Arvind Kashyap on King of Kotha climax fight: As massy, as intense as you can imagine

Arvind Kashyap has recently had the wonderful opportunity of living a fanboy moment that very few around him can boast about. A serendipitous moment caused him to get on board the mega project of King of Kotha, the Malayalam film starring the in-demand Dulquer Salmaan. As the title suggests, Dulquer is THE King of Kotha in a film that is set in the 1980s and '90s and his look in the film, which is best described as 'rugged' has been quite the talk of the town. Having just finished shooting the high-octane climactic action sequence, Arvind Kashyap got a proper taste of what the film promises to serve.

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"The fight is a peak point in the film, in a way, so we all knew how important it is to turn out good. It's as intense and massy as you can imagine. The first I arrived on the sets in Kochi, I was awestruck with what they had put together. And Mahesh Mathew, the action choreographer who has worked on films like Custody, is exceptional at his craft and he had conceived it to the dot. Each shot that we executed was pertinent to the way he had composed it. And on top of that, the film's director Abhilash Joshiy is extremely particular about what he wants which, in a way, is both a service and challenging to me as the D.O.P: you bank upon that clarity a lot but it is also a task to bring it to life. But all in all, it was a superb experience," shares Arvind.

But how big a challenge was it to step in the shoes of a cinematographer like Nimish Ravi, even if it was for a brief period? Arvind says that the help he received from Nimish, a close friend, was crucial.

"Of course, I was extremely nervous about taking up the task because Nimish has done an incredible job. I mean, even if it was for a brief period, the biggest task was to ensure that his vision was retained so, that when you watch the film, it shouldn't seem like that fight alone was captured by someone else. Nimish and I first assessed things on location and had several discussions about how to execute the sequence. It's a very collaborative effort in a way and even though he was busy shooting 'Bazooka' (starring Mammootty), he was always available to discuss and bounce off ideas. And then the director, whose level of clarity I have just spoken about, was of great help as well," adds Arvind. 

Aside from this important action sequence, Arvind Kashyap also shot a couple of pending scenes. He would later gleefully share a picture from the wrap-up proceedings which also included his personal favourite Dulquer Salmaan, standing by his side in all his 'King' glory.