Kotee

Kotee ( Crore) is a 2024 Indian Kannada-language drama thriller film directed by debutant Parameshwar Gundkal and produced by Jyoti Deshpande under Jio Studios. The film stars Dhananjaya in titular role, alongside Moksha Kushal, Ramesh Indira, Rangayana Raghu and Tara in supporting roles. It marks the debut of Jio Studios in Kannada cinema. The soundtrack was composed by Vasuki Vaibhav and musical score by Nobin Paul, while cinematography and editing were handled by Arun Bhrama and Pratheek Shetty.

Kotee was released on 14 June 2024 to mixed-to-positive reviews from critics.

Plot
Kotee, a middle class person and the sole breadwinner of his family living in Janatha City, soon lands in trouble and is forced to take loan from after Dinoo Savarkar, a local thug in Janatha City. However, Kotee finds himself buried under a huge pile of debt and faces a life-altering choice to be eliminated or commit one of Savarkar's dirty jobs.

Production
In April 2023, it was reported that Parameshwar Gundkal, renowned for his path breaking work in Kannada television as the business head for Viacom18 Kannada, was set to make his directorial debut in Kannada cinema. Parameshwar Gundkal joined hands with Jio Studios and Dhananjaya was chosen to headline the project. Though the title was initially kept under wraps, Dhananjaya accidentally revealed the title in one of his interviews. Debutant Moksha Kushal was selected as the female lead and Ramesh Indira, who impressed the audience in Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, was cast as the antagonist in the film.

The film was shot in Bangalore and Mysore.

Soundtrack
The songs of the film are composed by Vasuki Vaibhav while the background score is by Nobin Paul. The music rights of the film were acquired by Saregama.

Theatrical
The film was theatrically released on 14 June 2024 across Karnataka and few select cities outside Karnataka.

Reception
The film generally opened to positive reviews from critics and audience, however the pace and the length of the film was criticized along with few routine sequences in the film.

Sridevi S of The Times of India rated the movie 3.5/5 stars and wrote "At almost three hours, the run time is a bit excessive but the tug-of-war between Dhananjaya and Ramesh Indira makes this slow-burner a perfect family entertainer". Shashiprasad of Times now in his review wrote "Despite a few minor hiccups, Param’s writing along with Daali Dhananjaya’s brilliant performance help Kotee hit the bull’s eye". Sunayana Suresh of The South First rated the movie 3.5 out of 5 stars and described the movie as "A Kannada film for Kannadigas amidst the Pan Indian movies". Reviewing for The Times Minute, Subha J Rao wrote " Dhananjaya shines in an earnest, well-rounded film about money". A Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express rated the movie 3/5 and wrote "Like its protagonist, the film strives for greatness, albeit not always achieving it, yet its sincerity resonates, making the journey worthwhile".

On the Contrary Prathiba Joy of OTTPlay rated the movie 3/5 and in her review wrote "Dhananjaya, Ramesh Indira in fine form, but Param’s debut directorial has massive soap opera hangover". Latha Srinivasan of The Hindustan Times in her review wrote "Those who love soap operas where the common man is the victor will definitely enjoy Kotee and root for him. Param's film could've been pacy". Vivek MV of The Hindu wrote "Playing a hard-working honest man, Dhananjaya excels in the titular character to become the saving grace in an otherwise bland film from Parameshwar Gundkal". Pranathi A S of The Deccan Herald rated the movie 2 out of 5 and described the movie as "Dhananjaya charms despite soap opera-paced storytelling".