Release Date : August 24, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 2.25/5
Starring: Dulquer Salmaan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Dancing Rose Shabeer, Prasanna, Nyla Usha, Anika Surendran, Chemban Vinod, Gokul Suresh, Shanthi Krishna
Director: Abhilash Joshiy
Producers: Wayfarer Films & Zee Studios
Music Directors: Jakes Bejoy, Shaan Rahman
Cinematographer: Nimish Ravi
Editors: Shyam Sasidharan
Related Links : Trailer
Dulquer Salmaan has emerged as a PAN India star with his recent films, and now he has come up with the gangster action drama King Of Kotha. The movie, directed by Abhilash Joshiy, has Dancing Rose Shabeer, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prasanna, Nyla Usha, Anika Surendran, and Chemban Vinod in crucial roles. The movie hit the screens today, and let’s see how it is.
Story:
Khanna Bhai (Dancing Rose Shabeer) is a drug lord in Kotha town. C.I. Shahul Haasan (Prasanna) decides to eradicate the drug mafia in the town, but he fails to do so. Shahul learns that Kotha has been under the control of Raju (Dulquer Salmaan) a few years back and that Khanna Bhai is Raju’s dear friend. But both Raju and Khanna Bhai part ways due to a few reasons. What made them separate? What did C.I. Shahul Haasan do then? This forms part of the crux of the story.
Plus Points:
It is undoubtedly Dulquer Salmaan’s show from the start to the end. The versatile actor breathes life into Raju’s character and performs with ease. His role is neatly designed who wishes to wipe out the drug mafia. The actor is good in the action sequences, too.
Dancing Rose, a.k.a Shabeer Kallarakkal, did a convincing job as a gangster. He gets a meaty role and does his part with finesse. Chemban Vinod’s English diction is funny, and he evoked decent laughs. The background score composed by Jakes Bejoy becomes a blessing in disguise in this film.
Minus Points:
Well, to start off with, this is not the kind of story one expects from a Dulquer Salmaan film. It is a regular gangster drama, and narrative-wise, too, the film isn’t any different. Dulquer and Dancing Rose try their best to lift the film with the performances, but the weak story hampers the impact considerably.
For the most part, the narrative is snail-paced, and it requires a great deal of patience to complete the film. The editing team did a poor job, as many prolonged sequences could have been trimmed down. Also, the film is highly predictable, and the climax is stretched for no reason.
Other than Dulquer, Dancing Rose, and Chemban Vinod, to a certain extent, none of the characters are impactful. There has been a lot of effort that has gone into the film’s making, but more care was required as far as writing is concerned
Technical Aspects:
The songs composed by Jakes Bejoy and Shaan Rahman are okay, but the background score by Jakes Bejoy was extremely good. The movie is set in the period backdrop, and the art direction team did a good job in recreating the bygone era. Nimish Ravi’s cinematography is excellent. The production values are fine. The editing, as mentioned earlier, is poor.
Coming to the director, Abhilash Joishy, he did a poor job with the film. As the story is routine, he should have done some magic with the narrative, but sadly, that didn’t happen here. It would have been much better had the director taken care of the lengthy runtime. Good actors alone can’t save a film if the writing is bad.
Verdict:
On the whole, King Of Kotha is a lengthy and boring gangster drama. Dulquer Salmaan shines as usual, and he gets nice support from Dancing Rose. But the routine story and the snail-paced narrative worked against the film big-time. Hence, King Of Kotha ends up as a disappointing watch this weekend.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team