Jr NTR's film occasionally manages to anchor itself in Terra Firma

New Delhi:

Packed with unrelenting action and a thrilling visual spectacle, but devoid of any real emotion. Devara: Part 1 (Hindi) is intended solely for fans of films that, in the absence of a solid original concept, seek to capitalize on their epic scope, star power, and array of short-bladed swords, scythes, and scimitars at their disposal.

Set in the last two decades of the 20th century, the film's technical flourishes attempt to make up for what it lacks in narrative sharpness. But aside from a scene here or a shot there, it doesn't exactly reach the heights you'd expect from a production of this magnitude.

Aside from the stilted, even hackneyed dialogue, the film's biggest downfall is its rather tame, butchered good-versus-evil construct, built around four villages nestled in a mountain overlooking a shark-infested sea. The region has a history of violence and its residents treat their weapons like God.

The villagers inhabit a vast, feverish and bloody landscape where men commit unspeakable violence until the titular hero, leading a group of tough men who are unafraid of the sea, changes his mind and decides to banish evil from sight the ocean and surrounding settlements.

The lawless area is home to the descendants of brave warriors who once fought and triumphed against the British rulers. Today they serve as sea pirates for arms dealers who transport their illegal shipments from sailing ships.

In a long sequence, such a ship is attacked by the coast guard. As the ship is searched, the villagers who have sneaked in make a daring escape before they are discovered. In the course of this scene, both the protagonist and the antagonist as well as their accomplices meet each other Devara: Part 1 are presented as fearless fighters.

Jr NTR is about a dual role as father and son: the former is a feared, invincible warrior and the latter is a gentle man who shies away from violent confrontations. Saif Ali Khan only plays the villain confidently, as director Koratala Siva's script allows, which limits the actor's scope of action.

Devara: Part 1 begins 1996 with a meeting of senior Bombay police officers who are disturbed by news that a mafia don is planning to disrupt the upcoming Cricket World Cup. A high-ranking lawyer is sent south with a team to catch the crime boss who hasn't been seen in public for several months.

There, the police team comes across the legend of Devara, told to them by Singappa (Prakash Raj), an aging witness to the heroic deeds of a man who took on his own people to save them and the sea from the cruel influence of himself . serving criminals.

Devara (NTR Jr) disappears into the sea after vowing not to allow Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan) and his ilk to continue their illegal activities that endanger the lives of innocent people. The fear of retaliation stops the ship robbers. But Bhaira raises a fierce army of young men to obey his orders as he waits for the right time to strike back.

Devara: Part 1 is dominated exclusively by men who spit poison. The women – particularly Devara's mother (Zarina Wahab) and wife Jogula (Shruti Marathe) – are gentle souls who are pushed into a corner. They have little influence on how things turn out for the family and the village. The women, be they mothers, sweethearts, concubines or fortune tellers, are treated equally – with indifference.

By the time Janhvi Kapoor appears as the daughter of one of Devara's old associates, the film is already in its second half. She is nothing more than a glorified extra, a pretty girl who sets her sights on the absent Devara's shy son, Vara (NTR Jr), but insists that she will marry him only if he has his father's strength and bravery shows.

Janhvi is part of some unintentionally funny romantic sequences and of course an entire love song that allows her (and the hero) several changes of outfits and scenery. However, it disappears without a trace once it reaches its limited number.

As Devara: Part 1 gives no clear indication as to what Part 2 might entail, there is no way to know at this point whether the Bollywood star, who is appearing in her first Telugu-language production, would be given a larger role in Part 2.

What stands out in Devara: Part 1 is the editing by A. Sreekar Prasad, who cuts the film in such a way that it is far more coherent as a story (despite the simplicity of the plot) than any of the recent blockbusters from the South – KGF , Pushpa, Bahubali, RRR – were.

Thanks to the tidy flow the film achieves, the three-hour running time doesn't weigh down the audience. Not that the film has any ambitions other than a KGF or a Pushpa, but it has a pretty smooth progression for a narrative that will inevitably expand to include two avatars of NTR Jr and a Saif Ali Khan that redefine that would like outlines of the devil.

Anirudh Ravichander's background score rises and falls in accordance with the needs of the plot, which practically means it almost always flirts with distracting crescendos. The songs also come and go without making much of an impact.

But nothing in Devara: Part 1 is as disappointing as the VFX. No, it's not Adipurush-level abyssal, but the underwater sequences, the shots of the turbulent ocean (trough of water?), the explosions and the superhuman leaps over hurdles are ordinary (if not downright cheesy) to say the least. . This is an area where the next part of the film needs to see a huge improvement.

Devara: Part 1 is mixed. The bits that work, rare as they are, might whet the appetites of fans of big-screen action and melodrama. The segments that are lagging behind do not quite meet expectations. They're the kind of setbacks that could hurt the two-part film's future prospects.

Be that as it may, Devara: Part 1 isn't always adrift at sea. Occasionally it manages to establish itself on solid ground, where the fight scenes are energetic and powerful. With the editing and a passionate NTR Jr giving the film a certain amount of stability, it's not a letdown.