King of Kotha movie release and review live updates: Dulquer Salmaan actioner King of Kotha is released worldwide.Dulquer Salmaan‘s much-awaited movie King of Kotha (KoK) is out in cinemas worldwide in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada. Directed by Abhilash Joshiy, the periodic gangster film also stars Shabeer Kallarakkal, Prasanna, Gokul Suresh, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Nyla Usha, Chemban Vinod Jose and Shammi Thilakan. It is produced by Zee Studios and Dulquer’s production house Wayfarer Films
The trailer of KoK showed Dulquer as a messiah of the people of Kotha. It also offered glimpses of some thrilling action sequences. Talking about starring in a ‘mass’ film like King of Kotha, Dulquer told The Indian Express, “My definition of mass has always been all of our superstars and their swag, their epic dialogue delivery. I think this has some of those massy elements. But as you said all of us are known for great writing and content, and layered characters. This is that film where there is a right mix of both. It is very story driven, the essence of it is gangster drama but at the same time I thought how to make this commercially very viable, fun theatrical experience, with big dance numbers, fight sequences, punchy and edgy dialogues. It is as massy as I can get.”
The movie has been promoted by some well-known names in the Indian film industry, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda and Nani were part of the film’s promotions in Telugu states.
Dulquer Salmaan’s King of Kotha will clash with Antony Varghese, Shane Nigam and Neeraj Madhav-led RDX, and Nivin Pauly’s Ramachandra Boss & Co at the Kerala box office this Onam season. Talking about the box office clash, Shane told YouTube channel Movie Man Broadcasting, “RDX is the first Onam release of my career. When I was young, I waited to watch films of superstars like Mammootty, Mohanlal, and Dileep during Onam holidays. I consider getting a chance for my film to release on festival days an achievement. How well the film will do is left to the audience to decide.” Antony and Neeraj added that they are not worried about the performance of their film at the box office.
Dulquer Salmaan in King of Kotha.
King of Kotha movie review: Dulquer Salmaan’s skillfully-crafted gangster film fails to offer a gripping narrative. Though the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer possessed the potential to be celebrated alongside iconic gangster movies like Satya, Vada Chennai, and Gangs of Wasseypur, its failure to feature a compelling narrative prevents it from reaching the lofty heights.
READ THE KING OF KOTHA REVIEW HERE
A fan @ajipan369 tweeted, " Full of mass packed one man show from @dulQuer ?Usual storyline with predictable flow but making was good. @JxBe BGM vere leval? A Perfect Action Entertainer?? ?? #KingOfKotha #DulquerSalmaan #KingOfKothaFDFS."
@kingakkhanmal tweeted, "2nd Half- #KingOfKotha is A Pakka Gangster Drama Mode For Fans And Film Lovers !!!??? 8/10."
A user @Abhiew_ tweeted, "Climax sequence in #KingOfKotha were absolutely Whistle worth Banger! Apart from that film felt mid for me!..."
Vamsi Shekar tweeted, "#KingOfKotha a perfect gangster film ?? @dulQuer one man show ? ? He steals it with his mesmerizing performance & Macho persona ?? #KOK."
A fan shared on Twitter, 'Saw #KingOfKotha Premier Show from #DubaiMall with #DulqerSalmaan and other cast and crews . Technically brilliant padam . DQ nailed this . A better cinematic version of second show . Decent gangster adippadam. BGMs by Jakes and Nimish Ravi shots were incredible. Fans will be ?.'
A fan @augustpickwin shared vbia Twitter, "King Of Kotha will break every possible Records in Kerala. Housefull boards everywhere today . Huge craze for @dulQuer . Pakka mass entertainment ?."
A user @basshead03 tweeted, "King Of Kotha struggles to engage the audience in any manner. The screenplay and script is ages old. The only positives are the technical side of the film. Cinematography, color grading, costume, set design are all visually pleasing. DQ's screen presence saves the film."
@MollywoodBo1 tweeted, "#KingOfKotha - A Well Made Entertainer With An Excellent Dulquer Carrying the Movie Wholely well supported by Shabeer and Nyla Usha. Nothing New about the story line which we have already seen in many movies of its kind. Fight Sequences where well choreographed. BGM was good ?. Direction looked Mediocre. Felt Like Some Scenes Could have been crafted much better which could have made huge impact. #KingOfKotha Is A Winner ? Paisa Vasool? Go For It!!"
A user @Tejs3271 posted on Twitter, "Congratulations ??? #DulquerSalmaan Anna.u deserve this success for the hardwork u put in ur films.?? Wish #KingOfKotha ? would be ur new career highest grosser beating #SitaRamam sending u lots of love nd respect on behalf of all #Telugu people around the world.?."
A user @mallucanadian tweeted about King of Kotha's second half and wrote, "2nd half didn't work for me. BGM & a couple of scenes were the only saving grace. Rest fell flat. Kotha Raja song isn't there in the film ??? Don't expect any mass cameos, bcoz there ain't one ! Nimish Ravi frames were nice?? Average #KingOfKotha."
A clip shows fans dancing in the cinema hall to King of Kotha's song Kalapakkaara during the first-day-first-show of the film.
A Twitter user @YoursPrithivi shared, "King Of Kotha #PremiereShow One man show from @dulQuer ?action blocks, casting,visuals, CG work, Vfx, songs & bgm good, Story, Screen play #AbhilashJoshiy?But, duraton, logic issues, comedy portions dull. Overall- Blockbuster ?? Rating: (3.5/5)?."
