Two years after spending time away from the big screen, chocolate boy Anmol KC makes his much-awaited comeback in Surendra Poudel’s action-packed drama with debutante Aditi Budathoki.
Written and directed by Poudel, and produced by Subas Giri and Bhuwan KC, Kri is the story that revolves around Abhay (Anmol KC), whose lover Kesar (Aditi Budathoki) disappears. The protagonist then goes on a mission to find out what happened to Kesar. In order find out what happened, Abhay must take on some of the most powerful men in Kathmandu, all by himself.
In a recent interview with Onlinekhabar, KC had said that he asked the producers of the movie, who approached him with the script two years ago, to wait for a few years because he felt he was too young for the role. After watching the film I feel this was a really good decision.
KC delivers a mature performance. KC, who has only played ‘loverboy’ in his previous films, shows in Kri that he can take on other roles as well. From his dialogue delivery to his action scenes, he seems to have worked hard on the movie. Budathoki’s performance is equally noteworthy. Budhathoki, who has trained in Mumbai, takes up her role pretty well and looks comfortable. From her innocent expressions to her charismatic character, she might be new to our film industry but shows signs that she can go a long way. The dynamic Anoop Bikram Shahi (Nigam Baba) once again aces the negative role. His powerful acting in the second half keeps the audience hooked, especially his duel with KC at the end of the movie is really gripping. Veteran actors Saroj Khanal, Rupa Rana and Laxmi Giri don’t have much role in the film, but they haven’t put a foot wrong along with Kameshwor Chaurasia.
The downside of the movie is its storytelling, which is obviously inspired by Tamil (‘South’) action flicks. It could have been better managed. The occasional flashbacks create confusion and it is hard for the audience to keep track of time.
The Director of Photography (DOP) Purushottam Pradhan’s work shines throughout the movie. He has captured both the scenic valleys of the Annapurna region and the fast-paced action scenes. Drone shots are dynamic and show both Dhampus and Ghadruk in a way we’ve never seen them before. The background score by Rohit Shakya and Sailesh Shrestha also deserves to applaud. However, at times, things look quite out of place. For example, the last song Jani Najani Maya seems to have been put in just for the sake of it.
Having said that, what I liked the most was the action sequences. If you look at previous action movies in Nepal, you will notice that most of them are not well planned and their action sequences come out fake. But the producers of Kri have made sure that doesn’t happen. Once again Pradhan, as DOP, has captured these scenes well.
To conclude, the movie is a good watch. It’ll keep you engaged from start to finish– most Nepali don’t manage to do that. Last week, I watched a film that made me look at my watch time and again.
Genre: Action/Drama
Director: SurendraPoudel
Cast: Anmol KC, Aditi Budathoki, Anoop Bikram Shahi
Screening in cinemas near you
