Vijay Deverakonda needs to score a hit at any cost to stay in the game and has pinned all his hopes on Kingdom directed by Jersey fame Gowtam Tinnnanuri. The film has released today and let’s see how it is.
Story:
Suri(Vijay Deverakonda) is a small time cop who is looking for his missing brother, Siva(Satya Dev). One fine day cop approaches Suri and asks him to go on an undercover mission to bring back his brother Siva who runs a nexus in Sri Lanka and is the most wanted. The rest of the story is about how Suri lands in Sri Lanka and begins his much awaited covered operation.
What about on screen performances?
Vijay Deverakonda is the heart and soul of Kingdom. It is his look and intense performance that holds the show. Vijay gets a makeover and performs superbly in the emotional scenes and carried the film on his shoulders.
Popular actor Satya Dev plays a key role in the film and he also delivers a solid performance. There are a few emotional scenes where he kills it with his intense and emotional outbursts.
Bhagyashree Bose place the female and she does not have anything to do in the film. Her role is limited, and she is seen only in three hours four scenes.
Malayali actor Venkatesh makes a sensational debut in a negative role. The young actor gets a lot of importance in the script and he delivers a solid performance, though he is young, the manner in which he elevated the negative aspects speaks volumes of talent.
Rajkumar Kasireddy and Mahesh are decent in their roles. The rest of the cast were new and do well in the set up.
What about off screens talents?
Kingdom was one of the most awaited films as it was directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri who last made Jersey. So, everyone thought that the film would be high on emotions and performances.
While the performances are great in Kingdom, the emotions go for a toss. The film has grandeur and scale but the narration would be little bit better.
Gowtam pens a good story but he did not have much meat to take things to another level. Apart from the climax, there is hardly any action in the film and this one of the biggest drawbacks.
Yet another major highlight of the film is the background score which is the heart and soul of the film as Anirudh lifts it to another level.
The confrontation scenes between Satyadev and Vijay have been designed quite well. There are a lot of issues in the film and one of the most biggest is the aim of the hero and what he does in the narrative.
The first half of the film is decent as the world building has been done on a great note. But it is the second half which goes for a toss as the film has no proper emotions.
The brothers bond, choice of villain, and the conflict would be addressed properly. The dialogues are good and the editing is just about okay.
One of the drawbacks of the film is the lack of wow moments that stand apart. The camerawork is top notch as it showcases Sri Lanka in a solid manner.
One also gets a feeling that there is no need to make a second part out of it in the first place.
The performances are good but the narration leaves to be desired.
What’s Hot:
Vijay Deverakonda Style and performance
Anirudh background score
DOP
First half
What’s Not:
Slow pace
Lack of gripping drama
Dull second half
Verdict:
On the whole, Kingdom is a Watchable action drama that has scale, performances, and style. But the key emotions do not work when needed. When compared to Vijay’s previous flops, Kingdom is a tad better. It is a Watchable Movie for Vijay Deverakonda.
Telugubulletin.com Rating 3/5