Twitter user @Ameen__Xo praised the film's cinematography and expressed excitement about seeing Dulquer in an 'unseen' massy avatar. The fan also described the actor as a 'lion' in the film.
Industry tracker, AB George shared via Twitter, "#KingOfKotha day 1 targets -
Kerala - 7.3 crores #KGFChapter2 (all langs)
7.2 crores #Odiyan (Malayalam)
Domestic - 9.7 crores #Odiyan
Worldwide - 20.4 crores #Marakkar
Close to 3.5 crores Kerala presales & 7.6+ worldwide ? expecting all RECORDS will be SHATTERED..."
A Twitter user, @Basildq_, shared some videos from Kerala's Kavitha Theatre and wrote, "#KingOfkotha 1st Half is Just Outstanding! Introduced Who is Raju! Now Begins The Game! Kavitha Theatre response!."
Dulquer Salmaan posed with his fans from Dubai at the King of Kotha premiere.
Vinoth CJ, from Zee Studios, shared a long note as he posed with Dulquer Salmaan as the film hit the screens. "Today marks the release of the highly anticipated film #KingofKotha, a project that has been in the making for a year. The journey to bring this film to life has been filled with dedication, hard work, and a year's worth of massive effort. The cast and crew have poured their hearts in making this film," read a part of his post on Twitter.
Videos of Dulquer Salmaan arriving in Dubai for the film's world premiere have been shared online.
Dulquer Salmaan starrer King of Kotha has reportedly earned over Rs 3 crore from advance ticket sales in Kerala.
Dulquer Salmaan starrer King of Kotha will release in over 2500 screens worldwide.
Sai Dharam Tej tweeted, "Intense, Raw & Interesting. Looks like the World of #KingOfKotha is woven strong & right to win hearts. All the best brother @dulQuer & your entire team."
King of Kotha recently became the first Malayalam film to be showcased at New York City’s Times Square.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Aishwarya Lekshmi said, “I feel this is a time where I should take very informed decisions about what to do, how often to do a film. I am processing all of those things. I am thinking a lot right now. I am actually over thinking it and losing sleep. I am happy with the work I have done. I hope the love and respect audience has given me because of the characters I have done so far stays with me. READ MORE HERE.
“I turned producer because I wanted to protect my films. There was a film of mine that the Tamil media supported — because of which it grew — despite it not being released well by the producer. This experience convinced me to turn producer. When I listen to a script, I understand what this is going to cost, what it needs, how much we can put in to get the best out of it, and the marketing. It was never made with the idea of making profits. It comes down to making sure the money spent is visible on the screen,” Dulquer Salmaan told The Hindu.
Nyla Usha, who plays a pivotal role in King of Kotha, took to Instagram and wrote, "Few hours to the release of the muccch anticipated 'King Of Kotha'... here is a lil note to my director, the man who is the sole reason for my excitement today. @abhilash_joshiy Thank you for trusting me with Manju, a character and experience I will always hold close to my heart and life. Thank you for believing in me when I did not. Thank you for holding my hand through the process. You are amazing. Love you okay. Can't wait for the world to watch the world of Kotha you have created. Onwards n Upwards."
In an interview with The Hindu, Dulquer Salmaan said, “He’s loud, impulsive and violent. But, like all the characters in the film, he has shades of grey and his own conflicts to deal with. I’ve done grey shades before but this time, we’ve gone all out."
King of Kotha song Kalapakkaara is composed by Jakes Bejoy, crooned by Shreya Ghoshal, Benny Dayal and Jakes, and written by Joe Paul.
At an event in Kochi, Dulquer Salmaan said, "If you (audience) end up cherishing the film to that extent and embrace it wholeheartedly, we will certainly contemplate a sequel."
In an interview with The Indian Express, Dulquer Salmaan said, "Initially when my films started to work and I started to get a bit of bankability, I got offers to do these very commercial, action, ‘masala’ cinema. But I have always felt that films are the heroes. I didn’t think I could drive those movies forward, maybe because I was starting out and wasn’t feeling that confident. But I didn’t find great writing. It had all these elements, but always seemed very put together, kind of cooked up for the sake of a project. I didn’t like that. Initially for the first four-five years I didn’t give interviews because I needed a body of work to talk about. Similarly, I wanted to earn this place to be able to greenlight or headline a film like King of Kotha." READ MORE HERE.
King of Kotha was promoted by the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Rana Daggubati, Vijay Deverakonda, Suriya and Nani. Talking about the same, Dulquer Salmaan told PTI, “I think Kurup is the first time I ever requested anybody to launch our teaser or trailer, this time for King of Kotha, Zee Studios was like we can request the best and biggest actors. For the Malayalam industry, this is very exciting, it doesn’t happen very often, so to see that support and love is a big moment for us. The way it spreads then, when some of the big stars share, it is reflected in the views our trailer got, I think it has broken all records for a Malayalam film trailer. So, a lot of gratitude for that.'
“This place doesn’t have the best connectivity. Most of our cast and crew and technicians had to come from Kerala or Chennai. We had a huge setup, with a football thing or a song and dance (sequences), and had 1,000 people. This logistical stuff you can budget and plan, but nature has its own sense of humour sometimes, it rains when you have the biggest setup,” Dulquer told PTI.
In an interview with PTI, Dulquer Salmaan said, “In the current climate, people want theatrical experience. In Malayalam, we do so much of smaller, intimate realistic storytelling… I was like, ‘You need to draw people to theatres. They should come and celebrate’. It should be visually spectacular and technically sound."
Dulquer Salmaan will be seen playing the role of a gangster in the period action thriller King of Kotha.