Kumki 2 Review – Grandeur alone impresses than story! 

In a remote hill village, the protagonist Mathi rescues a baby elephant that has slipped and become trapped in a ravine. From that moment, the calf begins to follow him devotedly. Longing for affection, Mathi becomes deeply attached to the elephant and raises it with love. As the years pass, the boy and the elephant grow up together, inseparable like brothers, until, one day, the elephant suddenly disappears without a trace. Heartbroken, Mathi wanders in search of it, losing himself in memories of their bond.

Meanwhile, following his teacher’s advice, Mathi leaves his village to pursue higher studies. After five years, he returns home, where he receives a lead about the long-lost elephant. Armed with this information, he sets out on a journey to find it. Whether he succeeds—and the mystery behind the elephant’s disappearance, forms the core of Kumki 2.

Debutant Mathi, in the lead role, possesses all the attributes of a hero. His portrayal of varied emotions, yearning after losing the elephant, desperation while protecting it from danger, and fury at those who try to separate them, earns him commendable marks for performance.

Sridhara Rao, who appears only in a handful of scenes rather than as a full-fledged heroine, and Andrews as the hero’s friend, Arjun Das as a forest officer, Aakash as a politician’s aide, and Harish Peraadi as a police inspector, all deliver their parts without faltering.

Nivas K. Prasanna’s soundtrack consists entirely of melodic compositions, and his background score complements the film’s mood and visuals effectively.

Cinematographer M. Sukumar’s lens captures the mountains and waterfalls in a manner that invites awe from the audience. At the same time, some forest sequences reveal evident patchwork and artificial touches.

Editor Bhuvan assembles the film with finesse, successfully conveying director Prabhu Solomon’s intended narrative to the audience.

Just as forests and elephants are not new territory for Prabhu Solomon, this storyline too is not new to the audience. Tamil cinema has already seen two films in a similar mould. Yet, Kumki 2 carries a certain distinction absent in those earlier films.

However, the film’s major weakness is that it offers little beyond the emotional bond between the protagonist and the elephant. In an attempt to mask this shortcoming, Prabu Solomon weaves together the behaviour of the kumki elephant with shades of Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. Though the screenplay is mildly engaging on paper, that intrigue does not fully translate on screen. Even so, the friendship between the boy and the calf, the way the elephant sequences are filmed, and certain forest visuals keep the film watchable.