Salaar

Neon-drenched action and pulsating music ignite Prashanth Neel's Salaar, but beneath the dazzling surface lies a narrative wasteland. While fleeting moments of potential flicker in supporting performances, the film ultimately stumbles under the weight of its own bombast, failing to connect with audiences on an emotional level.

Neel's penchant for spectacle over substance permeates the film. Thundering soundtracks and flamboyant set pieces mask a predictable plot built on overused tropes like "friends turned enemies." The narrative, echoing Neel's previous work, feels reheated and lacks the thematic depth and emotional resonance that captivated audiences in KGF.

Prabhas, burdened by a stoic script, becomes a passive observer in his own film. His slow-motion walks and unemotional delivery fail to inject depth into the protagonist, leaving viewers struggling to connect with him or his motivations. The supporting cast, however, fares better. Prithviraj and Shriya Reddy deliver nuanced performances, hinting at the complexities their characters could have possessed had the script delved deeper.

Action sequences, despite their visual flair, remain emotionally hollow. They roar with bombast but lack the raw power and thematic weight that fueled the fights in KGF. Neel throws spectacle at the screen, but it's like empty confetti - flashy and fleeting, leaving nothing behind but a sense of disappointment.

Salaar's greatest sin lies not in its flaws, but in its missed potential. Glimpses of a compelling story, exploring complex relationships and emotional turmoil, flicker briefly before being extinguished by the film's relentless pursuit of spectacle. These fleeting moments serve as a painful reminder of what Salaar could have been, a film that resonated with audiences on a deeper level than mere visual thrills.

Ultimately, Salaar is a disappointing detour for Neel.

It descends from the raw power of KGF into a hollow spectacle, devoid of the emotional core and thematic depth that made his previous work so impactful. While sparks of potential glimmer in the supporting performances, they're not enough to salvage the overall underwhelming experience. Skip Salaar and revisit KGF for a more fulfilling encounter with Neel's directorial talent.

Salaar Part 1 has an unbearable first half, with useless exposition, a needless Shruti Hassan (thankfully not a romantic interest for Prabhas), an overbearing and supremely annoying mom-son angle, ultrabasic mass hero build-ups, and a tame set-piece (Anbariv Masters, what the hell is happening here?). Some kids even refer to Prabhas as a cut-out, and that's exactly what he is for the entirety of the initial half. Though he looks good, the man is stiffer than tree bark, and Eashwari Rao (playing his mother) is supposedly emoting for the both of them, as she's asked to ham it up. I haven't seen Ugramm and I don't intend to see it either, especially if it's anything like this.

It's only in the second half that the film starts its world-building exercise, and since there's only 90 minutes to do so, writer-director Prashant Neel is forced to explain key plot points over voiceovers. Dozens of new characters are introduced, a whole lawbook is explained in a few shots and lines, a power tussle is set in motion. It's also here that Prithviraj Sukumaran enters the scene but for a large chunk of the film, neither he nor Prabhas have any essential bits of dialogue. All of it is reserved for the final act and the cliffhanger(ish) finale, and though the duo redeemed their parts to some extent, I barely felt the emotional strength of their presumed, long-standing friendship. Ravi Basrur delivers a humdrum score, and except for the main theme, his efforts fell short. The less said about the edits, the better.

It also sucks that the set pieces feel boringly repetitive (goons are flying in all directions) and the only instance I felt like appreciating cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda's work is during an action block set in a village where Goddess Kali is the deity. There are some fantastic shot choices in this segment, supplemented well by the color grading. The rest of the film visually feels like an extension of the KGF franchise, there isn't much here that you haven't seen in those two films. Also, I'm glad I saw this in Tamil; the dubbing was decent, and the translations too weren't the shabbiest. Still, Salaar Part 1 did next to nothing for me as a cinephile - utterly disposable!

Salaar has been my most-awaited film for 2023. It ticks most of the boxes for the mass movie fan in me: A mass movie focused on a single character dominance, Neel directorial which is usually a no-nonsense action movie with cracking goosebump scenes and a much awaited comeback for Prabhas who is tailor made for characters like this amongst other things. Salaar somehow touches most of these boxes but does not check it wholeheartedly.

I will approach this review differently by describing how different aspects of the movie works but falls short somehow:

The Plot/Story: This is definitely the most complex storyline of a Prashant Neel movie. While the plot gets really interesting towards the end, you tend to realize that a lot of time was wasted in the first half for no good reason. Eventually the movie leaves a lot to be explored in Part 2 but I feel there could be too much left to show in Part 2 and I'm afraid there is going to be a tough job for editors. It is also quite a risky move to have not even planned to shoot Part-2 yet (which Neel has admitted in interviews) with so much left to be told.

The Action: Finally Prabhas gets his groove back with the action sequences which perfectly suit his body language. There are some great creative choices on some of the action scenes which are definitely bound to get cheers in the cinema halls although they aren't entirely logical. There are creative killings which justify the A rating but they were definitely not necessary for the plot, not that I'm complaining. But I would have definitely loved to see some more physical effort from the lead characters for some of the action scenes. At times it is just too cool and too easy.

