"Warning!!! Contains spoilers" 'KO' is the latest movie from ace cinematographer & director K.V.Anand. For all those who wanna know the meaning of the title 'Ko' represents government or a leader. In ancient Tamil literature the term 'Komagan' or 'Komaan' usually represents a King. Ever since his stupendous success with 'Ayan' (the director should be commended for making fun of this movie in a scene in 'Ko') there had been huge expectations for his next venture and the slick and stylish trailer of 'Ko' just increased those expectations. The director meets all those expectations and even exceeds them in a few places. In a movie industry where nowadays a dozen movies are made about Madurai and with all those movie have an incessant & unnecessary flow of blood and gore in them, it takes a brilliant director like K.V.Anand to brake those stereotypes. With the right mix of commercial & intelligent cinema (took this line from Behindwoods review) he delivers big time.
From the intelligent choice of title and really brilliant opening credit sequence the viewer is all set to be taken for a different ride & the director and his crew keep the tempo till the end. Jiiva as a photo- journalist is handsome, stylish and excels in his role and proves yet again why he's one of the rarest breed of perfectionists in Tamil film industry. Karthika emotes well and has a dream debut as a serious journalist. Move aside glam dolls. Here's an actress who can really act & it's no surprise as she's the daughter of one of the finest actresses from yesteryear, Radha. Piaa is sexy, bubbly and a treat to watch. Her sad demise before interval will leave a lump in your throat. But the most important & extraordinary role in the movie goes to Ajmal who has breathed life into his character, though I feel he could've emoted well in a few sequences. Prakash Raj & Kota Srinivasa rao, do justice to their small roles and Bose Venkat comes as a surprise in the end.
All that said about actors the technical crew have excelled in almost every frame. From the stylish yet realistic stunts to the excellent cinematography during the song sequences, you are in for a treat. Especially the locations and camera work in 'Yennamo Yedho', 'Amali Thumili' & 'Venpaniye' songs will make one craving for more. Story wise there are ample twists to keep the viewers engaged till the end and it is commendable that the director has touched a lot of contemporary issues like 'cash for vote', 'naxalism', 'journalist ethics' without being overtly preachy. They just go well with the flow.
When the movie opened with the 'bank heist' sequence (one of the best choreographed stunt sequences in recent times, kudos to Peter Hein) I felt that there is some inspiration from 'The dark Knight' and the climax and ending just confirmed it. One couldn't help but be awed by the director's brilliance in these 'inspired' sequences. They are so logical and really inevitable. Dialogue is another strong aspect of the movie which is witty and intelligent. Suba has done a great job. On the downside the opening song with cameos by many big actors fails to make an impact, the placement of 'Venpaniye' song is just wrong, there are a couple of loose ends and the climax was a tad too lengthy and might test your patience. Also the connection between Jiiva & Ajmal looks a bit half-baked with a botched up flashback. But all that said & done, this has all the commercial elements of a blockbuster and also can serve as an eye opener for the younger generation. Go for it. I'm planning to watch it once again.
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