‘Devaara: Part 1’ Movie Review: Jr NTR and Anirudh up the intensity in an over-the-top action drama
After nine years of SS Rajamouli Baahubali – The Beginning Leaving the audience curious as to why Kattappa killed Baahubali, the film is ambitiously mounted with scope for a sequel. This turned out to be a double-edged sword. While filmmakers have the opportunity to deeply describe characters and build the world in which the story unfolds, there is also a tendency to overextend the narrative. A few questions remain unanswered, hopefully the audience will wait in anticipation for a sequel. Telugu film directed by Koratala Siva GodsNTR Junior, starring Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, is the latest to follow. The film, which has been dubbed and released in multiple languages, has a few awe-inducing segments enhanced by Anirudh Ravichander’s lively musical score, which ultimately makes us wonder if a sequel is warranted.
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Devara: Part 1 (Telugu)
Director: Koratala Shiva
Cast: NTR, Janhvi Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan
Duration: 178 minutes
Story: In a fictional coastal town, a police officer sets out on the high seas to fight crime and learns of the legend of Devara, who rules the high seas.
The term dEvara Alludes to male deities revered by coastal communities. Jr. NTR plays Devara, a mysterious figure in a fictional coastal region adjacent to the mountains. The story begins in 1996, as India prepares to host the Cricket World Cup, and goes back in time to narrate the story of Devara, who supposedly rules over the high seas. Koratala Shiva does not waste time. A police officer (Ajay) witnesses something underwater that shocks him and sets the scene for Singappa (Prakash Raj), a village elder to narrate Deva’s story.
We are taken to the seaside region where four clans live and we learn about Ira Samudram (Red Sea). The narrative explores human behavior in the context of both courage and fear. Moving away from the oft-explored stories of a village being oppressed and turning to a savior finding courage, this film explores the potential of what some people can do in the absence of fear. As Devara tries to distinguish between the courage needed to survive versus the brutal courage that can kill, the moral standing of her speech is lost on several people around her, including Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan).
A still from ‘Devaara: Part 1’
A strikingly mounted sequence on a ship stacked with containers establishes the stealth with which men led by Devas and Bhairas operate on the high seas. Devara is aware that he is not a saint, though he has no idea of the ramifications of his stealth operation after a while. He tells his younger son Vara (NTR in the dual role of the grown-up son) that, unlike their ancestors who fought for freedom, he is insignificant. Deva’s moral position became the main reason for deepening the rift between the four gotras.
The film does not explore how Devras and Bhairas from different clans became friends and allies, but slowly shows how their moral compasses diverge. Others around them, such as the characters of Kalairasan and Tom Shine Chacko, deepen the divide between brothers and Devas. An elaborate ayudha puja sequence establishes the significance of the festival and the traditional weapons of this group. The Telugu title is formed by combining arms of various shapes. A glimpse of a fish-shaped knife is consistent with the coastal community in the image.
There are several scenes and segments — such as the container sequence and the Ayudha Puja festival — that resonate as the story progresses rather than stand-alone moments. Even small moments, like Vara casually talking about hair dye and Devara and Vara sitting on a stone hedge, gain later, though some of the twists and turns can be seen a mile away.
The narrative is full throttle and engaging for over an hour, while it establishes the world Gods and its complications. In the later parts, the intensity is traded for a simple romance track between Bhara and Thangam (Jhanvi Kapoor) and the brooding Veera’s many moves which become increasingly boring and tiresome. Towards the end, when the film ends a Bahubali-Like the question, it lacks the impact it needs and feels incomplete.
A still from ‘Devaara: Part 1’
What holds the film together while the writing falters is the technical department. Rathnavelu’s cinematography cleverly presents sequences shot against the black-blue sea at night, contrasting it with oil lamps and bonfires in the village. Sabu Cyril’s production design gives the coastal setting a blend of beauty and mystical quality. The one who had the most fun though was Anirudh Ravichander. Sometimes with a rock-inspired score and sometimes using traditional doll And DappuHis music energizes the proceedings.
In the male-driven action drama, other characters sink in like Zarina Wahab, the mother, who has seen enough death in her lifetime, and another woman who hopes that education will be her son’s path to redemption. A few supporting characters like Prakash Raj and Srikanth’s performances get a chance to make an impression, while Murali Sharma, Kalairasan and Tom Shine get lost in the fray. It was not difficult to get into the depth of the character of Bhairah. Saif Ali Khan conceived through films, nothing else. Janhvi is wasted in a character that can be described as stupid, to put it mildly.
In a way, the title of a story in which Jr. NTR rides the waves and is set in a seaside town can be seen as an extension of his character Bheem’s metaphor. RRRwhich was identified as water, as opposed to the fire of Rama (Rama Charan). As Devara, Jr. NTR is in his element and succinct in conveying moral dilemmas. As Vara, she tries to make a sloppy-written character seem better than it is.
Devara: 1st episode Part engaging and part tedious. If it was a one-part film, it might have been more wholesome.
Devara: Part 1 is currently playing in theatres
has been published – September 27, 2024 02:40 pm IST