For a film based on a press photographer, it's only natural that director K. V. Anand begins with a photo montage. After the critically acclaimed "Kana Kanden" and the commercial success of "Ayan," Anand makes a strong comeback with his most autobiographical work in "Ko" (which means king or leader in Tamil). Anand, who began his career as a photographer and later worked for newspapers and magazines, casts his protagonist as a newspaper photographer.
The film opens with a bang, with Ashwin capturing footage of a bank robbery in progress and helping to catch some of the perpetrators. But it must be acknowledged that Anand and Shuba, the scriptwriters, never let a dull moment creep in, peppering it with contemporary events: money paid for votes, actors used to boost election results, and educated young people fighting to make their mark on politics and change the way government is run. The scenes and events in the newspaper office are also natural (such as the photo editor asking Ashwin why he didn't take clear photos of the bank robbers despite chasing them on a bicycle, and why he didn't take photos of a bomb blast despite being present at the scene), although any journalist would give anything to work in such a place.
Director: Antoine Blossier
Writer: Antoine Blossier
Stars: Ciryl Gane, Alice Belaïdi, Mathieu Lestrade
Jiiva, after good work in 'Raam', 'Katradhu Tamil', and 'Siva Manasula Sakthi', lands a role that gives prominence to his character in 'Ko', and he succeeds with flying colors. Piaa Bajpai, as Saro, does a magnificent job as Ashwin's colleague, who is unashamedly attracted to him, even to the point of discouraging Renuka Narayanan (Karthika Nair, daughter of actress Radha), who is also in love with Ashwin. Karthika makes a confident debut in Tamil, although she seems somewhat weak in some emotional sequences. Piaa lands a spectacular role after her work in 'Poi Solla Porom', 'Aegan', and 'Bale Pandiya', and she grabs it with all her might.
'Venpaniye', sung by Sriram Parthasarathy and Bombay Jayshree, is Harris Jayaraj's signature piece, followed by the romantic 'Ennamo Yeatho' by Aalaap Raju and Prashanthini and the epic 'Netri Pottil' by Naresh Iyer. The music director appears in the film, as does editor Anthony. Although it doesn't have a Hitchcockian feel, cinematographer Richard M. Nathan moves with ease behind the camera. Particularly commendable are the visual representation of the songs and the climactic action sequence.
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