Ko (film)

''Ko'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language psychological vigilante political action thriller film directed by K. V. Anand, and written by him and the duo Subha. The film stars Jiiva, Ajmal Ameer, Karthika Nair (in her Tamil debut), and Piaa Bajpai, while Prakash Raj, Kota Srinivasa Rao and Bose Venkat appear in supporting roles. It follows a photojournalist who, while covering the Tamil Nadu State Election, uncovers a conspiracy involving Naxalites.

Anand wrote the script based on his early experiences as a freelance photojournalist. The film began production in early 2010 and continued through that December; filming was predominantly held in Chennai, as well as other parts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with song sequences being shot in China and Norway. The film features music composed by Harris Jayaraj, with cinematography handled by Richard M. Nathan and editing done by Anthony.

''Ko'' was released on 22 April 2011 and became a commercial success, winning two Filmfare Awards South, three Vijay Awards, two SIIMA Awards, and four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. It was remade in Bengali as '' Kanamachi'' (2013). A standalone sequel titled '' Ko 2'' was released in 2016, with Prakash Raj reprising his role.

Plot

Ashwin Kumar is a photojournalist working for the private newspaper ''Dina Anjal''. He witnesses Naxalites robbing a local bank, chases them and manages to click photos of the robbers. When he tries to escape, he is stopped by Renuka "Renu", who assumes he is the culprit and helps the robbers take his camera. However, he is able to secure the camera's memory card. The police catch Ashwin, and to prove that he is a photojournalist, he shows the photos to them. The police identify everyone except the gang leader (whose face is covered by a mask). At his office, he again meets Renu, who has newly joined as an article editor. He slowly falls in love with Renu. Saraswathi 'Saro' also works in his office and has feelings for Ashwin, who does not reciprocate.

Settled in her new job, Renu writes a cover story about a politician Aalavandhan, describing his attempt to marry a minor. Enraged by this, Aalavandhan barges into the newspaper office and berates Renu. The audio recording of her interview disappears (courtesy of Aalavandhan), and she is fired from her job for falsified reporting. Ashwin later risks his life to capture the pictures of Aalavandhan, who actually engages in child marriage in a temple at midnight. Later the story with the photos is printed in their newspaper, and this makes Renu reciprocate Ashwin's love. Saro is initially jealous of the love between Ashwin and Renu but later accepts it and gets over Ashwin. Meanwhile, Vasanthan Perumal, an engineer and recent graduate, strives hard to enter politics by contesting in the upcoming election. He is contesting against more experienced politicians who capture the people by giving freebies and money.

Nobody cares about Vasanthan and his team of graduates, who promise a healthy government to people. Ashwin and Renu find out about Vasanthan's election campaign, and they and the entire ''Dina Anjal'' team extend their support to the campaign, covering it extensively, much to the chagrin of Aalavandhan and the Chief Minister (CM) Yogeswaran. One night, Vasanthan's party organises an election campaign meeting. While photographing the event, Ashwin receives a text message from Saro that states there is a bomb underneath the stage where Vasanthan is speaking. Ashwin manages to save Vasanthan just before the bomb explodes. Later, Ashwin finds Saro mortally wounded near the blast site. Saro struggles to tell something to Ashwin and Renu before she dies. Ashwin, through a video clip recorded by another photographer, discovers that Saro was intentionally killed by someone. He later notices a resemblance between the leader of the bank robbery and this unknown killer, concluding that the Naxalite leader killed Saro.

A few days later, Renu notices that Vasanthan's photograph in their newspaper was cut from a college class photograph, where Ashwin is also present. It is revealed that Vasanthan is Ashwin's former college mate. Confronted by Renu, Ashwin tells her that he and Vasanthan studied in the same college and were best friends. He also tells her that he is happy for Vasanthan's success and is wholeheartedly supporting his election campaign. In the election, Vasanthan's party wins by a huge majority, and Vasanthan becomes the CM. He orders the release of 20 Naxalites on Republic Day, citing humanity. Shocked on hearing this news, Ashwin rushes to the secretariat to meet Vasanthan. In Vasanthan's office, Ashwin notices that the Naxalite leader who killed Saro is there, talking with Vasanthan. Ashwin airs his grievances to Vasanthan, who ignores him. Ashwin follows the leader to his hideout.

At the same time, Vasanthan orders the police to go kill the Naxalites at their hideout, and the commandos surround the perimeter of that place. Ashwin, already at the hideout, confronts the Naxalite leader Kadhir, and learns from him that Vasanthan had made a deal with the Naxalites to help him win the election. They orchestrated events such as the burning of a hut and saving the woman in that hut (who was also a Naxalite) to win people's sympathy. In the same vein, they had planted a bomb on the stage where Vasanthan was speaking during his meeting. Saro had uncovered the truth about Vasanthan but was fatally assaulted by him so that she could not reveal his intentions to anyone. Ashwin realises that Saro had tried to warn him and Renu about Vasanthan's true character before dying and also that now Vasanthan is double-crossing the Naxalites and is planning to kill them as a show of achievement.

