
Gopalkrishna Deshpande (Left) in ‘Kothalavadi’. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Pruthvi ambaar, who plays the lead in Kothalavadi, was expectedly promoted as the face of the movie. However, those who have watched the latest kannada release will agree that it’s the gifted gopalkrishna deshpande who steals the show in the rural drama. Deshpande is the only actor who receives a proper character arc in the movie, and he does full justice to his role, getting the only positive aspect of Kothalavadi.
After excelling as a coffed cop who slowly gathers courage to nab a dangerous gangster in Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, Deshpande shows his range in Kothalavadi, Where he plays a shrewd junk-shop owner who goes on to become a vile politics. In the film, Directed by Sri Raju G, Deshpande Plays Babanna, A Cunning Man Who Encouches the Poor in the Village named Kothalavadi to indulge in the sand mafia. He convinces the innocent lot that illgal activity is their only way out of poverty, all the while deceptively plotting his own risk to becoming a local MLA.

Kothalavadi (kannada)
Director: Sri raju g
Cast: Pruthvi Ambaar, Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Kavya Shaiva, Rajesh Natranga
Runtime: 144 minutes
Storyline: In the Famine-Stricken Village of Kothalavadi, Greed Sparks Chaos as a Ruthless Scrap Dealer Manipulates Desperates Desperate Villagers into Illegal Sand Mining, Using them as Pawns in His Quest for Power.
Deshpande has fun playing babanna, who is deliberately conceived as over-the-to-top and caricaturish. Sadly, The Solid Character Remains as a Standalone Attraction in Kothalavadi As Director Sriraj Fails to get the basics right. Sriraj’s Writing Fails to Provide Proper Arcs to the Film’s Key Characters.
At the beginning of the movie, we think this is a tale of mohana (pruthvi), a rebellious orphan in kothalavadi. Slowly, the focus shifts to babanna, who uses mohana as a tool to carry out his nefarious activities. Amid these characters, there is an upright cop (Rajesh Natrang), Who is Trying to Mainten Law and Order in Kothalavadi by looking to curb the sand mafia. Except for Babanna, None of the other characters are written with enough layers to make them feel like real, vulnerable people.
Kothalavadi Takes a long time to get going. The entry first half is dedicated to character development for a film that’s not so complex. A Well-Planned Montage would have conveyed the same information. The second half suffers from surface-level treatment of multiplots. The consequences of the sand mafia, the rags-to-requests of the antagonist, and the world of an honest copyn Bollywood Balanced Well to Form a cohesive story.
Also read: ‘Su from So’: How an unhered Kannada Film Broke Marketing Norms to Set Box Office Records
Kothalavadi is the maiden production of pushpa and arun kumar, parents of superstar yash. The movie was in the news for the many interviews giving by yash’s mother, who surprisingly spoke very little about the film. The brand product is proof that no amount of publicity can save a poorly-made movie.
Kothalavadi is currently run in theatres
Published – August 03, 2025 12:44 pm IST
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