‘Devara: Part 1’ Review: A Spirited NTR Jr., Kickass Fights, and a Lot of Déjà Vu

Director: Koratala Siva
Writer: Koratala Siva
Cast: NTR Jr., Saif Ali Khan, Prakash Raj, Janhvi Kapoor, Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko, Narain, Murali Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh
Language: Telugu

It says a lot about where we are today when you feel a sense of relief at how Devara feels like an “authentic” two-part film. Not that this is any indication of its quality, but at least it does enough to never feel like a simple story extended into two (like Indian 2), or a film that ends with a lazy bait for a sequel (too many to name).

Koratala Siva goes back to NTR Jr. after the much-loved Janatha Garage (2016), in a film that repurposes overused tropes from several mass movies we’ve already seen, but the novelty comes from the base idea that this is about a clan of daring smuggles with expertise over an important trade route and a whole lot of folk traditions.

But before we get to these villagers who live off the Red Sea, Siva prepares us with a stake that is as big as the country itself. India is looking to host the cricket World Cup, and a consignment of explosives and ammunition is on its way to reach some deadly hands if not for some timely intervention by the government. Without the officers, we’re looking at a situation that could destroy the nation’s international ties and who we are as a country. It is in this expansive context that we’re told the history of this Red Sea and the four villages that stake claim to the trade route that passes through it. The myth-making, however far-fetched, is engaging, priming you for a believable world where well-lit duels decide the fate of each village and heroes that live by strong principles.

This context makes a world of difference because the film operates a lot like an anachronism. Except for the mention of the World Cup, we do not get a fair idea of when or where these events are taking place. There is also no identifiable reference to who these people are and why they resort to smuggling as their primary source of income. Yet, their rules make them intriguing. Like how they live right by the sea and yet find it beneath their dharma to become fishermen. Or how education is still considered an outlier for them because it involves travelling out into the real world. Or even how they remain stuck in another time period, not just in terms of clothing or traditions, but even in the way the entire villages band together when outsiders try to disturb their status quo.

There’s so much thought that has gone into creating this code for the people of the Red Sea that you wish the same had gone into creating some drama when it comes to a conflict between two of its most important residents, Devara (NTR Jr.) and Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan). How much can you remain engaged when the world-building begins to fade away, only to be replaced with conflicts and events that are tired and overused?

Take the case of how unconvincingly we’re forced to buy into the inciting incident that transforms Devara. He’s already into the second major heist that we’re seeing him execute when he’s captured by an upright and principled customs officer (Narain Murali Sharma). Despite how they remain on opposite ends of the moral spectrum on the surface, there is a righteousness that binds this officer and Devara. But when the officer explains the complexity of their crime and its larger impact, Devara seems like the only one who is convinced. Add to this the odd bit of drama when we’re told that this officer has just become a father, and almost too conveniently, we also realise how the film’s most crucial scene has failed to create the impact that was needed for us to remain invested in Devara’s transformation. Nothing really sits right after this.

It is while dwelling on this mood that we’re jumping 12 years ahead in time, and into a world where Bhaira and gang have almost given up smuggling. This conceit operates on the belief that Devara remains a ghost-like guardian of their values and the promise that they’ll engage in the sort of illegal trade that had fed them for so long. But even as we cut ahead, we do not get a scene to show how they’ve been living when there is no income for this period. Even conveniently placed sub-plots, like that of the village’s first student and another involving a blind girl, is done with such little finesse that it becomes too obvious to care about.

And by the time we enter into a lazy romantic sub-plot involving Janhvi Kapoor, you’ve lost the plot. The aesthetics of these portions remind you of herbal shampoo commercials and its impact too is only that of distraction in the middle of more important things. As we get to the final act, there is only NTR Jr.’s charisma that’s keeping you engaged, at least partly, and until you wait for one of the five action choreographers to turn up with a giant sequence. Some of these, like the major fight before the interval, work very well. But others that are set on the water, feel wobbly and artificial, never quite meeting the vision it set out to create. With predictable beats and a predictable sequel, here’s another film that struggles to overcome its Baahubali hangover.