King of Kotha (also marketed as KOK) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language period action thriller film directed by Abhilash Joshiy in his directorial debut.
[1][4] Jointly produced by Wayfarer Films and Zee Studios, the film stars Dulquer Salmaan in the titular role, with an ensemble cast of Shabeer Kallarakkal, Prasanna, Gokul Suresh, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Nyla Usha, Shammi Thilakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sajitha Madathil, Shanthi Krishna, Saran Shakthi and Anikha Surendran.
The cinematography and editing were handled by Nimish Ravi and Shyam Sasidharan, while the music was composed by Jakes Bejoy and Shaan Rahman.
The film bombed at the box office 1996: CI Shahul Hassan is transferred to a fictional crime-infested town called Kotha, which is situated near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
While investigating about the background of the narcotics, Shahul learns about Kannan Bhai, a notorious and dangerous drug lord, who is the dictator of Kotha.
Blinded by his greed for wealth and power, Kannan decides to partner with Ranjith and agrees to transport cannabis into Kotha.
A few days later, Malathi realizes that Raju may not live for long due to his alcoholism and advises him to leave Kotha and never come back.
The next day, Jinu tries to set Rithu on fire by dousing her in gasoline, but she manages to escape as Tony arrives.
1998: Raju is happily living with Tara and Rithu in Shimla, where he receives a call from his arch-enemy Dev Gujjar sent by Manju to kill him.
[7] Salmaan who portrays a gangster in the film stated: "King of Kotha will be having all these elements (perfectly timed clap points, catchy songs, and elevation sequences) that could satisfy the audience.
[9] In October 2022, Salmaan stated in an interview that, "It is an action gangster genre, noir film set in a fictional town.
[12][13][14] After rumours of Samantha Ruth Prabhu being approached for a role, it was reported that Aishwarya Lekshmi was signed to play Salmaan's pair.
[28] The track "People of Kotha" that was featured in the motion poster video was released on 23 June 2023, the same date as the promo.
Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTplay gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "King of Kotha might have a familiar storyline that feels stretched out in parts, but Dulquer's performance along with the grand visuals make this gangster revenge saga worth watching in theatres.
"[33] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Though the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer possessed the potential to be celebrated alongside iconic gangster movies like Satya, Vada Chennai, and Gangs of Wasseypur, its failure to feature a compelling narrative prevents it from reaching the lofty heights it aspired to achieve.
"[34] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "King of Kotha suffers from the same old problem of not knowing how much is too much.
Short of becoming a cult gangster classic, it does have the mass appeal and the ability to hold its audience captive for a long time.
"[35] Janani K. of India Today gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "King of Kotha is a gangster drama that has many interesting ideas, but they are underused.
"[36] Gautaman Bhaskaran of News18 gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "King of Kotha has a nice plot, but an over-ambitious scripting pushes it in a multitude of paths with the cream of it all turning sour.
"[37] Priyanka Sundar of Firstpost gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "If King Of Kotha had as much of an emotional depth as Dulquer Salmaan's one dialogue that explains his love for Aishwarya Lekshmi's Thara — we would have probably had a winner.
"[38] Nirmal Jovial of The Week gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "King of Kotha clocks in at nearly three hours in duration.
"[40] S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote, "King of Kotha, in the end, is an unabashed vehicle for Dulquer's superstardom aspirations, but it does not pack enough of a punch to become the crowning glory that it was intended to be.