Mr. KK

Story: A young doctor’s pregnant wife is kidnapped and he’s asked to free a patient he’s treating. Who is the patient that both cops and criminals seem to be pursuing?

Review: The protagonist of Mr KK, KK (Vikram) is a mysterious figure – a fact that holds true even after the film ends. Is he a super-cop, an undercover agent, a double agent or a master criminal? The film doesn’t want you to worry about such details. All you need to keep in mind is that he’s a badass – the kind who lights up a cigar when a gash on his abdomen is being stitched. And Vikram essays the character by turning on his star power to the fullest. The character might hardly be a stretch for Vikram the actor, but for the star, it’s a great chance to play to the gallery. In that sense, one could call Mr KK Vikram’s Billa moment. All the film requires from him is swag, and that he delivers in oodles.

Mr KK is the remake of the 2010 French action thriller À Bout Portant (or Point Blank as it is internationally known), but it also shares quite a few similarities with Rajesh Selva’s Cheekati Rajyam (which is the remake of another French hit Sleepless Night). Just like that film, we get a kidnapping and blackmail, with twists that involve dirty cops and cover-ups giving us a bit of deja vu.

Vasu (Abi Hasan) is a trainee doctor who saves KK’s life after he has been involved in an accident and admitted in the hospital. But, this move of his leads to his pregnant wife (Akshara Haasan) getting kidnapped. To save her, he now has to help KK, who is wanted by cops, to escape from the hospital. But soon he realises that the only way to save his wife and himself is to team up with KK, who is also wanted by criminals. What makes the film somewhat different from its French counterpart is that it puts the focus on KK as the protagonist rather than Vasu.

The action scenes make Mr KK a visceral experience, even if Rajesh Selva’s filmmaking falls short on flair. As long as we get a chase of shootout, the film feels thrilling enough. But the quieter moments, like the initial scenes that set up the story, make one restless. Thankfully, Ghibran’s energetic wall-to-wall score lends the film momentum and Vikram ensues we don’t leave disappointed.