Motu Patlu: King of Kings

Motu Patlu: King of Kings is a 2016 Indian animated adventure action-drama and thriller-comedy film directed by Suhas D. Kadav and produced by Ketan Mehta. The film was inspired by the popular TV series Motu Patlu, which itself was adapted from characters published by Lotpot magazine. It is the first feature-length film based on the characters. The film was released on 14 October 2016 and became a successful venture at the box office. It received mixed reviews from critics, who appreciated its voice performances, humor, and animation but criticized its plot, violence and editing.

Plot
The movie begins in a circus, where the ringmaster announces the arrival of a "poet from Misaj, who only eats vegetarian food". Hundreds of people were crowded to see the ringmaster introducing Guddu Ghalib, a vegetarian lion, who comes on stage riding a unicycle, juggling carrots and radishes and singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Guddu successfully jumps over a ring of fire and continues cycling, much to the delight of the crowd. However, after two rats fighting over cheese scare Guddu, he accidentally knocks over the ring of fire, which starts a fire and causes chaos within the audience.

Guddu flees using his unicycle and jumps into the open trunk of a car, which drives to Furfuri Nagar. Guddu leaves the car and starts exploring, but scares some of the residents in the process. Guddu realizes that the people are afraid of him and starts to purposefully scare and chase the residents. Chingum tries to stop the lion but is too ridden with fear. He calls Motu and Patlu, who inform him that they are already running away from the lion.

After running away from the lion several times, Motu notices Guddu's circus skills and assumes that Guddu is a person trying to scare people. Motu tries to tickle Guddu and to remove his "costume", not realizing that Guddu is a real lion. Motu uses some sticks to trap Guddu.

Dr. Jhatka appears with an invention called the ALTG, which stands for "Animal Language Translating Gadget" to help Motu and his friends understand Guddu. Guddu introduces himself to Motu and Patlu and asks them to take him to the jungle. Patlu realizes that Guddu won't be able to survive in the jungle because he doesn't know how to hunt. Chingum informs Patlu of a national park where Guddu can stay. Guddu does not initially want to go to the National Park but eventually agrees.

Meanwhile, a fawn named Heeru, a foal, and a bunny playing together in the jungle. Suddenly, many trucks enter the scene. The hunters on the trucks start throwing nets at the animals, trying to capture them. Heeru's mother is captured, but Heeru escapes the ordeal along with many other animals. The animals go to their king, King Singha, to inform him of the ordeal. King Singha confronts the hunters and attacks them, along with the other animals. As the animals are about to subdue the hunters, a helicopter arrives and releases a net to capture King Singha. The man inside the helicopter, Narasimha, tells the King that "they meet again". Narasimha reveals that he had tried to hunt for gold the year before, only to be scared away by the King. Having captured the king, Narasimha can now find the gold in the jungle.

The next day, at Narasimha's campsite, he teases King Singha and proclaims that he shall destroy the jungle and be its king. King Singha escapes from his net and is about to confront Narasimha, only to see that the cage with the other captured animals is about to fall over the ledge. King Singha manages to free the captured animals just as the cage falls over the ledge. The other animals attack Narasimha and his group, pushing the helicopter off the ledge. Narasimha and his group manage to escape by car.

The scene cuts to Motu's camp. Guddu thinks about how to escape the cage and decides to pretend to be dead. This makes Motu cry and he leaves to inform everyone, accidentally leaving the door open. Guddu escapes, and Motu and friends chase after him. One of Narasimha's henchmen, Aplu sees this and persuades Motu, Patlu, Chingum, Dr. Jhatka, and Ghasitaram to come with him. Narasimha and his group pretend to be good people, claiming to come to the jungle for "the welfare of the people" and antagonize the king. Motu and friends, having fallen for Narasimha's acting, pursue Guddu. Chugli, an gray langur of King Singha, sees Motu and friends and assumes that they are hunters. He informs King Singha of this.

Motu approaches King Singha, thinking he is Guddu. The two get into a fight. Guddu approaches the scene, and Patlu realizes that Motu is fighting the wrong lion. After also realizing this, Motu confronts King Singha for his supposed "evil actions". As Motu and King Singha fight, King Singha tells Motu that Narasimha is a "demon disguised as a human" and tells Motu of his plans. Motu realizes that he and his friends were tricked.

Narasimha, who was watching the confrontation from his drone, starts throwing missiles on them. One of the missiles hit a ledge with young animals on it. The ledge starts to fall and King Singha and Motu go on the ledge to save the animals. This is successful, but a tree falls on King Singha, trapping him. Motu tries to lift the tree but to no avail. King Singha accepts his fate and asks Motu to protect all the animals from Narasimha. The ledge breaks, and although Patlu saves Motu from falling, he is not able to save King Singha. A revengeful Motu promises the now-deceased king that he will defeat Narasimha. Narasimha observes this from a distance in his vehicle, laughing and rejoicing over the death of the king.

The scene cuts to the jungle, where Narasimha and his group are seen chopping down trees with a machine. They are stopped by Chingum, and Motu begins to confront Narasimha. Narasimha's henchmen surround Motu and friends. Patlu laughs and informs everyone that King Singha is alive, much to the surprise of Motu and the horror of Narasimha and his group. Patlu reveals that King Singha will be arriving with his army. Narasimha says he will kill King Singha again. Motu, Patlu, Chingum, Ghasitaram, and Dr. Jhatka are captured.