Ashwin records this confession using his camera phone and sends it to Renu, who plans to publish this story in their newspaper. Vasanthan then arrives and kills Kadhir. He tries to kill Ashwin, who triggers a landmine; the explosion kills Vasanthan, while Ashwin escapes unharmed. Vasanthan's party members arrive at the hideout on hearing the news that Vasanthan had died. Seeing their innocence, Ashwin forces Renu not to reveal the truth about Vasanthan because his party members would get into trouble and lose their seats just for supporting him. They did not know about Vasanthan's intentions and supported him, believing his false claims of a healthy government. Renu publishes an article saying Vasanthan sacrificed his life fighting the Naxalites and had died a martyr. Ashwin and Renu submit their resignations to the editor, S. Krishnakumar 'Krish', for falsified reporting, but he rejects their resignations and tells them to cover the next CM.

Cast

Cameo appearances
* Anuja Iyer as Sonali
* John Vijay as himself

;Cameo appearances as themselves in the song "Aga Naga"

Production

Development

After the success of '' Ayan'' (2009), the director K. V. Anand had begun working on a story idea based on his early life as a freelance photojournalist, before transitioning to films. Having worked on magazines such as ''Kalki'', ''India Today'', '' Illustrated Weekly'' and other publications, as a photo editor, Anand felt that a newspaper scenario was something new to him. This resulted in him visiting the headquarters of the ''Deccan Herald'' newspaper office in Bengaluru and interact with editors, sub-editors, photojournalists and editors to know about their working style and pattern. Afterwards, he then collaborated with the screenwriting duo Subha for writing the script which took them six months.

The film was initially announced with AGS Entertainment as the producers, but the company backed out and was eventually produced by Elred Kumar's RS Infotainment. Music composer Harris Jayaraj, cinematographer Richard M. Nathan, editor Anthony, art director D. R. K. Kiran and action choreographer Peter Hein were involved as a part of the technical crew. The film's title ''Ko'' was derived from an ancient Tamil word which means "king".

Casting

Anand initially thought of casting Ajith Kumar or Karthi in the lead role. He eventually approached Silambarasan, and the actor accepted after being impressed with Anand's script. Karthika Nair was cast as the lead actress, in her Tamil debut, as Anand wanted "an actress who looks like an ordinary journalist and not a sex bomb" and cast her after being impressed with her performance in the Telugu film '' Josh'' (2009). However, Silambarasan opted out of the film, despite having shot a few scenes and done a photoshoot, reportedly owing to differences of opinion with the director; partly due to him being unconvinced on Karthika's casting and requested Anand to replace her with Tamannaah Bhatia, which the producers declined as the actress had charged hefty salary at that time.

Anand then narrated the script to Jiiva, who eventually agreed to be a part of the film. Upon his casting, Anand attributed this to his versatile performances, even with his sophomore ''Raam'' (2005) adding, "He is one of the most talented young actors in Tamil, a dark horse, I would say. He can do comedy in a film like ''SMS'' and also serious roles like '' Katrathu Thamizh;'' a real versatile actor. He is a very simple person also." Piaa Bajpai accepted to play Saro, and believed people would accept her character rather than focusing on her looks or costumes. Ajmal Ameer was cast as the student leader Vasanthan after Anand was impressed with his performances in '' Anjathe'' (2008) and ''Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru'' (2009); he is secretly the main antagonist. Anand approached Dravidian ideologue Suba Veerapandian for portraying an undisclosed role, but the latter declined after showing initial interest. Prakash Raj was cast as the chief minister, and Anand sought to make this character more practical and morally ethical than Vasanthan.

Filming

''Ko'' was filmed predominantly in Chennai during early 2010. Like his previous film ''Ayan'', Anand wanted to film the songs in various locations across the world, and as a result, he and cinematographer Richard searched the internet for the picturesque locations and discussed with tourism ministries and frequent globetrotters before finalising the appropriate locations. The songs " Enamo Aedho" and "Amali Thumali" were filmed across Western Norway in places such as Trolltunga, Stalheim, Bergen and Prekestolen, becoming the first Tamil film to be shot in Norway.

The song "Venpaniye" was filmed at Harbin in China. Part of the film was also shot at the Pondicherry University, Puducherry. Other locations of filming included Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Pollachi, Hyderabad, Udupi and Bengaluru. Richard shot an action sequence using the Phantom Flex camera. Anand stated that the demo model was first used for ''Spider-Man'' (2002) and the camera can shoot in the high-definition format at 2,500 frames per second as opposed to the ordinary camera which can shoot 24 to 150 frames per second in a normal speed. Filming had wrapped by December 2010.

Post-production

After filming completed, ''Ko'' entered into an extensive post-production phase by late-December. By early March 2011, the film entered into the final phase of post-production which involves, re-recording, sound mixing and editing. The title sequence of the film that runs for three-and-a-half minutes featured around 1000 photographs. Anand encouraged several photographers to send their best pictures for the title sequence, attributing it to setting the mood of the film.

