Devara Review: A Tale of Two Halves-Highs, Lows, and Missed Opportunities

Devara is a mixed bag of emotions, making the audience soar to great heights only to be dragged down into mediocrity. I’ve never been fond of dividing a film into neat categories like first half and second half, or analyzing it through a traditional three-act structure. A film should be appreciated and critiqued as a whole. However, Devara forced me to become that guy. The first half is exhilarating, while the second half is tiresome, making it an overall middling experience. And for that, I blame Rajamouli.

How SS Rajamouli Made or Broke Indian Cinema

With Baahubali, Rajamouli redefined Indian cinema and opened many doors for South Indian films in Northern markets, sparking the term “Pan-India” and a genre of films now known as “Pan-Indian films,” which simply means a presence across the nation. While it created new markets and brought in fresh audiences, the bar that Rajamouli set is so high that very few directors have been able to match it (other than Prashanth Neel). Hence, we end up with mediocre films like Devara

The film starts off strong with a solid first half, but the second half feels like an entirely different movie. It’s as if Koratala Siva wrote and directed the first half, then decided to create an entirely new film for the second half, complete with an extra interval and climax, and threw in some filler to hold it all together. This is the only explanation for the stark contrast between the two halves.

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR)

The first half of Devara is the perfect treat for fans who have waited six years for a solo NTR film. NTR outshines every other Tier-1 Telugu actor with his impeccable dialogue delivery, screen presence, and acting. His dancing? It’s pure cinema. He makes it look so easy, but anyone who tries to emulate him quickly realizes how tough it is to move like him. 

Tiger’s dancing alone is worth watching, and I would’ve loved to see Daavudi on the big screen, but Aayudha Pooja fills that gap. Despite Koratala’s amateur writing, NTR effortlessly pulls off the emotional scenes. However, the one flaw NTR has is his poor script selection, which has led to a lackluster filmography. If he had taken the time to reconsider the idea of splitting Devara into two films, we might’ve gotten a great movie instead of a middling one.

Anirudh Ravichander

We got yet another Anirudh saving a subpar film. He went into God-mode in the first half, especially during the scene before the “Fear” song and the song itself, which is pure cinema. If NTR was responsible for 60% of the film’s success, Anirudh carried the remaining 40%. The rest of the cast and crew contributed nothing in comparison. 

While I wasn’t initially sold on using an EDM approach for a film set on the coast (drums would’ve been a better choice), Anirudh proved me wrong yet again. He understands the pulse of the masses. Anirudh is the film’s biggest asset after NTR, and NTR is the film.

Saif Ali Khan

Saif was ferocious as Bhaira. He nailed his part, and it’s a shame Koratala didn’t utilize him more in the second half. The defense of “Wait for Part 2” doesn’t hold water here. When you have a stellar performer giving his all, only to cut his role short, that’s on Koratala. He did the same to NTR’s character, so what hope did Saif have? Whoever handled Saif’s look for the second half deserves credit—his hair and eyes were spot on, evoking the intensity of his Omkara days. Casting Saif was one of the rare wins for this film.

Janhvi Kapoor

I’ve always had a soft spot for Janhvi Kapoor because she gets trolled so often despite her efforts. People need to give her the benefit of the doubt. In Devara, despite being given a small, cliché role, she put in the effort to learn the language and speak Telugu during promotions, and even Tamil in Chennai. It’s not mandatory, but she puts in that extra effort, perhaps out of respect for Telugu and Tamil cinema inherited from her mother. As Thangam, Janhvi exceeded expectations.

Koratala Siva

There are now two Koratala Sivas: Pre-Acharya Koratala and Post-Acharya Koratala. The former delivered blockbusters that were well-liked, while the latter has not only made people hate Acharya but has also tainted his earlier films. The first half of Devara feels like it was made by the Pre-Acharya Koratala, while the second half feels like the work of Post-Acharya Koratala. Koratala deserves all the criticism he’s getting. 

He needs to sit down, reevaluate what went wrong, and start fresh if there’s a Part 2. Scrap the existing script, listen to Anirudh’s score from Part 1, and surprise people like he did in the first half. If not, he risks becoming yet another outdated director whose career will fade within the next 5-10 years.

There’s not much else to say about the rest of the cast and crew—nothing exciting. The cinematography is mediocre, and the VFX and color grading are best left unmentioned. Koratala, if you get a chance to make Part 2, give it everything you’ve got. It will make or break your next decade. You’re standing on the edge of a cliff.

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