Ko

“Ko” (2011) is a Tamil political action thriller directed by K. V. Anand, starring Jiiva, Ajmal Ameer, and Karthika Nair. The film follows Ashwin, a photojournalist, who supports his friend Vasanthan’s political rise, only to discover dark truths about his past and dangerous links with Naxalites.

Ashwin, an intelligent, cynical young photojournalist, shoots images of a Naxalite bank robbery and gets roped into a sordid world of political intrigue. At work he meets Renu, a new editor and quickly falls in love with her, while Saro, another co-worker, secretly pines for him. When Renu is falsely accused for a negative report, Ashwin defends her honour, clears her name, and wins her heart. At the same time, Vasanthan, Ashwin’s old college friend, starts an honest political campaign, which Ashwin and the entire media team help him run. In an attempt to save Ashwin’s life by notifying him of a bomb that has been placed under the stage, Saro is killed at one of these protests. That’s when Ashwin starts to suspect foul play and look further into it.

Through his interactions with Ashwin, Vasanthan is exposed for the fraud idealist he pretends to be. Vasanthan works secretly with the Naxalites to win their public sympathy and help them win the elections. Saro’s death was sanctioned by him in order to silence her. When Ashwin finally confronts the Naxalite leader and learns the full story, he captures a confession on tape. Vasanthan shoots the leader and attempts to execute Ashwin too, but dies himself in a landmine explosion. Ashwin refuses to humiliate Vasanthan in public court in order to spare the naïve, dedicated, and hard-working party helpers. Much like Renu’s idealistic gritty drama, in which she puts out a spurious but noble story of Vasanthan’s self-sacrifice, these two journalists submit their resignations but don’t get accepted by their editor, who sends them out to cover the new CM.

“Ko” is a gripping film that mixes journalism, politics, and action with strong emotional impact. Jiiva’s performance as Ashwin is energetic and convincing. The plot is filled with smart twists, and the tension builds up till the final moments. The film effectively questions how far one can go for power and truth.