Review Overview
Performances
Story & Narration
Technical Aspects & Music
A political satire done right!
LKG is a partly funny, partly thought-provoking political satire that plays out without getting too serious. The organic humor is well spread out throughout the film, and is smartly stitched with the current affairs, political scenario, trends and memes, and even the Thala-Thalapathy references. It is the fun factor that makes the film work, giving the viewer something to laugh about at every fifth minute.
Cast: RJ Balaji, Priya Anand, Nanjil Sampath, JK Rithesh, Mayilsamy, Ramkumar & others
Cinematography: Vidhu Ayyanna
Music: Leon James
Editing: Anthony
Written by: RJ Balaji & Friends
Director: KR Prabhu
Producer: Ishari K. Ganesh for Vels Film International
Distribution: Sakthi Film Factory
Release Date: 22-02-2019
Run Time: 02:04:00
Political satires are risky business, because of a variety of reasons. The jokes need to connect with the audience without hurting the source, there are instances where it won’t work, and of course, there needs to be a story at the baseline. RJ Balaji’s LKG ticks most of the boxes in the to-do list, emerging as a very good entertainer that achieves its intent of making the audience laugh, despite its flaws.
The film is a partly funny, partly thought-provoking political satire that plays out without getting too serious. The organic humor is well spread out throughout the film, and is smartly stitched with the current affairs, political scenario, trends and memes, and even the Thala-Thalapathy references. It is the fun factor that makes the film work, giving the viewer something to laugh about at every fifth minute. The first half travels on a very good note, adhering to different ideologies about the political rise of RJ Balaji’s character in LKG. With Priya Anand’s entry, the film begins to make a lot more sense, as the writer in RJ Balaji deserves praise for coming up with a unique and laudable character for the heroine. It is only after the main conflict is introduced does the film lose some steam. To put it specifically, it hangs for close to twenty minutes post the interval block, but finds its mojo again thanks to RJ Balaji’s comics which come to the fore thereon. Closer to the end, Balaji makes sure that the audience will not be going back without having something to debate about, giving in a message in his own style.
It’s great to see RJ Balaji score big as a writer, as he wonderfully keeps in line with the references and the political commentary that he gets to do with this film. As an actor too, this one is well within his grounds, but for a few scenes which are slightly out of reach. Overall, it is a commendable effort from the man in shouldering the film throughout and making it work. Priya Anand with her interesting role is a pleasant surprise, making us wonder why she has been left out of our industry for this long. Her dialogues and activities are in a different land, and this is where the film stands out from the usual. While JK Ritheesh is definitely a slight bummer, the rest of the supporting cast receive full marks and make up for the lag.
The cinematography by Vidhu Ayyana is pretty good, covering the necessities of the film well. Leon James provides a fine set of songs and scores, helping the film travel smoothly.
Toting up, LKG is a neat political comedy where the comic writing works. It may have a few blips and niggles, but if you’re hunting for a good bag of laughs – this is it.