6 years of KGF Chapter 1: Rocking Star Yash-led original better than the sequel?

At first it was meant to be one film that was to be made for Kannada audiences only. Then, somewhere along the way, it was split to make way for another part, and with versions in other languages too. It was a tale that deserved to be told to audiences outside of Karnataka too, felt the makers. It was made on a large scale, which, many thought was outrageous for a Kannada movie, but the team believed that the film, and its leading man, had it in them to take it places. And that is exactly what happened when KGF: Chapter 1 released in theatres on December 21, 2018.

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Rocking Star Yash, who was already a star in Sandalwood, had gone out of his way to introduce himself and his film to the rest of the country and that effort paid off when KGF: Chapter 1 became a massive hit. Everyone took note of director Prashant Neel’s story-telling, his choice of cinematography, colour-grading, editing and music, and, of course, the film’s charismatic leading man. The story was packaged well and ended on a high point, with audiences anxious to know what happens to Rocky Bhai after he killed Narachi’s Garuda. It was almost the same feeling that people had at the end of Baahubali 1, when they all sought answers to why Kattappa killed Baahubali.

It is exactly 6 years to the day KGF: Chapter 1 hit theatres, a time in which the sequel also came along and told us about Rocky Bhai’s phenomenal growth. The film, KGF: Chapter 2, of course, was a monstrous hit, far bigger than the original film, but that was to be expected, because Chapter 1 was about establishing a world and a character. Chapter 2 gave Neel the bandwidth to go all guns blazing straight into the action. But this also means that there is a school of thought that among the two KGF saga films, Chapter 1 remains the better one.

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Here’s why KGF: Chapter 1 is considered better than KGF: Chapter 2

Story-telling: Chapter 1 is an origin story, how Raja Krishnappa Bairya, overcame all odds, and strived hard to fulfil the promise he made to his mother on her deathbed – to become wealthy and powerful. Rocky’s journey is intense and riddled with hurdles and challenges. It also showcases the hardships of the people working in the mines of KGF. Most importantly, the mother sentiment worked well here in Rocky’s ascend to glory.

Cinematic experience: Bhuvan Gowda’s cinematography, Shivkumar’s art work in creating the world of KGF, the lighting and colour grading (which later became known as Prashant Neel’s grayscale), the editing pattern, and Ravi Basrur’s score for the film were all much talked about elements. For a while, every filmmaker worth his salt wanted to emulate this template.

A strong villain: The hero-villain dynamic between Rocky and Garuda (Ram) has been widely hailed as the most dynamic. Rocky’s entire focus is on killing Garuda, while the latter sees him for the first time, seconds before his death.