Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire Movie Review & Rating

Salaar is one of the most awaited films in Telugu as Prabhas has teamed up with Prashanth Neel for the first time after KGF. After being in the making for the longest time, Salaar has been released today. Let’s analyze it here.

Story: The story is quite simple. Salaar is set in the fictional city of Khansaar. Raja Mannar(Jagapathi Babu), the don of Khansaar wants his son, Varadharaja (Prithviraj Sukumaran) to take over his throne. But this does not go well with many. A few powerful men plot against this idea and bring in armies from Russia and Siberia to finish the father-son empire. After a brutal attack, Varadharaja escapes the scene and approaches his childhood friend Deva to bail him out of the situation. Who is this Deva? What’s his connection with Khansaar? Did she save his best friend and what happens in this process is the story of Salaar.

Performances: It has been quite some time since we have seen Prabhas in such an avatar. After Baahubali, Prabhas gets a solid role and he kills it. Fans of Prabhas will be thrilled to see him in an action avatar after a long time. Be it his looks or dialogue delivery and mass action, Prabhas fits the bill superbly. Prithviraj is also a proper cast and fits his role perfectly. The drama in Salaar is quite important and one needed an actor like Prithviraj to carry those intense emotions and the Malayalam star is perfect.

After a long time, Jagapathi Babu gets a good role and he packs a punch. Shruthi Haasan‘s role is intriguing and the suspense behind her character is yet to be revealed. Eswari Rao is good but she overacts for no reason in many scenes. The rest of the key cast is decent. Shriya Reddy in a negative role is superb. Bobby Simha was also good in his character.

Technical Aspects: Ravi Basrur has composed the music and his BGM misses the mark in several areas. One gets a feeling that a few fights do not get that proper elevation thanks to the dull BGM. The camerawork is astonishing and the VFX work done is mind-blowing. How the world of Khansaar is created needs a special mention. Production design of the highest level has been used for Salaar and the dark done only enhances the experience though a few scenes remind us of KGF. A coal mine fight before the interval is stunning, to say the least. The elevation scenes in both halves are just amazing. The screenplay is top-notch in the first half but could have been better in the second. The dialogues create an impact and so does the costume design.

Analysis: Fans of Prabhas have been waiting for Salaar for the longest time for their star hero to score a hit. Well, did Salaar quench their thirst is the biggest question. When it comes to fans, they will love Salaar as Prabhas has been showcased in the best way possible. Though he enters late in the scene, his entry and the entire turnaround are worth the wait. Prashanth Neel has given the fans a reason to smile as he has showcased in the best way possible.

A couple of fights and the way they create an adrenaline rush in the fans will be loved on the big screen. The first half of the film is tight whereas the second half has a few lags. Neel takes his own sweet time to enter into the main story and once he does there is no looking back. A few characters are added for no reason and they deviate from the topic. The animosity between the two friends is left for a perfect confrontation in the second half and the stage is set for Salaar Part 2.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Salaar is the lack of proper drama. One expects more drama in such movies where two powerful men are involved. That is missing in Salaar in a big way. One gets a feeling that Salaar also has the trappings of KGF in the second act. There are so many scenes that remind us of KGF.

But all that is shadowed by Prabhas and his screen presence. If the second half had been more impactful the response to Salaar would have been even better. Neel knows how to elevate scenes and he did just that ignoring the story and screenplay a bit. Salaar is a rehash of Ugram and all those who have seen it might not like Salaar for its reservations.

Verdict: Overall, Salaar is an action-packed drama that will be loved by the fans. Prabhas is back in the game and his fans will love the action part and solid looks. However, the slow second half and a few dragged scenes are a minus. Action movie lovers will enjoy this film. Just lower your expectations and you will end up liking the film.

Bottom Line: Prabhas is back / Action-packed masala entertainer

Rating: 3/5

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