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King Blu-ray
Bhavani | 2009 | Not rated | Oct 13, 2009
King Blu-ray ReviewReviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, December 22, 2009 Srinu Vytla's "King" (2009) is the first Telugu film to be released on Blu-ray. More than likely, however, this is the only reason why many would remember the film. There are no supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc. Subtitled in English and Region-Free.
Srinu Vytla's King is something of a modern fairytale about a soon-to-be-very-wealthy man, appropriately named King (Nagarjuna Akkineni, Pehli Nazar Ka Pehla Pyaar: Love at First Sight), who has to figure out a way to outsmart his three brothers-in-law who want him dead. Understanding perfectly well that he has become a target, the man decides to strike first – but gets killed. Meanwhile, a powerful thug, Bottu Seenu, falls for a beautiful girl, Sravani (Trisha Krishnan, Stalin: Man for the Society), who dreams of becoming a singer. After following the girl for awhile, Bottu Seenu introduces himself as an ordinary software engineer who has big dreams of his own. Sravanni slowly warms up to her new admirer, and eventually lets him into her world. Suddenly, however, the ghost of King resurfaces. I believe it is fair to say that one has to have a very strong interest in Telugu Cinema in order to be able to tolerate the countless clichés Vytla's King is filled with. Its blend of humor, action and drama - all Telugu style, of course - is so tasteless, it is difficult to imagine that casual viewers would find it even remotely entertaining. Sure, there a couple of scenes in it that are somewhat enjoyable, but the rest is flat out awful. Nagarjuna Akkineni's contribution to King could be the reason why some would want to see it - he has appeared in a number of well received films, and even produced a few - but in this film his one liners are so rough, I have a difficult time believing he actually studied B.V.S. Ravi's script. Especially during the second half of the film, after Sravani and Bottu Seenu meet, he is simply unwatchable. The supporting cast is just as unimpressive; the actors' constant improvisations range from annoying to intolerable. Ironically, many of them actually appear notably uncomfortable, even nervous in front of the camera. There are a few music scenes in King that look rather good (Nuvuu Ready, and especially Ghanana), but none are as well choreographed as those seen in S. Shankar's Sivaji: The Boss. Also, the music has a somewhat surprising contemporary flavor, one that appears to have been inspired by Western club hits. The film's constant tiptoeing between comedy, drama and romance isn't unexpected, but the lack of consistent rhythm certainly is. Logically, there are scenes in King that feel like rough cuts of giant commercials where someone forgot to turn off the camera after the actors were asked to stop acting. Needless to say, many of them look beyond amateurish. Cinematographer Prasad Murella is the only man that contributed to King who had a good idea what he was trying to accomplish - his wide panoramic shots look quite fresh. A few of the action scenes in King are also done with an emphasis on detail that is genuinely surprising. Still, they are nothing but mere drops in a sea of mediocrity. Video  Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Srinu Vytla's King arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indian distributors Bhavani. Fans of Telugu cinema will probably be impressed with this transfer, but casual viewers who have gotten used to the high quality transfers Hollywood studios deliver with their Blu-ray releases will likely end up being disappointed with it. There are two key issues with this transfer. First, flecks, scratches, cuts, and warps are practically everywhere. Second, there is simply too much edge-enhancement and contrast boosting. Additionally, the color-scheme is a bit shaky; often times blacks, blues, greens and reds can look very unnatural. The good news is that during specific scenes detail and clarity are actually pleasing. During a lot of the darker scenes, however, I noticed plenty of digital noise. Overall, King will probably be remembered for the fact that it was the first Telugu film to be released on Blu-ray, and not because it received an excellent high-definition transfer from Bhavani. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location). Audio  There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Telugu LPCM 5.1 and Telugu Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the Telugu LPCM 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the Telugu Dolby Digital 5.1 track for the purpose of this review. The audio treatment is substantially better than the video treatment. Many of the elaborate musical acts, for example, are rather impressive. Though there is nothing in them that would flex the muscles of your audio system - the surround activity, for example, is very limited - the dynamic levels are quite good. Additionally, there are no serious issues with the dialog; it is crisp and clear, and if you understand Telugu, easy to follow. The Telugu Dolby Digital 5.1 track is very anemic. I tested the exact same music scenes that made an impression on me when I viewed the film with the Telugu LPCM 5.1 track, and the dynamic levels are not even comparable. On the other hand, the dialog is still crisp and easy to follow. For the record, Bhavani have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame. Supplements  Most unfortunately, there are absolutely no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc whatsoever. Final words Bhavani's Blu-ray release of Srinu Vytla's King - the first Telugu film to appear on Blu-ray - is a step in the right direction. More work is needed, however, before the distributors can be grouped together with the likes of Ayngaran and Yash Raj Films. The best I could do is recommend that you RENT this film. 
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