Tale with an unexpected twist

SCENIC BEAUTY ON SCREEN: "Ko"

Viewers will find the setting very new. The same goes for the high voltage drama in a media zone! The ‘Dhina Anjal' office, where Ashwin (Jiiva) is a photojournalist and Renuka Narayanan (Karthika) a reporter, with its classy décor and congenial work atmosphere, is a welcome change.

Snow-clad peaks, glassy towers, precariously perched rocks, gushing waterfalls and lakes of blue mesmerise the viewer. Cinematographer-director K.V. Anand's eye for the aesthetic comes to the fore in Ko (U).

The crowd at the cinemas putting their hands together for the scenic beauty on screen is a rare occurrence. I witnessed it at the

Ko show! Again, surprisingly, the song sequences aren't mere speed breakers. Of course, the insertion of a third duet just after a large scale tragedy irks, but the breath-taking ambience makes you forget it all! Camera person Richard M. Nathan, who worked wonders in the busy, cramped street of

Angaadi Theru , deserves an award for the visual splendour he provides in

Ko .

Once again Jiiva has been judicious in choosing roles. The young hero's spontaneity as a performer is laudable. Anger or disappointment, love or comedy, he turns up trumps! Jiiva's graph is bound to soar even higher after

Ko .

A worthy break for Ajmal! He plays the young politician Vasanthan and scores with his demeanour and charm! Ko could do for him what his earlier Tamil attempts couldn't. Writers Suba and Anand's astute delineation of the character of Vasanthan helps him.

Debutante Karthika's large eyes, lissomness and smile are a draw. The unexpected twist in Piaa's cameo is effective and so is she. But does she actually fit the part of a vernacular journo?

Politicians in cinema are clichéd characters all right, but why does Kotta Srinivasa Rao have a meatier part than Prakash Raj?

Anand ties up all the loose ends, but why doesn't he explain the motive behind the bloody bank robbery in the context of the story?

A couple of Harris Jayaraj's melodies are chartbusters already, but the re-recording, particularly in the climax, is din.

Inspired by Shah Rukh Khan's ‘Deewangi Deewangi …' in Om Shanthi Om , you have several Tamil actors joining Ko for a song! The glitterati and their camaraderie light up the screen.

Emerging slowly but steadily as a maker of commercial bonanzas with credulous twists, Anand strikes gold with Ko .

Blending the commercial with the realistic is a challenge, but K. V. Anand proves adept at it.

Kudos to the Ko team!

Ko

Genre: Suspense

Director: K. V. Anand

Cast: Jiiva, Ajmal, Karthika, Piaa

Storyline: When a photojournalist's camera doubles as a weapon

Bottomline: A game, enjoyable and vibrant!