- Release Date: 27/09/2024
- Cast: N. T. Rama Rao Jr, Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko
- Director: Koratala Siva
- Runtime: 178 minutes
The Best NTR Jr. Ever in a Compelling Blend of Drama, Action, Rivalry, and Redemption
The trailers for NTR Jr.’s Devara never really impressed me. I wasn’t even able to understand the basic premise or how the two versions of NTR Jr.’s character would be portrayed. Even the background score didn’t do much for me. Saif Ali Khan, though always a reliable antagonist, felt out of place and listless. Koratala Siva’s trademark emotional drive, which made some of his better films popular and enjoyable, was sorely missing.
Once the film was released, it received mixed reviews, and as I walked into it, I was majorly apprehensive and didn’t want to spend the next three hours of my life being bored. I didn’t even have the necessary interest in Janhvi Kapoor to look forward to her 10-minute cameo. Hence, my apprehensions were real and well-placed, and I desperately wanted the film to be at least good enough for me to sit through without feeling the urge to walk out after spending my hard-earned money on it. Thankfully, Devara Part 1 proved to be a return to form for Koratala Siva to a certain extent and a surprisingly engrossing film. Even with its runtime of nearly three hours, it never assaulted my senses or made me feel like walking out.
The Story:
The investigation into an international terrorist and his whereabouts leads a team of police officers to a secluded coastal area of the country where four villages have lived peacefully for decades. The population of these villages are descendants of freedom fighters who not only guarded the seas against the British and Portuguese navies but were also instrumental in causing their downfall.
After independence, these patriots were forgotten, and in their desperation to survive, they turned to smuggling. Two leaders emerged from among them, Devara (NTR Jr.) and Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan), each with very different ideas about the path that they had chosen to ensure their survival. Soon, a time came when Devara was overcome by a sense of righteousness, realizing that what he was doing was destroying his own world and endangering the lives of his people. He then decided to transform himself into a symbol—one that would not only deter the people of the four villages from venturing into the seas for criminal activities but would also become a beacon of hope for those who believed in the importance of righteousness and goodness in a world blinded by greed, hatred, lust, and the thirst for wealth and power.
Bhaira, who had long accepted the way of life forced upon him and his village by Devara, now decides to stand against him.
This is the Best NTR Jr. That I Have Seen in Films:
I can’t emphasise enough how good NTR Jr. is in this film. He outdoes himself and, for the first time, completely carries the film on his shoulders, even with the presence of other notable stars like Saif Ali Khan and Prakash Raj. Every time he’s on screen, I was transfixed by his performance and he is on screen a lot.
I’ve seen a lot of reviews questioning the sudden change of heart of Devara’s character after a speech by a Coast Guard Officer. I don’t know, maybe I watched a different film because, in the version I saw, Devara’s character is clearly portrayed as dejected and tormented by what the villagers do for a living from the very beginning. There’s even a scene with his son, where he’s about to tell stories of his forefathers, but his son requests that he tell his own stories instead. Devara then explains that they haven’t done anything notable in their lives to be proud of. This moment underlines how sad and frustrated he feels about the life he’s leading to feed his people.
Later, just before the pivotal moment when he decides to stop smuggling, he’s unwilling to go out to sea on a raid. When he’s captured, an honest customs officer questions his actions, reminding him of his past. What the officer has to say to Devara strikes a chord with him and helps him make up his mind about what he is going to do next. This interaction finally convinces Devara to go against his own people. This proves to be a decision with far-reaching consequences as the film progresses. I felt Koratala Siva intelligently wrote these scenes to make perfect sense, and NTR Jr. performed them with such flair and emotions that I had no doubt in accepting his character and the actions he took later in the film.
While Devara was by far my favourite version of NTR Jr. in the film, his portrayal of Devara’s son, Vara, was just as impressive. It’s interesting to note that NTR Jr. was successful not only in the serious portions of the film, where his gravitas added much-needed weight to the story but also in the comedic moments, which felt equally well-realized and organic. The comedy here is very natural and never felt forced. It stems from the situation that the seemingly weak character of Vara is put in, and what he’s willing to do to prove he’s strong enough to be his father’s true son but not put himself in harm’s way.
