Abhilash Joshiy on King of Kotha’s making, his favourite moment in the film: ‘It depicts a power shift’

With Dulquer and Abhilash in the spotlight, along with an ensemble cast and crew, King of Kotha made its theatrical debut on August 24 with unprecedented buzz and anticipation, unmatched by any recent Malayalam films.

Following an impressive first-week worldwide box office collection of over Rs 36 crore, the gangster film is maintaining its triumphant run in cinemas, leaving Abhilash ecstatic about its remarkable success.

On learning that KoK had transitioned from being his mere debut

In the early stages, Abhilash didn’t expect that King of Kotha would garner substantial anticipation even before the production began. “Initially, I also regarded it solely as my debut film. However, with the release of the first and second look posters, we observed a substantial buildup of anticipation for the movie among fans and it only kept growing,” Abhilash Joshiy tells The Indian Express during an exclusive chat.

When asked about his decision to choose this project as his debut work, Abhilash explained that he was initially drawn to it because of its blend of various genres. “King of Kotha is not just a mass, action film. It’s a mix of all elements.”

“The film features a diverse array of characters, and each of them has a proper arc. Upon closer examination, you’ll notice that all these characters have a shade of grey in them; they are not portrayed in a black-and-white manner. Even the antagonist has his own justifications for his actions. I especially liked the fact that it wasn’t an out-and-out mass film,” Abhilash adds.

Was Kotha Raju’s character envisioned with Dulquer Salmaan in mind?

Mentioning his long-held dream of collaborating with his “childhood friend” Dulquer Salmaan, Abhilash reveals that they had previously discussed a couple of simpler projects with the actor.

“It’s comfortable for me to plan a project with Dulquer. In the past, we had even discussed a couple of simpler projects together. But, Dulquer also wanted me to do something bigger. Then, when I presented the idea for King of Kotha, he showed a strong interest right from the one-liner pitch. Like me, he’s not a fan of making films solely for mass appeal, with commercial elements thrown in just for the sake of it. So, I believe that when he heard KoK, he saw it as the ideal project to depart from the type of films he had been doing till then. He liked both his character and the fact that there were many other characters in the film, which Dulquer felt were adding depth to the movie,” he adds.

The sets of Kotha

One of the captivating elements of King of Kotha is its extensive and intricately detailed sets. This becomes even more intriguing considering that Kotha is a fictional place, yet the team seamlessly integrated various characteristics of that era into the setting with great skill.

“Since it didn’t exist in reality, crafting the fictional setting of Kotha posed the greatest challenge during the production. We couldn’t use an existing location in Kerala and pass it off as Kotha because people would easily recognise the real place. Our goal was also to offer audiences a distinctive and novel viewing experience. We mainly filmed in various locations outside of Kerala, including Madurai, Pudukkottai, Rameswaram, and Karaikudi. These scenes were then stitched together to create Kotha. Although we shot some parts in Kochi as well, you won’t spot them while watching the film,” he notes.

King of Kotha was mainly filmed in various locations outside of Kerala, including Madurai, Pudukkottai, Rameswaram, and Karaikudi. (Image: Sony Music South/YT)

Mentioning that he extensively researched various films and online resources to construct a distinct image of Kotha, Abhilash says, “Subsequently, I developed a PPT to illustrate to Nimesh the vision I had for Kotha. However, when we began our search for suitable locations, we struggled to find the perfect match. We even explored Udupi and Mangaluru, but the visuals there didn’t align with my concept of Kotha.”

“Finally, we identified Karaikudi as the ideal location. My goal was to depict Kotha and Gandhigram as areas adjacent to a sea. While Udupi and Mangaluru had beaches, the building structures and other features didn’t align with my creative vision. Although Karaikudi didn’t have a beach, there’s one in Rameswaram. Consequently, we shuttled back and forth between these two locations. The scenes set in Gandhigram were filmed in Rameswaram. We also used CGI extensively,” he adds.

Director Abhilash Joshiy’s goal was to depict Kotha and Gandhigram as areas adjacent to a sea. (Image: Sony Music South/YT)

Abhilash Joshiy’s favourite moment in King of Kotha

Highlighting his inclination for pursuing perfection, Abhilash remarks, “Even if the film becomes a super-mega blockbuster, I will continue to scrutinise it and identify only the flaws. I believe there are a lot of things I could have done differently.”

Nonetheless, he expresses his fondness for the bar scene involving Raju and Kannan, the antagonist. Abhilash explains, “I believe that particular scene came out well. It portrays a dynamic power game. It’s not merely about two powerful individuals; they are friends too. A power shift happens there in that scene. I liked the way it was scripted and how it ultimately played out.”

On ‘intentional efforts to degrade King of Kotha’

Following the movie’s release, Team KoK asserted there were deliberate attempts to undermine the film’s reputation. Without explicitly naming anyone, Abhilash states, “These attempts did indeed impact the film’s performance in its early days and influenced moviegoers. There was a concerted effort against the film. However, things took a positive turn for us after the initial period, and now we are receiving numerous favourable reactions from viewers. These are people who, at first, refrained from watching the film due to ‘negative responses’. Now, I am receiving many messages from such viewers praising King of Kotha as a really good film. I’m delighted that the film achieved success despite the initial negativity.”

On criticism

A prominent aspect of criticism directed at the movie concerned its script. Many highlighted points such as the absence of any reference to Raju’s mother’s letter after its initial buildup, as well as the neglect of his relationship with his sister in the latter part of the movie. Weighing in on this, he says: “If people felt that way, then it must definitely be true. I will certainly take these observations to heart and make an effort to prevent such issues from arising in my future projects. I believe we have adequately addressed Raju’s relationship with his sister and the movie even concludes with a focus on her. However, if the audiences perceived it differently, it’s essential to take their feedback seriously.”