Kingdom Movie Review

At a phase in his career where he has to score a unanimous hit film at any cost after a few back-to-back not-so-successful films, Vijay Deverakonda, teamed up with, Gowtam Tinnanuri, the director of ‘Jersey’, for an action drama film, Kingdom. The current musical sensation, Anirudh Ravichander, scored the music for the film and the in-form production house, Sithara Entertainments, produced the film. After generating good buzz in trade circles and among the audience, the film was released in theatres today. Did Vijay Deverakonda score a hit finally? Did the director, Gowtam Tinnanuri, deliver another successful movie after ‘Jersey’? Did Anirudh’s music help the film? Did the heroine, Bhagyashri Borse, score her first hit? More importantly, did the production house, Sithara Entertainments, deliver a hit film and bring smiles to the faces of the exhibitors in the Telugu states who have been going through a tough phase over the last few months? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.

What is it about?

Suri (Vijay Deverakonda) is a constable at a police station in a small village in Telangana. He is on the lookout for his brother, Siva(Satyadev), who ran away from home during his childhood after committing a murder. A handler(Manish Chaudhari) from the Indian Government’s topmost investigative agency, reaches out to Suri and asks him to take up an undercover operation. Why did the officer from a top investigative agency ask a constable to take up a very important undercover operation? Whom did Siva murder before he ran away from home in his childhood? Why is a tribe of Telugu people living on an island in Srilanka? What is Suri and Siva’s relationship with the people living on the island? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances:

Vijay Deverakonda is a brilliant actor. There’s no doubt about it. He took the nation by storm with his performance in ‘Arjun Reddy’ a few years ago. After, Arjun Reddy, his performance in Kingdom as Suri, is inarguably his best performance. His role in the Kingdom requires the actor in him to downplay and convey emotions through subtle expressions. He did a brilliant job at it. Especially, his performance during the last thirty minutes of the film is first-rate.

Satyadev in the role of Siva delivered a commendable performance. His performance in the jail episode when he gets to know Suri is his brother and in a couple of other episodes stands out. Bhagyashri Borse played the role of an informer. She looked good and performed well. She’s likely to get many offers in the coming days in Tollywood. Venkitesh in the role of Murugan is first rate. He is a good find to play antagonist roles and is sure to get many roles in Telugu films in the coming days.

Manish Chaudhari in the role of Spy handler delivers a good performance. Ayyappa P. Sharma in a role similar to Rao Ramesh’s role in Khaleja, did well. His dialogue delivery while uttering powerful dialogues worked out very well as usual. Rajkumar Kasireddy got a meaty role and he did justice to the role with his performance. Ronit Kamra and Kothala Bhanu Prakash in the roles of young Suri and Siva performed well.

Technicalities:

Anirudh’s background score elevated quite a few sequences very well. His score for the pre-interval, pre-climax and climax episodes is excellent. Especially, the ‘Ragile Ragile’ song as the background for the pre-climax episode deserves a special mention. The songs he scored for the film are situational. They looked good on screen and did not disturb the flow of the film.

Cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and Jomon T. John is first-rate. The visuals throughout the film looked stunning. Naveen Nooli’s editing in the first half and the last twenty minutes of the film is good. However, his work would have been better during the initial hour in the second half. Production values by Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas are top-notch. The producers spent enough money to give the film a grand look and every penny that was spent was clearly to be seen on the screen. Let’s discuss more about the writer and director, Gowtam Tinnanuri’s work in the analysis section.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠Storyline of The Film
2.⁠ ⁠Dialogues
3.⁠ ⁠Vijay Deverakonda’s Brilliant Acting
4.⁠ ⁠Supporting Actors Performances
5.⁠ ⁠Technical Brilliance

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Leisurely Pace
2.⁠ ⁠Lack of Emotional Depth & Highs
3.⁠ ⁠Editing In The Second Half

Analysis:

Director Gowtam Tinnanuri’s first two films, Malli Raava and Jersey, established him as a director who has a strong grip on executing heartwarming moments with intense emotional highs. His narrative style suited both Malli Raava(a romantic drama) and Jersey(an emotional sports drama) perfectly. Curiosity among the audience built almost instantly when he announced, Kingdom, a Spy Action Drama film. At a time when action drama films with world-building and adrenaline-thumping sequences, working so well at the box office, Gowtam Tinnanuri, selected a script which has the potential to become a KGF or a Salaar but he chose to give the film a completely different treatment compared to KGF & Salaar. In almost every sequence, you can see the director’s mark. He did not overtly depend on instant goosebump-inducing sequences. Instead, he chose to execute the film as realistically as possible.

The opening sequence set in the 1920s, the first face-off sequence between Suri and the cartel bosses, the pre-interval sequence, the lead sequence to the ‘Ragile Ragile’ song and the cliffhanger during the climax, came out very well. The dialogues, the subtle but effective elevations, the background score and Vijay Deverakonda’s performance in all the above five sequences complemented each other so well and worked in favour of the film. The director Gowtam Tinnanuri had a chance to go overboard to woo the audience instantly with all the aforementioned sequences but he chose to stick to his strengths and style. This is where Kingdom stands out from the rest of the action drama films that have come out in the recent past.

‘Rakshasudini chanPina taravata..devudu kuda avataranni vidichi vellipothadu’, ‘Naluguruni Kosam Kosam Nalabhai Mandi Pranalni Panam ga pedutunnadi ne telustundi nijayiti ento’, ‘Mruthyuvu tappadu annappudu kuda..Thana prajala kosam mundundi porade oka nayakudi katha’ – Undoubtedly, the Dialogue Written by Gowtam Tinnanuri Are One of the Film. There are many dialogues like the above-mentioned one of the film, which is what is meaningful and elevate the leader. Also, the subtle Situation and Dialogue-Driven Humour During the Initial Phase Of The Film Worked Out Well. The first half deserves a special mention. The way it is realistically as positive to see the screen.

On the flip side, the emotional drama in Kingdom did not work as much as it did in the director’s previous two films. Emotional drama between the brothers & the drama around Suri and the refugees on the island, Divi, is good but should have been much better. The directors’ desire to be as realistic as possible and reluctance to go a bit overboard to give emotional highs is clearly to be seen, especially in the second half. Due to the lack of emotional depth and highs, the proceedings in the second half appeared flat until the pre-climax. There are two twists in the second half but those twists are revealed hurriedly and both twists fail to create the required impact. There was a sense of urgency that appeared while revealing the twists. Even the drama around spies and how their handler watches them all the time, is also appears rushed.

Overall, Kingdom is not a typical run-of-the-mill action drama. It has a powerful story which is narrated in out-and-out Gowtam Tinnanuri’s style and vision. It has a few flaws, especially in the second half but a brilliant performance by Vijay Deverakonda, and good performances from most of the supporting actors, four to five standout sequences, and technical excellence by almost all the technicians and powerful dialogues, make it a fairly engaging film and deserve a watch in theatres.

Bottomline – King’Drama’

Rating – 2.75/5

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