to leave Kotha for good.<\/p>\n

Kannan takes advantage of the situation and sets up an empire, until years later, he provokes the city’s new cop Shahul (Prasanna) who devises a plan to bring the boys face-to-face.<\/p>\n

The thing is, you’ve watched the best scenes already in the trailer.<\/p>\n

What you don’t see is how colourful Ranjith’s character is.<\/p>\n

Dressed in a fancy printed shirt, attempting to show off his poor English skills, while displaying a rare insight into his clever mind and logical understanding of situations, he’s clearly the most interesting character in the film.<\/p>\n

It’s a pity the writers thought they could create a bigger, more interesting villain because that’s where the film begins to suffer.<\/p>\n

The best moments and characters are exposed in the first half itself, so much that the second half seems like a waste of time.<\/p>\n

Dulquer is anything but a poor copy of a wannabe anti-hero, heavily inspired by the pressure of his peers. He tries hard to balance his emotions, while delivering action and mouthing dialogues that deserve a lot more spice and novelty.<\/p>\n

Dulquer may be good looking, but how long can you watch him with a cigarette in his mouth, giving that deadpan expression?<\/p>\n

Even actors like Vijay, Ajit and Suriya can salvage the lack of script with their dancing and dialogues, but Dulquer struggles to match up.<\/p>\n

Having said that, what makes you tolerate the mediocrity and predictability of the script is the screenplay and the camera tricks that tease your senses.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the set designs and choice of costumes, makeup and hairstyle play a significant role in recreating the ’80s in an imaginary Kotha.<\/p>\n

In the slow-motion action sequences, do watch out for the recreated ad banners and posters in the background. The Rotomac pen gets a special mention too.<\/p>\n

It’s also delightful to watch a bunch of fit-looking actors onscreen, something Malayalam cinema has been missing for years, whether it is them playing football or simply punching each other.<\/p>\n

Shabeer is a promising talent that needed a better character arc. So are many other actors who are underutilised in this mass drama.<\/p>\n

The climax hints at a possible sequel, where perhaps, we hope Nyla Usha gets a meatier role because girl, she makes for a stunning villain.<\/p>\n

Do not waste your Onam on this mediocre drama because you would rather watch it on a smaller screen at home few weeks later.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n