Bland execution mars this ambitious spectacle

It could have been staged as a strong visual of horror and intrigue, but the director fails to build the moment. When Prakash Raj’s character tells the story of Devara to a cop, the framing of this moment, where a mythical tale is unravelled, is shockingly flat. There is another potentially epic sequence where two brave men engage in hand-to-hand combat at night and keep at it until the sunrise. It’s a monumental idea on paper that barely makes an impact on screen.

And this happens consistently, where you find the makers coming up short in terms of building an atmosphere of tension or intrigue through the imagery. All these factors, when combined, make Devara a bland movie-watching experience. To their credit, the director and the cinematographer Rathnavelu manage to capture a few interesting visuals, although these are few and far between. It’s Anirudh Ravichander’s background score, particularly the many variations of the ‘Fear Song’ theme, that elevate even the more ordinary of scenes and bring some fun to the proceedings.

The interval block is the only segment where you feel the true joy of a hero-worshipping vehicle; almost everything works here, from Jr NTR’s intense energy in his action moves to the top-angle shot of a horde of assassins slowly inching up towards Devara, where they appear like creepy sea reptiles. The rest of the film lacks the same kind of vision and energy.

Again, it’s a pity because writer Koratala Siva incorporates some good conceits into his story. For example, the idea of fear being used to have a vigil on the wrongdoings, to keep evil at bay always, is interesting, and that of a fearless army with no conscience or thoughts of their own strikes a chord with its visceral. Similarly, the conceit of a criminal protecting the law-abiding man at one point, going against his own tribe once he realises the folly of his deeds, is powerful imagery that’s well realised on screen. But Devara is not consistent in this emotional energy.

Devara also chooses to go for a cliffhanger awkwardly similar to Baahubali: The Beginning. There is a major revelation about the motivations of a character, changing our entire perspective of the events that unfold in the second half. But here, the writer forgets about a crucial aspect—they never build up the loyalty of a character well enough to shock us with their betrayal. So when the moment arrives, it leaves us more befuddled than amazed. It’s minor missteps like these, existing in plenty, that makes Devara a major misfire.

Devara

Cast: Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shine Tom Chacko, Prakash Raj

Director: Koratala Siva