In this article, we will provide a review of the movie Salaar: Part One, directed by Prashanth Neel. The film tells the story of two friends, Deva (Prabhas) and Faradharaaja Manar (Prithviraj), who grew up together in the fictional town of Khayansar and were inseparable. The film begins with a combat scene where Faradharaaja is being bullied by his stepbrother, and Deva comes to his rescue. Later, the director gives us a glimpse of how Faradharaaja sacrifices his biggest estate for Deva, highlighting the depth of their friendship. The film then advances in time to 2017, where a group of dangerous-looking individuals is tracking a girl named Adya (Shruti Haasan), who comes to India from America. This gang is linked to her father, who lives in the United States, and they plan to get revenge on him by killing Adya. To save her life, a man holds Adya under the supervision of Deva and his mother, who lead a humble life in a small town near the border with Burma and are the only ones capable of saving her from the deadly gang. As the story progresses, we discover that Deva and Faradharaaja, once close friends, have become enemies. The rest of the story narrates the details of their falling out and what happened between them.
Film Rating
The first part of the film was somewhat slow and took enough time to establish the events. The second half was fast-paced, making it difficult to understand the story’s direction. Additionally, many new characters were introduced all at once, leading to a disruption of flow. Furthermore, there were unnecessary scenes that felt exaggerated, making the film a bit dull. The intense tone added to the film did not fit the overall atmosphere, and at one point, there was silly dialogue that didn’t elicit any laughs. As the film approached its climax, it became thrilling, leaving you eagerly anticipating the second part.
Cinematic Direction and Cinematography
If the film is directed by a renowned filmmaker like Neel, there are no complaints regarding the cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda, the elaborate scale of the film’s production design, the stunning camera work, and the writing. Although the film’s story may not be spectacular and might seem naive at certain points, Neel’s direction makes it distinctive. Compared to Neel’s previous work, KGF, this film may not carry as much darkness, but it is still filled with brutal violence, blood, and action, which can also be seen as a negative point at times.
Performance of the Stars and Crew
Like all his other films, Prabhas was only good in the action scenes. In the other parts, he shows a poker face. In the meantime, Prithviraj’s performance as Faradharaaja Manar was impressive. The other stars of the film, Shruti Haasan, John Vijay, Ramachandra Raju, Bobby Simha, and all the other supporting actors gave good performances in the limited screen time they had.
Conclusion
The film heavily relies on well-shot action scenes, location design, and dialogue, as well as the acting. In recent years, many films with similar themes and elements have emerged, but Salaar does not offer anything new. It is a predictable action drama with a recycled story.
By: Pragati Awasthi
Leave a Reply