Music

The film's soundtrack and score were composed by Harris Jayaraj, with lyrics written by Pa. Vijay, Madhan Karky, Kabilan, Viveka, Vanamali, Sricharan, Emcee Jesz. It was distributed by Sony Music India which released the album on 12 January 2011 at the Image Auditorium in Chennai, with the presence of the cast and crew.

Release

Theatrical

''Ko'' was earlier scheduled for theatrical release on 25 February 2011 but was postponed to 8 April 2011, due to Jiiva's other film '' Singam Puli'' which was releasing on the same date and the 2011 Cricket World Cup being held during that time. The film was further postponed due to the 2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election and was eventually released on 22 April. ''Ko'' opened in nearly 230 theatres in Tamil Nadu, making it Jiiva's biggest release to that point. It was also released in multiplexes across metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Vadodara with English subtitles to attract non-Tamil audiences.

The Telugu dubbed version ''Rangam'' was released on 13 May 2011. It was presented by Super Good Films in Telugu states.

Home media

Ayngaran International released the film on DVD and Blu-ray. The film was later dubbed and released in Hindi as ''The Real Leader'' on YouTube in 2018.

Reception

Box office

''Ko'' opened in 15 theatres across Chennai, with major multiplexes Sathyam Cinemas, Escape Cinemas, PVR and INOX providing main screens for five shows in the opening weekend, and 36 shows in Mayajaal. At the opening weekend (22–24 April; Good Friday and Easter) the film netted across Tamil Nadu. In the United Kingdom, the film collected () in its opening weekend. ''Ko'' completed a 100-day run at the box office, both in its original and dubbed Telugu versions. According to trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai, the film, made on an overall cost of , collected as of October 2011, including non-theatrical revenue.

Critical response

Malathi Rangarajan of ''The Hindu'' described the film as a "tale with a realistic twist" and praised Anand who "strikes gold with Ko. Blending the commercial with the realistic is a challenge, but K. V. Anand proves adept at it." N Venkateswaran of ''The Times of India'' gave four stars out of five citing: "With ''Ko'', director Anand gives notice of his immense talent once again, making a movie that is all set to lord over the box office this summer". ''Deccan Herald'' wrote, "K V Anand is an ace lensman himself but his Ko, whatever it might mean, is like a newspaper with just banner headlines and posed pics. No body text. The intro lies in the tailpiece". ''Chennai Online'' wrote, "Anand impresses us with his eye for details in one sequence but soon manages to irritate viewers by resorting to archaic screenplay", appreciating the background score, editing and cinematography.

Baradwaj Rangan wrote, "If someone wants to make a case for the abolishment of song and dance from our cinema, Ko would be Exhibit A." He also went on to state that ''Ko'' was "a series of big scenes with no transitions, no segues, no scenes that just stop to smell the scenery." Pavithra Srinivasan of '' Rediff.com'' stated that "K V Anand's screenplay moves swiftly during the first half, courtesy the dialogues, and lags slightly in the second. Still, with its basic plot of politics, it has enough twists and turns to keep you occupied. Best of all are the light touches of sarcasm and humour that make it work." ''Sify'' wrote, "For an audience numbed by predictable Kollywood potboilers week after week, here is an original offering from KV Anand, a fearless filmmaker who doesn't insult your intelligence. He is able to cater to the needs of both the elite as well as mass audiences, which should be applauded".

Accolades

Standalone sequel

A standalone sequel titled '' Ko 2'' was announced in 2015 by the same producers which features a different cast and crew, except Prakash Raj, who reprised his role from the original. The film was released in May 2016.

Legacy

The song "Ennamo Edho" inspired the title of a 2014 film. Brahmanandam performed a parody of the song in the Telugu film '' Naayak'' (2013). The placement of the song "Venpaniye" in ''Ko'' was widely criticised, and Anand made a humor of it in his next film '' Maattrraan'' (2012). Karthika's looks in the film, especially her eyebrows, became known as the "Karthika Look" and was also a popular choice for beauty parlour customers, but also generated rumours of the actress performing cosmetic surgery.

Notes

References

External links

*
*

{{Authority control

2010s Indian films
2010s political thriller films
2010s Tamil-language films
2011 action thriller films
2011 films
Films about corruption in India
Films about elections
Films about journalists
Films about mass media people
Films about Naxalism
Films about photojournalists
Films about the mass media in India
Films directed by K. V. Anand
Films scored by Harris Jayaraj
Films set in Chennai
Films shot in Andhra Pradesh
Films shot in Bengaluru
Films shot in Bergen
Films shot in Coimbatore
Films shot in Heilongjiang
Films shot in Madurai
Films shot in Norway
Films shot in Puducherry
Films shot in Tiruchirappalli
Films with screenplays by Subha (writers)
Indian action thriller films
Indian political action films
Indian political thriller films
Journalism adapted into films
Tamil films remade in other languages
Tamil-language action thriller films
Tamil-language Indian films
Tamil-language political thriller films