Film: Ko 2
Director: Sarath
Cast: Bobby Simha, Nikki Galrani, Bala, Prakashraj, Ilavarasu,John Vijay, Nasser
To capitalise on the success of an earlier film and to carry forward the franchise with a sequel to it, has been a trend catching up in Tamil films too. Ko 2 is the recent example. Riding on the massive success of Ko (2011) the KV Anand-directed political thriller, the sequel has a different cast and a new plot line. If it shares any similarity with the earlier version, it is that it links politics and journalism and is an expose of the wrong doings of unscrupulous politicians and their games of survival. Touching on the daily issues faced by the common man, it also highlights the role and responsibility of the Fourth Estate. The plot wastes no time in getting to the point.
Opening on a thriller mode, the events set pace for the happenings to follow. In the early scene news breaks of the kidnapping of the State’s Chief Minister Yogeswaran (Prakashraj reprising his role in the earlier version). The home minister Thillai Naidu (Ilavarasu fitting in suitably) and the cops get into the act. The kidnapper’s moves seem well-planned. Getting in touch with the police team, he pitches in his demands one by one. The pace is a tad slow here where Kumaran, the kidnapper (Simha) plays a cat and mouse game with the cops, his demands either trivial or impossible to meet.
The discussion between Kumaran and the CM raises quite a few pertinent points. Prakashraj as the cool calm CM, confined to a room for most of the plot, is a delight to watch. For Simha who has essayed many a challenging role before, this one is almost a cake-walk for him. The actor brings out with cool efficiency, Kumaran’s angst against unscrupulous politicians and their ways. But the dream-duet forced in here and the one-on fight against some rowdies seem irrelevant and out of sync with the feel and mood. Meanwhile the cops soon get a lead, when a minister’s son (Bala) who had invited the CM for an event, is hauled up as a suspect and interrogated by Pandian (John). And it’s through him that we learn of the events before the kidnapping and of how he inadvertently had been used as a pawn in the whole kidnap drama. Bala gets not just space, but a role which evolves into a crucial one as the story progresses. And the actor has done full justice to it, this a turning point in his career. Going into the flashback mode, we get to learn how he had been befriended by Kumaran, a stranger. There are some amusing moments here. Like the banter between the two men, crisp and short and a deliberate fun-take on the Maniratnam-style.
The momentum speeds up towards the latter part, as the cops probe Kumaran’s background. Skeletons come tumbling out of cupboards, the twist intriguing, giving a new perspective. As a TV reporter Nikki Galrani plays her role with charm. A skilful adaptation of the Telugu flick Pratinidhi (2014) by debutant director Sarath, Ko 2 brings to mind Cheran’s Desiya Geetham (1998). As intriguing in its take as Ko was, the film is a befitting sequel to the earlier version, and worth a watch.