The Man of Masses has returned!
Although to do a sub-par film.
Jr NTR takes the lead role in the brand new Koratala Siva directional, Devara: Part 1. He plays a double role, as the titular character Devara, and his son Vara.
The movie also marks the Tollywood debut of Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, who plays the menacing Bhaira, with an under-developed story, and Janhvi Kapoor, the weak love interest of Vara.
The story is set in a village, Yerra Samudram, where the population is divided into four clans. These clans work together to provide a decent livelihood for their village by means of illegal activities.
They take on the challenge of hijacking British cargo ships, and target particular warehouse containers, loaded with explosives and ammunition.
They tactically take these smaller but very heavy containers and tie them to their fishing boats. With a little sprinkle of movie magic, the boats don’t sink.
The weaponry is sold to an arms dealer Muruga, who in turns sells them and is used to cause destruction to innocent people.
Devara finally wakes up on the right side of the bed one day and realises that what they have been doing is wrong and persuades the people of the other clans to turn to honest means of survival, a.k.a., fishing.
Bhaira, always wanting to resort to violence, does not agree with his views and the other clans back him, leading Devara to be a stand-alone hero.
The main character getting flung across a room, into a concrete wall, and proceeding to get back up without a scratch is not new, but it could have been passably enjoyable had it been backed by a decent plotline. The film does have a few thrilling fight scenes coupled with ever-so-obvious fake punches.
The movie opens with a lagging, heavy and serious first half but takes a 180 turn at the beginning of the second half, where the plot becomes lively and humorous, complimented by whimsical music that shifts the mood dramatically. The happy interlude ultimately gives way to the serious and headstrong plot.
Siva tries to squeeze out every bit of NTR’s RRR dance energy, probably owing to the fact that Naatu Naatu became a global sensation after bagging an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2023.
Janhvi Kapoor plays Thangam, whose only job was to swoon over Vara. The romance between Thangam and Vara served no purpose to the plot and just seemed like an added interruption. This comes as a surprise considering, Chuttamalle, a song featured in film, publicised heavily after its release last month, featured a romantic dance sequence between the two characters.
In comes Anirudh Ravichander to save the day. The musical genius does everything in his power to bring the plot alive. He ever so gracefully magnetised the scenes to his music, enticing emotions that the audience would not have felt otherwise.
Although the plot is cliché and the script is weak, Devara does end with a shocking climax, blindsiding the audience, but it does leave a lot of questions unanswered. Hopefully, they are acknowledged in a better part 2.
Film: Devara: Part 1
Language: Telugu
Director: Koratala Siva
Cast: Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan, Prakash Raj, Janhvi Kapoor, Meka Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko
Rating: 2/5
