It is well-known that Telugu star Jr NTR aka Tarak aka Tiger has a staunch fan following that’s unprecedented and his Koratala Siva film, Devara, came with high expectations. Given that Jr NTR’s last film, director SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus RRR, released over two years ago, fans and the audience were eagerly waiting to see the star back on the big screen. Devara had many firsts for it including that it was the south debut of Sridevi’s daughter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Saif Ali Khan as well. This was also the first time that music director Anirudh was scoring music for a Tarak film. But, unfortunately, when the movie, reportedly made on a budget of ₹300 crore, released, it became evident that the hype was more than the reality.

The loopholes

One of the biggest issues that seemed to affect the quality of Devara was the over-ambition to create a pan-Indian action drama that would be carried on Tarak’s shoulders. 

Director Koratala Siva seems to be heavily inspired by director SS Rajamouli’s films and the Viking series and as a result, originality has taken a hit. He has tried to create a visual spectacle that is culturally rooted and narrates the story of a father and his son, who are diametric opposites, in the hope that it strikes an emotional chord with the audience. 

There is the ‘novel’ concept of shark-infested seas which have to be navigated for survival by the people of an island; a lawless land, evil men and a good guy who comes along to be their saviour and becomes a legend. Sadly, there are numerous elements in the story which don’t relate to the main storyline (e.g. cricket and terrorist attacks) but are somehow deemed necessary to the film. The predictable storyline and surprisingly poor VFX fail to engage you as the film progresses.

With Jr NTR as the hero, the director has built him up to be someone who is extraordinary and larger than life. The Tollywood’s star charisma, physique and acting skills have been showcased well in the action scenes and Tarak pulls off the roles of Devara and Vara superbly. But banking on the star alone, however, doesn’t guarantee a film’s success as we have seen earlier. 

What about other actors

Saif Ali Khan as the antagonist is good only so far that the director has etched his negative character. And Janhvi Kapoor also ends up looking like an extra in Devara: Part 1 as she hardly has any screen time (she appears late in the second half) and the chemistry between her and Tarak is not all that sizzling either. Devara Part 1 doesn’t end on a high nail-biting note, like Baahubali 1, especially if you want the audience back in droves for the sequel. In fact, most people on social media don’t seem to be in favour of a sequel for the film.

What it lacked

As stated, a strong story and engaging narration is imperative for a film to be successful and this is what Devara lacked in spades. 

While creating a franchise, the story has to seamlessly flow from one part to the other and must warrant a sequel in the first place. Audiences today are extremely savvy when it comes to content and presenting stale content in a new avatar no longer works. 

All the characters in the film have to be well written and have a key role to play (e.g. Kattappa in Baahubali). What are the new challenges and conflicts you are introducing for the protagonist and antagonist? How do they deal with them in the sequel /prequel? Just showing off the hero’s talents and skills for three hours can get tiring for the audience who want more from their idol.

There have only been two Telugu film directors who have successfully catered to the franchise model of films that Indian filmmakers are now banking on like Hollywood - directors SS Rajamouli and Sukumar. Rajamouli is an ace filmmaker who repeatedly states that the story is most important and must emotionally connect with the audience. While Pushpa 2: The Rule is Sukumar’s first franchise film, he smashed it out of the park with Pushpa: The Rise excellent storytelling and expectations for Pushpa 2 are that it will be as good (if not better) as the first film. 

Even in Tamil cinema, only Mani Ratnam has made a mark with Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2 – as we saw, Shankar’s Indian 2 was disappointing and failed to make a mark. When filmmakers decide to make a prequel/ sequel, the most fundamental question is – does the film need one? 

In the case of Devara, the filmmakers had planned this movie as two parts and given that the story wasn’t exceptional in part 1, hope they incorporate audience and critics feedback and make Devara Part 2 a fitting tribute to Jr NTR, the Tiger of Tollywood.

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