Kuberaa Review -  A Satisfying Watch!

Ashwin Ram

Writing/ Direction: The pacing throughout is calm and composed, so we always have clarity on what is going on. The characters are established in detail and in a leisure manner, which makes it easy for us to get into the story world. The setup occupies the entire first hour, though everything is so straightforward, the progression is steady and engaging. The film fumbles during the second hour, once Dhanush senses the foulplay, the situations drag to a huge extent and the repetitive factor becomes a huge issue. There are a lot of good moments that work, especially the dialogues that blend with the thick of the characters, also the foreshadowing tool is utilized well. Certain smartly written stretches are sandwiched within a mid scene that doesn't allow the goodness to take the upper hand. Gets better in the final hour, there are some genuine brisk spots to look for, and ends disappointingly with an underwhelming climax. The issue is that there is no solid takeaway, isn’t that important for socio-political film, the noble intent is watered down to half-baked stuff. Dhanush’s role is the soul of the movie, and most things are done right around him, his innocently likeable behaviour is the backbone that tries to hide the flaws. However his character is also not perfectly shaped, the flashcuts shown for his childhood days are vaguely presented, leaving no mark to root for. The screenplay is a mixed bag, sluggish presentation and the limitless lags are the major spoilsport. Because of which, even the worthy stretches land with less intensity. We get to witness multiple scenes of characters discussing the already predictable plot-points and then going for the execution, spoon-feeding on a different level.

Performances: Superb scope for the incredible performer Dhanush, he has gone all out to bring a beggar role to life. Be it his dialogue delivery, mannerism or body language, this is one of the best works from the actor who has awed us many times earlier. The crux of Nagarjuna’s role is strong, but there is no development beyond that, sadly his acting also feels substandard. Jim Sarbh fits in the shoes of a multimillionaire perfectly, there are logical issues surrounding his role, but not bothersome. Rashmika Mandanna’s role has been conveniently brought into the picture with no efforts in writing, thankfully the character gets into a fine shape with the proceedings and her acting is fine too, by exactly delivering what is required from her end.

Technicalities: Middling songs from Devi Sri Prasad, not so high but there is enough scope for music which he failed to do justice. Nothing exceptional with respect to the background score too, the good scenes worked as it is and DSP missed to specialize them. Neat camera work, the vast localities and the performances of the artists through closeup shots have been nicely captured. Lazy editing, this is one such movie which should have gotten several notches better at the edit table, all we get is a product filled with lags and 3 full hours is exorbitant for the content.

Verdict:  There is a fine story that gets neatly established, the first hour tends to be promising despite the leisure pacing. Things fumble when the situations become repetitive. Gets better towards the end, but runtime stands as the major concern.

KUBERA - Lengthy, yet a Satisfying Watch!