Kuberaa

What if billions of dollars in oil reserves could make or break a nation's future? Kuberaa opens with this tantalizing premise, weaving a web of financial espionage where CBI officers, corrupt businessmen, and shadowy power brokers circle each other like sharks.

For most of its runtime, Sekhar Kammula's thriller keeps you guessing who's playing whom in this high-stakes game of greed and justice. Then comes that ending, and suddenly, all that carefully built tension deflates like a punctured tire.

Nagarjuna delivers a compelling performance as Deepak, a disillusioned CBI officer, showcasing more emotional range than his recent commercial outings. His internal conflict feels authentic and lived-in. Dhanush, in a pivotal role, brings his trademark intensity, though his character arc feels somewhat under-explored compared to his stellar work in recent Tamil films. Jim Sarbh as the ambitious businessman Neeraj Mitra is deliciously menacing, in stark contrast to his Homi Bhabha in Rocket Boys. Rashmika Mandanna, while serviceable, doesn't quite transcend the limitations of her role. Dalip Tahil is wasted in an inconsequential role.

Kammula crafts a visually striking film that tackles corruption and power with admirable ambition. The oil reserve subplot provides genuine intrigue, and the film's first two acts maintain impressive momentum. However, the resolution feels rushed and somewhat predictable, preventing what could have been a truly memorable thriller from reaching its full potential.

Despite its flawed conclusion, Kuberaa succeeds as both entertainment and a window into Telugu cinema's evolving sensibilities.

"Kuberaa" (2025) emerges as a significant showcase for Dhanush, who delivers a truly stunning, arguably career-best performance. His transformation and embodiment of the character are captivating throughout. However, despite this central strength, the film is hampered by its excessive length and a rushed climax that ultimately undercuts its impact.

Dhanush is the undeniable highlight of the film. His portrayal of a complex character is nuanced, raw, and deeply compelling, demonstrating his exceptional range and commitment. He elevates every scene he's in, making it a performance worthy of major accolades.

The film, directed by Sekhar Kammula, attempts a multi-layered narrative delving into financial crimes and societal power structures. The initial premise is good, offering an intriguing setup that promises depth and engagement. The supporting cast, including Nagarjuna and Rashmika Mandanna, also deliver strong performances, adding to the film's overall quality.

However, "Kuberaa" struggles with its pacing, particularly in the middle sections. The narrative feels protracted, and there are moments where the film becomes tiring, losing the viewer's consistent engagement. This extended runtime dilutes the impact of the unfolding events. Furthermore, the climax, despite the preceding build-up, feels rushed and doesn't land with the emotional punch or narrative satisfaction it should have, leaving a sense of unfulfilled potential.

While "Kuberaa" is a good film with a compelling core and a standout performance from Dhanush, its length and a weak, hurried ending prevent it from reaching the heights it otherwise could have achieved.

Kuberaa is a decent movie overall. If I had to put it simply in one line, that's it. The performances are top notch, but the characters aren't very strong. Cinematography, storytelling, visuals and all technical stuff is really good, but the story gets boring. It's more than 3 hours long and starts feeling draggy. There's no real excitement in the movie, it just goes smoothly without any scene that stands out. Instead of love, the movie talks more about humanity - shows one side of the story from a beggar's perspective with a human touch. One good thing is Dhanush's acting, he was excellent and even without heroism or mass elements, his character felt real. Rashmika's role felt wasted. Overall it's a normal watch with some disappointment.

Could have easily cut down the total run time to 150mins, felt like I was in for a long chase right from the moment Deva escaped from the baddies. And to top that some of those chase sequences felt repetitive and tired. But Dhanush did a fine job in portraying the role of a beggar, he literally got himself immersed in the character and made us feel like we were watching the life of a real beggar. Rest of the characters too did a great job in their roles. And coming to the score, at times it was good especially the one for Neeraj(played by Jim Sarbh). Overall a decent film with some shortcomings.

Each and every Sekhar Kammula's film promises an engaging and beautiful story that takes us into the movie. But that is missing in this movie. The first half is pretty good, and it hypes the movie so that by the interval, everyone will be waiting for some twists and turns and something big happening in the last, but that's not what happens. In the first half, they take us to an extreme point where we feel eager to know what's gonna happen next. The second half is a bit lagging but we will still be waiting for something. Which, in the last, remains untouched.

Only Danush's action is the one that holds us in our seats throughout the movie. He did an outstanding and brilliant job, which not all leading superstars dare to do. Other co-stars like Nagarjuna and Rashmika also did well, but Jim Sarbh, who played the role of antagonist, should be praised for his performance. But the biggest drawback is the climax. Many things that were meant to be revealed in the last were not which leaves the audience in a pool of confusion and doubts. This film is watchable but only once, and if you're someone who enjoys the performances than the plot, it's a big yes for watching it in the theatres; otherwise, you can wait for OTT...