22/12/2023
Movie Review: Prashanth Neel creates magic on screen yet again with Prabhas starrer Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire.
🎬 Name: Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire
Director: Prashanth Neel
Cast: Prabhas, Shruti Haasan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jagapathi Babu
Writer: Prashanth Neel
Rating: 3.0 / 5
Plot: In Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire, the narrative delves into the intricate relationship between Prabhas' character, Devaratha, and Prithviraj's character, Varadharaja Mannar. This installment focuses on crafting the fictional world and exploring the profound connection between the two main characters amid a power struggle for kingdom dominance. Friendship, trust, betrayal, mind games, and political intrigue unfold dramatically among various clans in the fictional city, making the film truly epic. Shruti Haasan's character, Aadhya, serves as a crucial link between Khansaar and the audience. The film purposely leaves several questions unanswered, creating anticipation for their resolution in the forthcoming second part.
What's Good: Prashanth Neel revealed Salaar as a reimagining of his debut film, Ugramm, evident in the superior quality from the very first sequence. A cinephile’s delight, the film unfolds like an early Christmas present, boasting fantastic world-building encompassing lifestyle, rules, politics, religion, rituals, and more. Neel's adept narrative structure and meticulous dialogues enhance the film's value. Bhuvan Gowda's noteworthy cinematography adds depth through lighting and color palettes, while Anbariv's action direction captivates cinephiles. Ujwal Kulkarni's editing complements seamlessly, and the visual effects and set design bring Khansaar's world to life realistically.
What's Not: The film's major drawback is its lengthy 2 hours and 52 minutes runtime, using slow-motion sequences that, while intended to intensify scenes, sometimes make them feel prolonged. Despite the brilliant work done by the filmmaker, certain moments seem forced upon the audience emotionally. Additionally, being a retelling of Prashanth Neel’s debut, Ugramm, Salaar's initial 15 minutes mirror the 2014 film almost identically, occasionally feeling like a mix of Ugramm and KGF throughout. Ravi Basrur's music, while complementing scenes, doesn't elevate them as expected. However, these factors don't hinder the overall visual experience of Salaar.
Performances: Prashanth Neel had mentioned in an interview that a star is a star, and irrespective of how many of their films fail at the box office, one success is enough to bring them back. Salaar is that film for Prabhas.
The Baahubali actor probably gave his best performance since the SS Rajamouli film. Prabhas’ character in Devarata, aka Deva, is one with plenty of emotional depth. The character has a heavy backstory, which Prabhas has conveyed perfectly. All actions and motions are calculated and carried out to perfection by the actor. Additionally, the action sequences also deserve a special mention, with the actor successfully giving the audience goosebumps. It would not be an overstatement to mention that Salaar is a Prabhas film, and the actor definitely steals the show.
Prithviraj Sukumaran’s portrayal of Varadharaja Mannar also stood out throughout the film. From what is understood, Varadharaja Mannar is a complicated character who calculates his every move. There is an underlying implication to all his actions, and the character carries that level of maturity in him. Prithviraj brought the character to life, and honestly, once you watch the film, it is quite difficult to imagine anyone else in that role. The chemistry that Prabhas and Prithviraj shared needs to be mentioned separately as well.
Jagapathi Babu’s portrayal of Raja Mannar, as well as Sriya Reddy’s portrayal of Radha Rama Mannar stood out as well. Both actors perfectly essayed the roles they were given, and had an aura of royalty surrounding them, which seems to be an inherent characteristic of their characters.
Shruti Haasan, Easwari Rao, John Vijay, Ramachandra Raju, Bobby Simha and all other supporting actors have done a fantastic job in terms of acting.
Final Verdict: Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire is undeniably EPIC. It encapsulates everything essential for a compelling drama, drawing parallels to the grandiosity of the Mahabharata. Prashanth Neel masterfully breathes life into a new world, leaving fans yearning for more even after a three-hour spectacle.
In his Telugu debut, Neel crafts a visual masterpiece that seamlessly blends brilliantly choreographed action sequences with a compelling narrative. Prithviraj Sukumaran's assertion that Salaar is fundamentally a drama rings true, and Neel, aided by his star-studded cast, triumphs in delivering a drama that hits it out of the park.
