Why Kokki Kumar is a Perfect Anti-Hero?
Who is an Anti-Hero?
Think of the movies you’ve watched all your life. Most of the films you could’ve watched would have a central character who is an ideal figure. He doesn’t have flaws. He doesn’t do much mistakes. He is charming. That’s what a hero is. Anyone who’s perfect is a hero. Then who is a anti-hero? Anyone who lacks these “conventional” (alias common or usual) traits of a hero is an anti-hero. Unlike a hero, he is someone who is driven by personal motives rather than for a collective good. And sometimes be immoral too.
Kokki Kumar — The Ultimate Anti-Hero
Anti-heroes are almost a rarity in mainstream Tamil cinema since we value stars here over actors and stories. But still, there are some anti-hero characters who have been wonderfully written like Kokki Kumar in Pudhupettai, Prabhakar in Kattradhu Tamizh, Saket Ram in Hey Ram. Kokki Kumar is a Character who is celebrated as much as the film itself. Even though he is flawed, it is only because he is a greatly written anti-hero. So now, let’s see what traits makes Kokki Kumar a well-written, likeable anti-hero.
1. Relatability
One of the biggest reasons why we stand in a character’s shoes is the fact that we relate to that character. We could also call it relatability. Kokki Kumar makes mistakes, like us. Kokki Kumar has desires, like us. Kokki Kumar is a man who started from the bottom and went up the gangster hierarchy. He was penniless at the beginning. He just didn’t randomly beat up another gangster and becomes the “Ultimate Boss”. He makes friends, he does jobs, he learns, he rises from step to step, just like we rise up in our lives. To simply put it, he is an underdog. That’s why when Kokki Kumar punches the villain’s brother, we get a feel as if it were our own “Mass Moment”.
2. Empathy
One of the biggest reasons why we empathize with Kokki Kumar is because we have seen him from his adolescence. We know how his father is, we know how much he loves his mother. We know how terrified he was after his father killed his mother. It makes us realize that Kokki Kumar had no other choice but to run away from his father. This is one of the biggest reasons why we connect to him, because we would have done the same thing if we were in his shoes.
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3. Unpredictability
We’ve seen the reasons why Kokki Kumar feels like one of us. But what separates Kokki Kumar from us such that he is neither a moral hero nor a normal person? It is his unpredictability. Not only Kokki Kumar but a lot of other anti-heroes ranging from Michael Corleone to Tony Montana are unpredictable too. Do you think a normal person would marry a woman he just sees without even considering the fact that he’s in a relationship with another woman and also the fact that the woman he married was also going to be married to another man? Also, when Kokki Kumar asks for a seat in the election, did we predict it? When he takes a machete from his shirt, did we expect it? When he killed his father? No! That’s what makes Kokki Kumar a step superior to us.
4. Vulnerability
Even though Kokki Kumar is a cold-blooded gangster who is feared by the people, Kumar has his own problems too. He is very vulnerable, ever since his teenage days. Even after he becomes a gangster with high reputation, he doesn’t get the love he wants from his wife. Even his wife refuses to help him. He loses the trust of Mani, a companion who guided him through his “gangster’ life. He doesn’t have a lot of people who love him. He has his own fears, struggles and insecurities. This can be seen in the scene he tries to safeguard his family, as well as the scene he tries to save his child. It shows how much insecure Kumar is even though he is a big gangster.
5. Obsession
Another trait that is common with various anti-heroes is their “Obsession”. They will dare to anything to achieve their goal. It might be marrying a person or gaining the love of someone. Or it could be attaining a status or position. Or materialistic desires. In our case, Kumar is someone who would do unpredictable action do attain the goals. And, the driving factor for these, is the obsession inside him. Whether it is marrying Selvi, or going to the extent of threatening a party leader for a legislative seat, the force that drives Kokki Kumar is the obsession inside him.
Conclusion
With the audience evolving from time to time, today’s audience demand realistic and relatable characters. There is no more interest for good vs. bad, perfect vs. imperfect conventional stories. People want complex characters and relatable characterisation. In that way, anti-heroes have become a game changer in recent mainstream cinema and peak TV era.
Written by The Unreliable Narrator and STDK.filmhub