NTR Jr. has never looked this good and heroic—not even in RRR. All these elements combined make NTR Jr.’s performance the focal point of the film’s success for me.
Saif Ali Khan Delivers a Seasoned and Impactful Performance as the Antagonist:
Saif Ali Khan has always excelled in his roles as an antagonist, and here too, he successfully translates the inner turmoil and simmering rage of Bhaira into subtle mannerisms and expressions. His emotions find occasional release in bursts of extreme violence, but most of the time, they are conveyed through long, intense gazes and expressions of deep hatred for Devara—often without a single word spoken. His unsaid emotions are highlighted by a maniacal smirk, which adds depth to the tension between the two characters.
Saif has always been great at portraying characters like this, and once again, he proves that he can be a formidable villain even with minimal dialogue. I felt his character grew stronger in the second half as his look got better with the longer unkept hair, and I’m very interested to see how his story unfolds in the second part of the film.
Intriguing Screenplay That Keeps You Hooked Throughout:
There isn’t a lot happening in the screenplay of the film, yet the proceedings remain fairly breezy and engaging. The screenplay offers just enough intrigue, twists (though not surprises), and action sequences to keep you invested throughout. One must also acknowledge that the performances of the two primary actors, NTR Jr. and Saif Ali Khan, are so compelling that you are almost inescapably drawn into their portrayals. Their performances keep you invested, making you eagerly anticipate the next bit of drama or action to unfold between them. The is a 178-minute-long film and the only portions where I felt a little restless were the ones involving Janhvi Kapoor and NTR Jr.
Well-Executed Action, Inspiring Background Score, and Proficient Cinematography:
Many have criticized the night action sequences, the sea-based scenes, and the disregard for the laws of physics throughout the film, citing these as reasons to question the quality of the action and visual effects, especially considering the film’s hefty budget. Personally, while watching the film, I never felt insulted by the graphics or action choreography. Yes, NTR Jr. leaping through the sea like a dolphin might not be the most visually pleasing sight, but it’s the kind of eccentric, over-the-top hero worship that we’ve come to expect from films of this genre and region. The same applies to the shark sequence, which admittedly looked bad but served its purpose. They also failed to account for the basic differences in behavior and size between dolphins and sharks which I felt could have been done better.
That said, I was able to overlook these missteps because most of the action sequences, apart from those few, were well-executed and supported by solid motivations and heightened emotions, which immediately enhanced their impact. The actors did a fine job of transferring the physicality of these action sequences to the audience, and each of these sequences was imaginatively designed.
Anirudh’s background score worked its magic once again. While the trailers didn’t do justice to his work, once the action unfolded on screen in the film, the score elevated both the mood and the intensity of the scenes. The action wouldn’t have been the same without Anirudh’s powerful score.
I appreciated the night cinematography, despite many critics labelling it as artificial, flat, and too obviously filmed on sound stages. While there’s merit to those criticisms, I didn’t find the visuals too problematic. Most of what was on display looked interesting, and the emotions and drama were successfully conveyed through the visuals and translated back to the audience, which helped elevate the overall experience.
Final Words:
Koratala Siva’s strength has always been in his portrayal of emotions and drama. Two of my favourite films of his, Srimanthudu and Bharat Ane Nenu, relied heavily on these aspects, which made them as effective and impactful as they were. However, he completely lost his touch in Acharya, where more thought should have gone into the writing, especially given the problematic depiction of Naxals as heroes.
In Devara Part 1, it seems that Siva realized the mistakes he made in Acharya and sought to bring back his strengths to the forefront. With NTR Jr. delivering a flawless and engaging performance, the film feels like a return to form for the director to a certain extent. The film ends with a twist that some might claim was borrowed from Baahubali, as were many other aspects of the film, but it worked for me. I wouldn’t mind sitting through Devara Part 1 a second time, and I will definitely be watching Devara Part 2 on the big screen to find out the answer to the question left hanging at the end of the first part.
Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)
The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.
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