In their cell, Motu punches Patlu because Patlu did not tell him he saved King Singha. Motu manages to throw Patlu against the entrance so hard that it opens. Everyone escapes, but they fall down a cliff and slide down a waterfall. They get out of the water and start walking, with Motu refusing to listen to Patlu because of his "betrayal." Patlu reveals that King Singha did indeed die, but he has a plan to have Guddu impersonate King Singha to encourage the animals. Guddu overhears this and tries to escape, but ends up surrounded by Motu and friends.

Narasimha and his group continue to cut down trees as the animals run. Motu shows Guddu the jungle and what is happening to it. Guddu exclaims that he could never be King Singha. As Motu and friends try to encourage Guddu, he collapses in fear.

Narasimha and his group reach the gold mine. After blowing up some rocks, Narasimha sees the gold. The group celebrates and goes inside the mine. They marvel at all the gold and begin to take it.

Meanwhile, in a cave, Motu and Chingum are able to convince Guddu to pretend to be king. Outside the cave, Patlu introduces "King Singha". Guddu steps out of the cave and the animals bow down to him. Motu encourages the animals and tells them to get ready for war.

Narasimha and his group continue to excavate the gold from the mine. A Mad Scientist named Abhiskar Lal arrives in a truck, and tells Narasimha about his invention, which he claims will be able to defeat all the animals in the jungle. Narasimha opens the truck, which contains the invention, and is attacked by it. Lal reveals that the invention is a hybrid between a dog and a panther the Donther. Narasimha tells Abhiskar Lal to release the Donthers to fight Motu and friends. Lal shows the Donthers a picture of Guddu and tells them to attack him.

The scene cuts to the jungle. The song "Dham Dham Dham" starts as everyone prepares for the war. The Donthers attack all the animals. Motu and Patlu try to get Guddu to roar, which fails as Guddu ends up meowing instead. Guddu begins having a panic attack and starts to run with the Donthers chasing him. Motu and friends start to pursue both Guddu and the Donthers.

Guddu throws himself on a tree branch and the Donthers do the same. The added weight snaps the branch and all the Donthers fall to a cliff. However, Guddu saves himself by clinging onto a vine. Guddu manages to climb to the other side. Motu asks Guddu to come back to their side, which Guddu refuses to do, saying that he wishes to enjoy himself independently and do things for himself. Guddu says goodbye to them and leaves. Motu acknowledges that he expected too much from Guddu.

In the jungle, Motu goes to the water to wash his face. Suddenly, a bunch of fish form the face of King Singha. This face encourages Motu, telling him that those who have courage will never lose.

Motu and his friends start to run after being attacked by a crocodile but are halted by Chungli and the other animals, who call them liars and are angry that they had tried to replace Singha with "a circus lion". Motu tells the animals that he wanted Guddu to unite all the animals to fight Narasimha. The rhinoceros tells Motu that they cannot fight without Singha. Patlu tells the animals if they don't fight they'd have to run away from the next place as well. Soon all the animals join Motu and Patlu. Motu tells everyone to get ready for war.

Meanwhile, Narasimha, Monica, and Abhiskar Lal are setting up a strategy to help fight Motu and friends. The defense plan is three lines of defense and the last line of defense. Lal says that there will be the last one; his new invention, another hybrid animal, between a gorilla and another animal, Gorrato.

That night, Motu and friends charge towards Narasimha's camp. Motu and Patlu observe the frontline, looking at the defenses and the offense. Motu tells the bird Anokhi to light up the camp with her friends. The light provided by the glowing birds end up making the illusion of day and Narasimha's defense plan is initiated.

The light produced from the birds wakes up Guddu, who watches the proceedings. After attacks by both sides, Narasimha demands Abhiskar Lal to release the Goratto. He does so, and tells the Goratto to attack the animals. Many animals retreat to escape the Goratto's destructiveness. Motu and Patlu try to charge at Goratto, only to be punched away. Heeru steps up and threatens Goratto, but is grabbed by Goratto and is thrown away. Heeru falls on the rock Guddu is on and mistakes Guddu for King Singha and begs him for help. Guddu steps back into the cave and tells Heeru that he is not King Singha.

Suddenly, Guddu is encouraged by an imaginary Motu and Patlu to help in the war. After a few words of encouragement, Guddu goes to help Motu in the war. Hearing Guddu's roar, many of the animals regain their courage and start fighting Goratto. Goratto starts fighting Guddu. Meanwhile, Motu fights Narasimha and his associates and defeats them. All the animals come to assist Guddu but Guddu finally delivers a kick that throws Goratto of the ledge of the cliff.

In the cave, Motu and Patlu deliver a speech, and the animals accept Guddu as their new king. The scene cuts to Narasimha and his associates in a cell as Chingum teases them eating carrots, thus ending the movie.

During the credits, the song, "Motu Patlu Ki Jodi" is sung.

Voice cast

 * Saurav Chakraborty as Motu / Patlu / Dr.Jhatka / Ghasitaram / Inspector Chingum
 * Vinay Pathak as Guddu, the circus lion
 * Uday Sabnis as Narsimha, he is the main antagonist and he's a hunter and Singha's rival
 * Vinod Kulkarni as Avishkari Lal, a mad scientist who has the ability to create hybrid animals and keep the jungle animals and their king at bay

Release
The film was released theatrically on 14 October 2016, in 700 screens across India.

Reception
The Times of India gave the film 3 stars. DNA gave the film 2 stars. Economic Times gave the film 3 stars.