'Kota Bommali PS', produced by Bunny Vass and Vidya Koppineedi, hit the screens today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Plot:
Ramakrishna (Srikanth Meka) is a police constable in Kota Bommali in the Srikakulam district. Ravi (Rahul Vijay) is his junior constable. Kumari (Shivani Rajasekhar) is a junior cop in the same station. It is by-election time in the village. The high-stakes election has kept the Home Minister (Murali Sharma) on his toes. If the ruling party is trounced in the by-poll, it will spell disaster.
Just ahead of the voting day, Rahul, a youngster belonging to a numerically strong caste group, is found dead. The needle of suspicion points at the Ramakrishna-Ravi-Kumari trio. When they get accused of killing Raja Rao, the noose gets tightened. How the trio save their skin forms the rest of the story.
Performances:
Srikanth plays the most consequential role in recent times. By doing amateurish films like 'Idhe Maa Katha' and 'Skanda', he appeared to have lost his way. At a time when he is doing A-list films like 'Game Changer' and 'Devara', it is commendable that Srikanth played a dignified role in 'Kota Bommali PS'.
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Razia Ali, an investigator chasing Ramakrishna & Co, is good. For the first time, she had to do smoking scenes. The 'Krack' actress does her part well. Murali Sharma is able in the role of a cynical, power-hungry politician. Shivani Rajasekhar plays her career's first deglam role. But it has to be seen how she will be viewed by filmmakers after this role. The budding actress deserves better, considering that she was a complete natural in 'Adbhutham'. Rahul Vijay is average.
Technical Departments:
Ranjin Raj's music is average. The background score has nothing much to be discussed about. Midhun Mukundan-composed 'Lingi Lingi Lingidi' is the only hit song out there. Editor Karthika Srinivas R does a fine job. Cinematographer Jagadeesh Cheekati's work is fairly adequate. GA2 Pictures ensures decent production values.
Merits:
1. Building the premise in a realistic way.
2. Pitching a set of cops against another set who possess distinctive back stories, vulnerabilities and abilities.
3. Lingi Lingi Lingidi is a welcome innovation in this remake of 'Nayattu' (Malayalam).
4. Elevations for Srikanth's character are impactful.
Demerits:
1. The cat-and-mouse chase is littered with a few convenient, unoriginal ideas.
2. The characterization of Murali Sharma's Home Minister is not effective. Showing him as a perennially flustered heavyweight is poor.
3. Rahul Vijay's character is routine.
Vox Verdict:
'Kota Bommali PS' is a watchable political survival thriller. It lacks the bite of its Mollywood source material, 'Nayattu'. Yet, it makes for an engaging watch.
Rating:3/5
