Kona title reveal – Netizens ask if Komal is remaking THIS Malayalam film

Directed by Hari Krishna S, Kona, according to the new poster, will be made in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi.

Is Kona a remake or a spoof?

The Kannada industry is, perhaps, the only one where pretty much every actor has some moniker attached to his name. A movie or character name or a personality trait is all it takes for fans to come up with one such prefix. Kannada actor Komal Kumar’s got one too. He’s Sensational Star according to the poster of his new film, which is called Kona. And what’s more, he’s supposedly getting a pan-India release in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi.

What caught the attention of netizens was the content of the poster. It features a titular Kona – buffalo – running amok and a sea of people hot in pursuit. The poster, they reckoned, was reminiscent of the 2019 Malayalam film Jallikattu, which revolved around buffalo brought in for slaughter that runs loose and creates havoc, even as the villagers run behind it and try to catch it. What ensues, though, is a lot more chaos. Jallikattu was directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, and was India’s official entry to the Academy Awards as well.

The Kannada film Kona, netizens felt, will either be a cheap remake or even a spoof, considering that Komal’s strong suit is comedy. Considering that buffalo racing, Kambala, is not alien to Karnataka, the plot could be fitted to suit the nativity and sensibilities of local audiences. Netizens were also not thrilled with the film’s supposed pan-India status. “Filmmakers should first write a story and make a film for their primary audience – Kannadigas – before branching out into other markets. A film should get pan-India reach organically and not just because it has been announced as such,” wrote one user.

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Several others chimed in that Komal’s audience in Karnataka itself is limited and that the multi-language release will eventually be only for the film’s OTT release. “They only do it to sell non-theatrical rights in other languages. They'll never release it country-wide,” opined another user. Komal, whose last few films, Undenaama and Namo Bhoothathma 2 both flopped at the box office. His upcoming slate of films includes a tribute to the late Vajramuni, called Yalakunni and another called Kalaya Namaha.

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