Salaar Review: Peak Action – Weak Drama

KGF made so much impact on commercial films in India, that it changed the way many action films are being made nowadays. The director of KGF, Prashant Neel joined forces with Prabhas and the combination itself set the expectations high. The movie in their combination, Salaar promised to be a violent movie was finally released today, after a postponement. The movie was released with huge expectations and great openings worldwide. Did Salaar meet the expectations? Let us find out. Here is the review from the US premieres.

What Is It About?

Aadya (Shruti Haasan) comes to India not knowing that her life is in danger and she will be rescued by Devaratha (Prabhas) who leads a normal and remote life along with his mother (Easwari Rao) somewhere in Assam. A group of people from Khansaar, Radha Rama (Shriya Reddy) and Varada Rajamannar (Prithviraj) who are chasing Aadya also want to find where Devaratha is hiding. Who are they and what do they want to do with Devaratha? The answers to these questions are all about Salaar.

Performances

Prabhas’s rugged no-nonsence character with his perfect cutout captivates the fans and regular audiences alike. The man becomes a juggernaut in the action blocks with an ease while he maintains the composure that his character as Devaratha has. Prithviraj many a time mentions Deva is a maniac and Prabhas in fight sequences proves it with rebellious attitude.

Prithviraj did well in the role he plays. He makes his presence felt with his character and does his part well in elevating the protagonist’s nerves. He probably must be getting a better presentation in the second part.

Shruti Haasan did alright although her role does not have much prominence. Easwari Rao is usual. Jagapathi Babu plays a powerful man, but his role does not leave an impact or a great impression towards the end. Bobby Simha did well in the limited role. Shriya Reddy did fine in the crucial and lengthy role. Tinu Anand, Jhansi and others did their part.

Technicalities

The basic plot of Salaar is revealed in the trailer. The plot almost goes as revealed in the trailer but not without the uneven narrative. Salaar is technically brilliant with cinematography and creativity in action episodes. The movie as expected in Prashant Neel’s movies has a moody tone with grey colors. The costumes are also mostly rugged and rustic. The narrative could have been better when there were too many prominent characters that had something to say and it could have been crisp with ‘elevation’ episodes which were placed more than needed. The background score is good. The two songs are just alright. The action choreography and cinematography in those shots need special mention.

Thumbs up

Prabhas
Kateramma Action block
Interval block
Background score

Thumbs Down

Lag in the Second half
Songs
Lack of Depth in Characterizations

Analysis

Salaar director Prashanth Neel hinted at the movie’s plot to be like the famous Game Of Thrones. True to that, Salaar is a big and dangerous game of many groups bringing their plots to occupy the throne but narrated in a rather hurried and complicated way. Salaar has one too many characters, names, and cunning ploys, that it makes us hard to remember the names and the side they belong to. The good part is we know where the protagonist belongs. As revealed by the director, it is taken from ‘Ugramm’ where the hero resides in a remote place hiding his identity.

The first half of Salaar starts slowly with the setup and establishment of characters in the present timeline. The director keeps the audience waiting for almost an hour before giving them a treat of Prabhas stretching his muscles. The action sequences in the first half are well shot including the one at the interval. The interval block is well made with a proper action block for Prabhas enthralling his fans. The slow narrative with the drama in the first half does not really engage except for the action blocks which look extremely well as separate entities.

The second half begins with a flashback of the bigger plot in Salaar, but the graph dips with a big lag until the action part begins. The hype and elevation appear too much dragged to set the stage for an action block. The Kateramma episode with Prabhas swinging his axe is intense and excellently made. It definitely reminds us of his own Chatrapathi interval fight. Another action block in Velamgadi is brief and anticipated but wins applause.

The story of Salaar is complex and making it in two parts is an apt decision. The first part Cease Fire sure introduces all the main characters in the story, but with the hurried establishment, one finds it hard to connect with the character and their game plan. Many known and talented actors like Bobby Simha and Shriya Reddy too were not able to make an impression with their characters.

After a long gap, Prabhas is sure to entice his fans who missed his action drama episodes and intense fights in Salaar. The climax action block will be a delight to fans of both Prabhas and Prithviraj with both the stars in absolute killing mode. The stage is set well for the second part with a surprise twist in the end.

After a long gap, Prabhas is sure to entice his fans who missed his action drama episodes and intense fights in Salaar. The climax action block will be a delight to fans of both Prabhas and Prithviraj with both the stars in absolute killing mode. The stage is set well for the second part titled ‘Shouryanga Parvam’ with a surprise twist in the end.

Bottomline: Peak Action – Weak Drama

Rating: 2.75/5