The screenplay structure of 'Kotabommali PS' is all the more same as 'Nayattu' but set against the backdrop of different regions.
A poster of the film 'Kotabommali PS'. (X)
Kotabommali PS (Telugu)
“Remake” is a professional way of lifting a story.
While the Malayalam industry is replete with excellent storylines that are culturally rooted, pressing issues of society, government and law and order, Tollywood is lost in the labyrinth of commercialised cinema with outdated stories, frivolous larger-than-life characters, item numbers and boring monologues.
Every time a Telugu filmmaker comes with a remake, it is always the story that gets rehashed so much that it is bruised and lost its organic content in the name sensibilities of Telugu people.
Kotabommali PS, a remake of the Malayalam movie Nayattu (2019), is a vain attempt to sell content not indigenous to the region.
‘Kotabommali PS’ is a thriller. (X)
Ramakrishna (Srikanth Meka) is a successful senior policeman with 20 years of service in thwarting the Naxal movement in the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border.
Ravi (Rahul Vijay) and Kumari (Shivani Rajasekhar), newly recruited constables, develop an admiration for Ramakrishna during his stint at Kotabommali police station.
One day, on their way back home after attending a marriage reception, their vehicle veers off and hits a party worker of the ruling government. The victim dies on arrival at the hospital.
The man at the wheel, Ramakrishna’s nephew, escapes from the crime scene. Ramakrishna and Ravi, who are in an inebriated condition, have no option left but to escape from being caught. The woman deputy, Kumari’s fate, too, hangs in the balance.
Meanwhile, incumbent politician and home minister Jayaraj (Murali Sharma) takes the by-election in his constituency quite seriously.
As pressure mounts on the police from political circles, the department launches a massive hunt to nab the three culprits.
How the story in this cat-and-mouse game is the crux.
Srikanth in ‘Kotabommali PS’. (X)
Kotabommali PS serves nothing new from the original work Nayattu.
To say the least, the makers have diluted the script even more. However, the theme has been retained for the most part.
The story gives a realistic picture of power politics and how political netas influence the government machinery to get their work done.
The pacy first half has the whole department running after to catch three sincere cops. This Telugu remake is more or less the original work of Nayattu.
The screenplay structure is all the same but set against the backdrop of different regions.
Kotabommali PS is a tailor fit for Telugu audiences with commercial cinematic tropes.
Director Teja Marni does a reasonably good job of packaging the story and giving it a native tinge. The influence of caste and vote bank politics has been explored very neatly.
Political monologues referring to the Jana Sena Party chief (Pawan Kalyan) might give a high to those who admire him as a public and political figure.
However, there are a few loose ends in the penultimate chase to nab Ramakrishna and his deputies.
The sequence where senior cop Varalaxmi Sarathkumar hunts down the culprits in the Naxal hotbed has been shot brilliantly.
Srikanth Meka has delivered a scintillating performance as a senior police constable. His body language and mannerisms are commendable.
Rahul Vijay, as a young recruit in the department, is impressive.
Shivani does justice to the role of a junior police officer, though she has less bite in terms of performance.
The background score composed by Ranjin Raj and Midhun Mukundan is decent enough for a remake, but you can sense a slight void in terms of bringing originality to the film.
The cinematography is good. The picturesque locations of North Andhra are captured well.
Kotabommali PS is not entirely a complete adaptation of the original. It has its flaws. But the story relies on the performances of Srikanth and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, the cops-chase-cops mind game, and the thrilling climax.
In all, it is worth watching.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
May 09, 2024
May 09, 2024
May 09, 2024
May 09, 2024
May 09, 2024
