King of Kotha: Gokul Suresh believes Dulquer Salmaan-starrer can break 2018’s Rs 200 Cr record, here’s why

After months of relatively no updates from the team of Dulquer Salmaan’s King of Kotha, there was a deluge of reports about the Abhilash Joshiy directorial the past week. Stemming from its climax shoots to its box-office potential, people from its cast and crew have been raving about how the film, which is also produced by Dulquer, has turned out.

Recently, Gokul Suresh, who plays a pivotal role in the gangster-actioner, talked to The Cue about how King of Kotha can break the box office record of 2018, which is the highest-grossed in Malayalam cinema and has the potential to earn more than Rs 200 crore from its theatrical run.

The actor said that the movie, which is set in the 1980s and 1990s, would probably be the biggest film helmed by a debutant in Malayalam. “I have a full-length role in King of Kotha. Compared to films that Dulquer has done so far, this movie has a totally different approach to his character as well as the others, and there’s so many layers to each role,” said the actor, who was last seen in veteran filmmaker Joshiy’s Paappan.

Gokul also said that the makers ensured that his character in the movie had his own space, even when a superstar such as Dulquer was fronting the project. “I wish the movie doesn’t stop at Rs 100 crore at the box office,” he said, adding that if the audience appreciates the variety in King of Kotha, it could collect Rs 150 crore or even Rs 200 crore like it happens with films in other movie industries. “Also, Dulquer is a pan-Indian star and so this should happen.”

The team had recently wrapped up the shoot of the movie in Kochi, where they shot a patchwork of the climax sequence. Cinematographer Nimish Ravi was unavailable as he had already begun shooting for Mammootty’s Bazooka and hence Kantara DOP Arvind S Kashyap was roped in to shoot just these portions.

The film, which also has Aishwarya Lekshmi in the lead, is set to hit theatres in August as an Onam release.