Devara Part 1 Review: Jr NTR shines in this otherwise predictable action drama

2.5/5

Devara Part 1 Story

Devara (Jr NTR) and Bhairaa (Saif Ali Khan) are two village heads of the Ratnagiri region who smuggle goods from the sea. One fine day, Devara realizes that the goods smuggled are weapons that kill innocent people. He orders to stop the robberies and this does not go well with Bhairaa, who later hatches a plan to kill Devara. He attacks Devara but the latter goes missing. Cut to a decade later, Devara's son, Vara (Jr NTR) is a coward and does not want to have any connection with his father. But Bhairaa is determined to kill Devara who has gone missing. Where is Devara? Did Bhairaa kill Devara? and is Vara hiding something big? To know the answers, watch the film on the big screen.

Devara Part 1 Review

Devara was written and directed by Koratala Siva, who last made the flop film, Acharya. So, he has come up with a story with much scope for action and drama. Also, he has decided to narrate the film in two parts. He sets the tone of the film with a proper introduction fight, the clan reveals, and the basic conflict point that changes things on its head. While the film is high on action, the drama is somewhat underwhelming.

The emotions are good but the needed drama is not elevated properly as a chunk of it has been kept aside for the second part. But when it comes to action, Devara lives up to all the fight. There was a lot of apprehension as to how all the water-based action sequences would work. But Koratala Siva has made sure that the VFX is done right and there is no scope to pinpoint any error in terms of visuals.

Devara Part 1 is grand, has great visuals, and pulsating action enacted by Jr NTR. There is no denying the fact that Koratala Siva transports you to a new world that looks nice and engrosses you in the first half. But Devara has a lot of issues in the second. As the senior NTR goes missing, the younger one is brought into the scene and the character of Janhvi Kapoor is also introduced. But the conflict point is kept aside and proper commercial film narration with song and dance.

The second half has pacing issues and the emotions also look forced. Things pick up only in the pre-climax when the major twist is revealed. Even that is predictable and brings nothing new to the table and has similarities to that of Baahubali 1's 'why Katapa killed Baahubali'. But how the action is designed on a stylish note keeps the audience engaged.

As the story moves forward in the later half, the scenes that leave a hook to the second part are not that great. One can say that Jr NTR and Kortala Siva have played a safe game and narrated the first part with loads of action and basic emotions. The high that one associates with Jr NTR films is missing in the film.

Coming to the performances, Jr NTR is as usual at his best and performs both his characters perfectly. But it is the character of Devara that Jr NTR breathes life into. The way he mouths his dialogues, gives those intense looks, and confronts Saif Ali Khan is showcased superbly by Jr NTR.

Also Read: Koratala Siva interview on Devara Part 1: Jr NTR will take you on an emotional wild ride 

Saif Ali Khan makes an impressive debut in Telugu and is perfect for the role of Bhairaa. Saif brings a lot of depth to the film but one gets a feeling that he is underutilized in the film. One expected solid confrontation scenes between Saif and Jr NTR but that does not happen. A fistfight between the two is executed quite well.

Janhvi Kapoor makes an entry only in the second half and creates an impact right away. Though she has only two songs, Janhvi suits her role of Thangam and looks glamorous. Srikanth is decent in his role and so are Zarina Wahab and Murali Sharma. The film has multiple characters but they are not developed properly. The writing is weak and all this happens due to the decision of the director to make the film in two parts.

But one should appreciate the efforts of the technical team. Devara is high on visuals and looks quite grand. One of the major assets of the film is Anirudh Ravichander's stellar music score. Right from the songs to the BGM, Anirudh elevates the film to another level. Even the dull scenes and fight sequences look great, thanks to Anirudh's score.

The set work is just amazing and the camerawork by Ratnavelu is amazing. The visual effects are done well as the film has a dark tone that makes things look difficult. The production values of the film are top notch and every penny spent is visible on screen.

It has been six years since Jr NTR has had a solo release and he pinned a lot of hopes on Devara. While, the action clicks, the emotions are dull. Fans of Jr NTR will love him in a stylish new avatar but for the general audience, Devara ends as just a passable watch for the grandeur and action.

Devara Part 1 Verdict

On the whole, Devara Part 1 is a stylish action drama that has Jr NTR's terrific performance. While the visuals and action click, the drama is weak. The build-up for the second half looks half-baked and makes the film just a passable watch. Just lower your expectations, and watch the film with an open mind.

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