After a six-year gap, Jr NTR’s solo release – Devara: Part 1– has hit the screens. The actor plays the dual roles of a father (Devara) and son (Vara) in the film which has a fairly simple theme: a few clans who do not know what fear is, grapple with the consequences of somebody from their own group trying to express it. This is a great storyline to build a legend around a larger-than-life character.
Director Koratala Siva does not waste time in getting to the story. The film opens with a police search for a gangster ahead of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The investigation leads to Rathnagiri, a coastal town in Andhra Pradesh. These sequences evoke curiosity and you keep guessing how this story is connected to the titular Devara. But what seems like a great opening immediately loses steam and starts looking silly.
Highly efficient police officers go around searching for the gangster, pretending to be smugglers. But they make zero effort to disguise themselves– all of them travel in a gypsy jeep and are clean-shaved, with a zero haircut. And funnily, a corrupt DSP who is part of a smuggling ring in Rathnagiri says that he could “smell” that they are police – now that’s some instinct!
When the police fail to get any lead on the criminal they are looking for, Singappa (played by Prakash Raj), who is facing the sea for some reason, randomly narrates the story of Yerra Samudram (Red Sea) – a cluster of four villages. Each village is controlled by a different clan, which earlier belonged to a warrior group who protected the coast from invasions by kings and the British. However, over the years, they resorted to smuggling goods from cargo ships. When they could make a living by fishing, why do they resort to illegal activities? Koratala does not offer any explanation.
Devara is from one of the clans. Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan), Kunjari (Kalaiyarasan), and Rayappa (Srikanth) represent the other clans. Koratala makes it appear that these clans have chosen the wrong path due to poverty and other circumstances, but the poor writing forces you to assume things and move forward.
Though Devara is aware of his wrongdoings, he convinces himself that he is doing the right thing to help his people. But an incident makes Devara give up smuggling. He vows not to indulge in it, and prevents the other clans too. The scene leading to this feels highly exaggerated with its over-the-top dialogues, and the sudden change of Devara’s heart feels too rushed and does not come organically. This crucial plot point turns out to be extremely bland because of its predictability and the dull writing.
But despite the flaws, Koratala mostly succeeds in immersing the audience into the world of Yerra Samudram where an annual wrestling tournament is held to determine which clan gets the prized possession of a deity made of swords. This helps in keeping track of the time period of the film. These scenes also remind you of the savagery of these clans, where they engage in violent fights. Unlike his brave father who reigns over the Yerra Samudram, Devara’s son Vara is a weakling. And though this character is sloppily written, Jr NTR does impress with his performance.
While Koratala fleshes out the character of Devara pretty well, Jr NTR does feel inadequate to shoulder such a powerful character. His short stature becomes a liability. Though he tries to change the voice modulation and tone for the character and looks broody to make himself appear serious, the actor is not convincing enough.
As the menacing Bhaira, Saif Ali Khan, on the other hand, delivers a good performance. Though there are many talents like Zarina Wahab, Naren, Kalaiyarasan, Murali Sharma, Shine Tom Chacko, and Sudev Nair in the film, they do not get enough space to perform. Disappointingly, all of them remain underutilised.
Devara: Part I is a poor debut film for Janhvi Kapoor in Telugu. The actor has no role, and the sole purpose of her character is reduced to finding a ‘macho man’ who she can marry, which is beyond silly if not offensive.
The film has some stunning action sequences. Both art director Nirav Shah and cinematographer Rathnavelu show the grandeur of the film through their work. Rathnavelu in particular leaves you in awe with his blue and black tone of the film which adds to the element of fear and mysterious nature of the sea. The action sequences in the film are choreographed well, with Anirudh amping up the emotions with this bombastic music score.
In multiple interviews, Jr NTR reiterated that the last 40 minutes of the film would be “mind-blowing”, but this does not come through in the film, and the big “twist” in the climax was sadly predictable.
Devara: Part I has a climax similar to Baahubali: The Beginning. However, the poor writing pulls it back from evoking the same anticipation as Rajamouli's franchise.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.