King of Kotha

King of Kotha (also marketed as KOK) is an upcoming Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed by Abhilash Joshiy in his directorial debut and produced by Wayfarer Films and Zee Studios.[1] The film stars Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role with Gokul Suresh and Aishwarya Lekshmi. The cinematography is handled by Nimish Ravi and the film score is composed by Jakes Bejoy while the songs are composed by Jakes Bejoy and Shaan Rahman separately.[2]

King of Kotha
Poster
Directed byAbhilash Joshiy
Written byAbhilash N. Chandran
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNimish Ravi
Edited byShyam Sasidharan
Music bySongs:
Jakes Bejoy
Shaan Rahman
Background Score:
Jakes Bejoy
Production
companies
Release date
24 August 2023
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

The film was announced in July 2021. Principal photography commenced in September 2022 and wrapped up in February 2023. The film is scheduled to release worldwide on 24 August 2023 during Onam.

Cast

Production

Development

The film along with its title was announced on 28 July 2021 on the occasion of Dulquer Salmaan's 35th birthday.[4] 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."[5] He also added that this is a dream project with his childhood friend Abhilash Joshiy, son of veteran filmmaker Joshiy, and have been waiting for the past few years to find a perfect project to collaborate.[4] It is written by Abhilash N. Chandran, who had earlier worked on Porinju Mariam Jose (2019).[6] In October 2022, Salmaan stated in an interview that, "It is an action gangster genre, noir film set in a fictional town. It’s interesting because I generally tend to veer away from this type of cinema quite a bit. But I found a bit of a balance. I feel like it has content, it has great writing, but it’s also a very commercial gangster drama."[7]

Filming and casting

The principal photography began on 27 September 2022 at Karaikudi, while additional filming occurred in Rameswaram and Ramanathapuram. Nimish Ravi joined as the film's cinematographer.[8][9][10] After rumours of Samantha Ruth Prabhu being approached for a role, it was reported that Aishwarya Lekshmi was signed to play Salmaan's pair.[11][12] Shabeer Kallarakkal was roped in to play the main antagonist.[13] Actor Gokul Suresh was cast to play a pivotal role and actors Chemban Vinod Jose and Sudhi Koppa were also added to the cast.[14] Nyla Usha and Shanthi Krishna were also cast in key roles.[15] Zee Studios associated with Wayfarer Films for the film's production and marked its maiden feature film production venture in Malayalam.[16] It was reported that, a major schedule in Karaikudi was interrupted due to the rain, and the team took a brief break.[17] Ritika Singh joined the production in early-November 2022 and shot for an item song.[18][19] In December 2022, Shammi Thilakan announced his addition to the cast through his Facebook page.[20] In January 2023, Prasanna and Saran Shakthi confirmed being cast in the film.[21][22] Filming took 95 days and the Karaikudi schedule was wrapped up on 21 February 2023.[23]

Music

The songs have been composed by Shaan Rahman and Jakes Bejoy, with the background score being composed by Bejoy. The audio rights have been bought by Sony Music.

References
  1. "King of Kotha to be wrapped up with a brief North Indian schedule". Cinema Express. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  2. "'King of Kotha': Here's the latest location click from the Dulquer Salmaan starrer". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  3. "'King of Kotha' will be a complete mass entertainer, says Anikha Surendran". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  4. "Dulquer Salmaan announces two projects 'King of Kotha' and 'Othiram Kadakam' on his birthday". The Week. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  5. "Dulquer Salmaan's 'King of Kotha' to start rolling on August end". The Times of India. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  6. "Dulquer Salmaan announces two Malayalam films". The New Indian Express. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  7. "#MasalaExclusive: Dulquer Salmaan on how he broke his star kid image, the women in his life and mental health". Masala.com. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  8. "Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha begins". The New Indian Express. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  9. "Dulquer Salmaan turns 'mischief maker' on the sets of 'KOK' as he wraps up the day's shoot early!". The Times of India. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  10. "Ritika Singh wraps up special dance number for Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha, next schedule in Uttar Pradesh". OTT Play. 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  11. "Is Samantha playing the leading lady in Dulquer Salmaan's 'King of Kotha'?". The Times of India. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  12. "Gokul Suresh joins Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha". Cinema Express. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  13. "Shabeer Kallarakkal plays the main antagonist". Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  14. "Gokul Suresh's presence in Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha draws comparisons with Mammootty, Suresh Gopi's films". OTT Play. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  15. "Nyla Usha joins Dulquer Salmaan in King of Kotha". Cinema Express. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  16. "First look of Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha out; the actor sports a rugged look". OTT Play. 1 October 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  17. "Dulquer Salmaan's 'King of Kotha' goes into a schedule break". The Times of India. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  18. "Buzz: NOT Samantha Ruth Prabhu, THIS actress joins Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha for a special number". Pinkvilla. 12 November 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  19. "Ritika Singh completes the shoot of an item song". Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022 – via Twitter.
  20. Thilakan, Shammy (15 December 2022). "Shammy Thilakan joins the cast of King of Kotha". Facebook. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  21. "Prasanna joins the sets of Dulquer Salmaan's King of Kotha". Cinema Express. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  22. "King of Kotha: Abhilash Joshiy ropes in this KGF Chapter 2 star for Dulquer Salmaan's gangster thriller". OTT Play. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  23. "Dulquer Salmaan wraps up King Of Kotha; Drops a fun VIDEO from the last day on sets". Pinkvilla. 21 February 2023. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
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