Devara Part 1 review: Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor starrer is grand in scale but has little meat

Jr NTR in Devara

Film: Devara Part 1
Director: Koratala Siva
Cast: Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor
Rating: 2/5

Even though SS Rajamouli has moved on from the two-part Baahubali, it appears that quite a few filmmakers are still keen to replicate its success. What makes director Koratala Siva's Devara Part 1 so eagerly anticipated is that it marks Jr NTR's return to the big screen over two years after Rajamouli's RRR.

The narrative begins in Mumbai, 1996, with a closed-door meeting between top cops, intel chief and the home minister discussing a threat to the country from a wanted criminal during the upcoming cricket world cup tournament. Led by a senior cop (Ajay), the search takes the team to Ratnagiri, a coastal village by the Red Sea aka Lal Samudram. A scary and shocking underwater encounter sets the stage for village elder Singappa (Prakash Raj) to narrate the story of Devara (Jr NTR) to the police team.

Descendants of warriors who fought the colonisers, Devara, Bhiara (Saif Ali Khan), Rayappa (Srikanth) and others from the four villages work as hired pirates to loot cargo of passing ships for Muruga (Murti Sharma) and DSP Tulasi (Abhimanyu Singh). Despite their one-upmanship during the shastra puja rituals, they work in tandem until one incident exposes them to the adverse effects of their chosen profession. That's when Devara decides that they will not venture into the sea for anything illegal that could in turn jeopardise their own people. However, his moral standing is lost on Bhaira and others, who refuse to follow his orders after a point in time.

Director Siva sets out to narrate an ambitious story, with grand scale and production values. However, the writing is not consistent and after a point, gets rather predictable, more so in the second half. As a result, the pace drags off and on. Most of the sea sequences are aptly executed, though at times they look like they've been set in a studio, thanks to the overly grey tones. For most part, the action is on expected larger-than-life lines. One can't digest Jr NTR flying out of the water like a rocket and the sharks remind you of the rubber crocodiles Amitabh Bachchan wrestled with in Shaan and Ganga Jamuna Saraswati.

Jr NTR doesn't disappoint. Whether as Devara or the son Vara, the actor delivers a power-packed performance. He plays both roles distinctly without making one look like the other even for a brief moment. He also shows his dancing skills as both the characters at different times and situations in the movie.

Saif Ali Khan plays Bhaira with conviction, but there is only so much he can do in a half-written role like this. For all his cunning and manipulations, Bhaira is not even a pale shadow of Langda Tyagi from Omkara.

Janhvi Kapoor makes her Telugu debut in this film that opens in Hindi as well, as a pan-India offering. However, her character Thangam has barely three-and-a-half scenes, when she is mulling over whether Vara is the man for her, and a romantic number with him.

Shruti Marathe (as Devara's wife), Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko, Narain, Kalaiyarasan, Murli Sharma and Abhimanyu Singh play their parts well. Ratnavelu's cinematography makes it a visual treat, and while Anirudh Ravichander's background heightens the drama, his soundtrack leaves a lot more to be desired.

Considering how the first part pans out, the so-called cliffhanger of the climax doesn't exactly have you eagerly anticipating the second instalment like ‘Why did Katappa kill Bahubali?' at the end of Bahubali: The Beginning.