After registering a strong place as a radio jockey and as a comedian in Tamil cinema, RJ Balaji has made his debut as a solo lead with the political comedy-drama, LKG, directed by KR Prabhu. Balaji has written the story, dialogues and the screenplay of the film. The posters and the trailer spoofing major political icons and incidents have piqued the expectations of this film, among the youngsters. The promos suggested that LKG will be a fun-filled political satire. Has the film succeeded and fulfilled the expectations?

Lalgudi Karuppiah Gandhi is an innocent young man who aspires to become a leading politician in the State. He is the councillor of his area, but who wants to achieve something, even more, bigger, unlike his dad (Nanjil Sampath),  a failed politician. He decides to fight against all the odds and make a change in the by-elections. Sara (Priya Anand) a private PR agent helps in paving the way for him to reach out to the public. What difficulties did Karuppiah face in this complicated field of politics, and did he accomplish his dream, forms the plot of LKG. These questions are answered in a time of 2 hours, that is filled with laughter and some thoughtful writing.


It is not an easy task to write comedies. There have been quite a lot of wannabe comedy writers, who have miserably failed. Only a selective set of people have proven their mettle as a writer and a comedian. RJ Balaji is one such person and comedy comes naturally for him. The comedies are not just about counters and taking digs, but also puts important thoughts into the audience’s mind. There are plenty of crowd-pleasing scenes that establish a connect and the contemporary references turn out to be a favourable aspect.

LKG is a political satire throwing an important message at the audience that it is important to be a proper and clean human first, before commenting and criticising the politicians. Also, the film brings out the harsh realities and intricacies of politics that one is not aware of. The impactfully written climax enhances the overall experience of the film and RJ Balaji is clear in sharing the message that he wants to.


On the downside, the makers have taken cinematic liberties to reach their final product and convincing writing is seen in many places. The cat and mouse gameplay between Gandhi and Ramaraja Pandian (played by J.K.Ritheesh) might have looked interesting on paper, but it doesn’t bring out any excitement on screen, and that makes the game boring. It is worrying to see a gay sex comedy sequence coming from the writing of RJ Balaji who is known to be a mature and sensible person outside cinema. The first half of the film is fun-filled and explains the character of Gandhi comfortably, however, things take a detour in the latter half, as you find a mild dip. Despite being projected as a political legend who holds the success ratio for 30 years, Ramaraja Pandian is shown very weak and dumb, opposite Gandhi. For a character of that stature, he could have definitely made things difficult for Gandhi. The writing, again, becomes very convenient and easy for the protagonist.

The emotions do not have the intensity that needs to be there. The climax sequence makes it up for the lows in the end. The romance popped up out of nowhere with just a dialogue and immediately, you have a song. Fortunately, the makers themselves might have felt that to be out of place and hence they cut the song in a minute or two.


The casting is an interesting facet, and RJ Balaji is definitely convincing as Lalgudi Karuppiah Gandhi. Since he is the one who has written the story and the screenplay, his self-analysis has helped in writing the scenes for the protagonist. One could see a good performance coming from him. He holds the film in his shoulders with a vibe. Priya Anand also suits the stylish character of a corporate marketing agent and she does a neat job. It is good to see actor Mayilsamy being utilised in a good role rather than using him for alcohol and double meaning comedies. J.K.Ritheesh is acceptable as a politician, but there is a tinge of artificiality in his acting. Nanjil Sampath presents a good act and his performance is adequate, with the limited screen time.

Leon James’ musical score is apt, though there is a certain amount of functionality in the re-recording. Vidhu Ayyana’s visuals and Anthony’s cuts go hand in hand and the work from the duo is commendable. K.R.Prabhu, as a director, succeeds on an overall aspect, despite having issues in executing the scenes.

VERDICT - A fun-filled political comedy that keeps the audience entertained for the most part

RATING - 2.75/5