Devara Part 1 Review: Predictable and Underwhelming!

DEVARA Part 1

Director- Kortala Siva

Cast- Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan, Murali Sharma, Prakash Raj, Janhvi Kapoor, Zarina Wahab, Rameshwari and Shruti Marathe

Released at theatres.

Rating:

By Jyothi Venkatesh    

The film begins with a police officer witnessing something underwater that jolts him and sets the stage for a village elder, Singappa (Prakash Raj), to narrate the story of Devara. The narrative explores human behavior in the context of both courage and fear. Devara (Jr NTR) and Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan), the heads of two villages, turn against each other when Devara discovers that they’ve been smuggling deadly weapons.

The backdrop is four villages on the border of Andhra and Telangana, in Ratnagiri, called Erra Samudram (Red Sea), that are notorious for their pirate operations targeting passing cargo ships. The story is about how, when Devara becomes aware of the dangers, and decides to put an end to the illicit operations, leading to an all-out rivalry between the two factions.

The story, in fact, is narrated by Singappa (Prakash Raj), a confidante and admirer of Devara, to the present-day officer who has come to search for a criminal. Though there is some attention on Devara’s mother (Zarina Wahab), on another grieving woman who loses her son, but Janhvi Kapoor as Vara’s beloved and even Devara’s wife (Shruti Marathe) barely count in the story’s plotline.

Also read: Binny And Family Review: A brilliant coming of age film of three generations

As far as the performances are concerned, all that I can say is that while N.T.R Jr excels in a double role as the father Devara and son Vara, Saif Ali Khan as Bhaira just about scrapes through his role as his adversary. Janhvi Kapoor as Thangam the beloved of Vara renders a very bland role which has absolutely no dimension, wondering us whether it was necessary for her to make her debut in the male dominated film. Prakash Raj is just about okay while Murali Sharma is extremely good as Murugan, the local smuggler. Zarina Wahab is good as the mother of Vara while Rameshwari has been wasted in a very insignificant role though she is capable of doing better roles.

The film with lack of imagination, ends with a poser a la Bahubali—when we come to know that Devara is no more. He had warded off all his attackers, but a surprise, someone who is very close to him entity had killed him. Why did that person kill Devara Part 1, is what will be answered in Devara Part 2.