Screenplay: Prashant Neel's strength has been screenplay over the storyline in his past movies but in Salaar it is the other way around. The movie does follow the traditional way of telling flashback stories like most mass movies but as the movie gets close to the end, there is no payback to the flashback narration. The movie ends like an interval scene which we have seen in most of the mass movies. This ending makes the first half screenplay seem pretty odd.

Dialogues: Neel's previous works have always boasted of minimal but impactful dialogues. While Uggram had some of the best written Kannada lines, KGF had very quirky and mass one liners especially with a good mix of Hindi. There aren't any trademark dialogues in Salaar which will etch in one's memory but Prabhas and Prithwiraj's does have some fun one liner exchanges. Those also serve as the little humour element in this movie. Dialogues are well written but it is not something you'd remember it for years to come.

Music and Background Score: Most of us were already slightly disappointed with the background score of Ravi Basrur in KGF 2 as compared to KGF 1. Unfortunately the background score doesn't really match up to Prabhas' screen presence and build up for most parts in the first half, especially for his introduction sequence. The music and background score does get better in the second half and there's a 'main theme music' which could have been made better use of in the first half as well. Overall, the background score falls short of creating some major goosebump moments leading up to the fight.

Cinematography, Editing and Visuals: Bhuvan Gowda continues his stellar form with some great shots and he manages to showcase Prabhas at his best. Aerial shots and shots of the city landscape totally reminds you of KGF 2 in many parts but not in a bad way. The visual effects team have done a great job in showcasing completely imaginary cities, towns and walls. The choice of using Neel's favourite dark-tone does seem excessive at times. Dare I say that they also have done a good job in digitally modifying Prabhas' looks in some scenes, and yes it is evident. While the action sequences are edited well, the same cannot be said about the shifts that we experience in some of the dramatic sequences. While the set design of Khansaar kingdom does remind you of many hollywood movies, the hair and make-up department has done an exceptional job in making each character stand out.

Performances: Neel manages to explore Prabhas' strengths perfectly by writing a role which involves him being the quiet and dangerous hero. Prabhas' performance does remind one of his Chatrapathi and other mass movie days without the unnecessary comedy and duet numbers. This is definitely the much needed comeback for Prabhas. Prithwiraj does excel as Varada Raja Mannar but at least for Part 1 there isn't any USP element for his role which makes him stand out or explore his strengths. Apart from these two, there is a plethora of supporting characters of which most of them have done nothing but justice to their role. Sriya Reddy, Bobby Simha, Garuda Ram, Madhu Guruswamy, Pramod Panju and Tinu Anand are some of the highlight performers. Of course special mention to Naveen Shankar who even with a very little screen presence makes a major impact and I am quite excited to see him in part-2. Just like the other Neel movies, we do have some creative choices for character and family names.

Uggram Connection (Extra): A lot has been discussed about this movie being a remake of Uggram, but let me assure you it's not. However Neel has straight up taken some scenes and moments from Uggram and recreated them here. He does have the creative freedom to do that considering its his own work but I personally feel that he should have admitted that to the Kannada audience. I could here some gasps of disappointment in the theatres for some of the exact scenes.

Overall, Salaar makes for an almost satisfying theatrical experience but it leaves a lot of things open-ended. While it does deliver on the promise of a violent action film, it somehow fails to connect much at an emotional level. Neel continues to show how good he is at doing what he does but I feel that he does not really justify the time he has invested to bring this dinosaur finally out of its hideout.

***Salaar Movie Review ***

Directed by Prashant Neel starring Rebel Star Prabhas in the lead. Also starring Prithviraj Sukumaran

Prashant Neel's KGF, this was the reason for watching Salaar & an expectation that there will be link of KGF and Salaar but the later is not there.

Coming to Salaar, the movie had given mass moments but it's kind feel of over injection of mass elements which creates a disinterest in watching.

Prabhas had given the best with his swag and the way he delivers the action but a viewer who watched Yash in KGF, the same goosebumps is not having when watching Prabhas in Salaar. The background music had been used extensively to elevate the mass sequences which clearly gives an indication that its intentionally made.

Prithviraj had given a decent performance.

The last 30 minutes filled with action was interesting but when deep driving in the second half, many times the screenplay had been accelerated thereby a lot feeling that something is not going as per it is required.

The core of the movie is similar to of KGF. It's about the POWER but Salaar had expressed in through the mode of friendship & violence..

There will be a lot which needs to be unboxed in Part so Part 1 is an above average flick for me.

There is no reason or point to watch the first half. Movie can directly start from the 2nd half.

The pace of the film rises too fast in the 2nd half. This literally creates confusion in plot.

The direction and BGM is far better in KGF.

Being a pan-India and a broad film, the director must spend some time on VFX works. The VFX is too poor in some sequences, which will not make a quality film. Actors did a great work, the presence of PRABHAS filled the theatres.

A commercial film.

I am really waiting for the drama in khansar. The entire drama will be similar to GoT.

The overall verdict - Watch it to watch SALAAR 2.