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Story
Kanakaraju is a Chekka Bhajana (wooden-clapper folk) performer from Penukonda. He falls in love with Chaitra (Ritika Nayak), who works at the KIA car factory and dreams of moving to South Korea and settling there. Meanwhile, a grenade-shaped ash pot makes its way from South Korea to Penukonda. Kanakaraju accidentally consumes the ashes and becomes possessed by a Korean ghost. Whenever the spirit takes over, the otherwise normal Kanakaraju turns wild and violent. The rest of the story revolves around how his friend Kishtappa (Satya) discovers the reason behind Kanakaraju’s strange behaviour and tries to get rid of the Korean ghost once and for all.
Artists Performance
Varun Tej: Varun Tej has a naturally massy screen presence, but only a few films, such as Gaddalakonda Ganesh, have fully exploited that side of him. In this film, he gets to showcase two distinct variations - one as a rustic village guy and the other as a stylish Korean mafia don. He is extremely massy and likeable in the village portions, while looking suave and uber-stylish as the Korean don. Varun Tej is a good actor, and he doesn’t necessarily need content-driven films to prove his acting abilities. Even in an out-and-out commercial entertainer like this, he demonstrates his range as a performer. He is particularly convincing in the action sequences, both as the village guy and as the Korean don.
Others: Ritika Nayak fits well into the role of a girl obsessed with Korean culture. However, it is Satya who steals the show with his impeccable dialogue delivery, expressions and body language. Take Satya out of the film, and it would have been a much more serious affair. He brings in the much-needed entertainment, and the way he imitates several heroes is priceless. Sunil is quite good in a limited role, and the way his character exits during a fight sequence is hilarious. Muralidhar Goud is terrific as a tantric expert. His expressions are hilarious, and his Rayalaseema slang adds to the fun. VTV Ganesh is good, while Revanth Bhimala is fine. Chinna (Shiva, Money fame) convincingly plays the role of Varun Tej’s father.
Story - screenplay - direction:
Director Merlapaka Gandhi has demonstrated his strength in comedy, screenplay and dialogue writing right from his debut film, and Korean Kanakaraju once again plays to these strengths. He makes excellent use of Satya to generate humour, and the comic chemistry between Varun Tej and Satya is one of the film’s biggest assets.
The initial portions are a little slow and routine until the Korean ghost possesses the hero. From there, the film picks up considerably. The Korean fight sequence leading to the interval delivers a solid high, while the screenplay in the second half is engaging. Gandhi also handles the action sequences effectively. The Kshudra Pooja sequence over a video call between Satya and Muralidhar Goud is the highlight of the film, leaving the entire theatre in splits.
However, the pre-climax and climax could have been much better. The extensive use of graphics in the climax fight feels like a convenient workaround, presumably necessitated by Varun Tej being bedridden due to his leg injury. Shifting the action to a fight between souls using VFX doesn’t quite sync with the tone and treatment of the rest of the film. As a result, the climax is underwhelming. I would have preferred a more low-key and intelligent resolution instead of a VFX-heavy, compromised climax.
That said, the climax doesn’t take away much from the film’s overall engaging and entertaining nature. Merlapaka Gandhi, who has been going through a difficult phase as a director, delivers his best work in a while. Except for the climax - which appears to have been dictated more by circumstances than creative choice - he gets most things right and should find the much-needed relief with Korean Kanakaraju.
Other departments: Thaman delivers a solid musical score for Korean Kanakaraju. His background score provides the required elevation, particularly during the Korean action and build-up sequences. “Kamsahamnida” is a catchy number, though the duet in the second half could have been trimmed.
Manojh Reddy’s cinematography is impressive and captures the film with a suitably commercial visual approach. The action choreography is particularly effective, making excellent use of Varun Tej’s height, physique and screen presence. Editing by Satyaa G is adequate, while A. Pannerselvam’s production design complements the film’s varied backdrops. The production values by UV Creations and First Frame Entertainments are decent and provide the film with the required scale.
Analysis: Korean Kanakaraju is a mass comedy entertainer with a Korean twist. When commercial cinema gets its ingredients right, it can be thoroughly entertaining and connect well with audiences. This film largely succeeds on that front, remaining engaging and entertaining for most of its runtime, except for the underwhelming climax.
Varun Tej’s performance and massy screen presence, Satya’s hilarious comedy, and Merlapaka Gandhi’s screenplay and dialogues are the film’s major strengths. A different and more convincing climax would have made the overall experience even better.
Despite that drawback, Korean Kanakaraju offers ample entertainment and plenty of laughs, making it worth a watch!
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