The film’s narrative is set in an imaginary village called Ratnagiri near the Red Sea. Devara, Bhaira, Rayappa and Kunjara are the respective heads of their villages. They do crimes/big thefts under the sea for money, and a smuggler named Muruga gives them cash and uses them for his illegal activities. Devara wants to end these crime lifestyles but Bhaira and others do not agree to it, and they plot to kill Devara. The whereabouts of Devara remain unknown for everyone after that, but Bhaira and gang fear to continue their crimes because of the fear of Devara. After 12 years, Bhaira hatches a plan to end the fear of Devara in his men and he tries to use Vara, the son of Devara in his plan. The rest of the story is how Vara, an innocent guy, rises to the occasion and takes on Bhaira and gang.
NTR does well in both roles and tries to carry the film on his shoulders. Janhvi Kapoor’s role is very limited, while Saif Ali Khan shines in some crucial moments. Shruti Marathe, Srikanth, Prakash Raj and others were okay.
Devara is a regular action drama with a fresh scenery of Red Sea. Director Koratala Siva attempted to strengthen the film with grand scale and imagination. While his efforts were visible in action sequences and taking songs along with the coastal lands’ backdrop, rich setting and huge star cast, he could have concentrated more on putting a stronger screenplay.
The initial setup of the men who belong to the Red Sea and the backstory of their ancestors was good. The second theft in the sea and the following episodes, The fear song and the interval episode too work efficiently for the film. Vara entering the Ayudha Pooja and the consequent fight, the scene where Rayappa tells about Vara to Bhaira were also satisfactory. The pre climax twist, though predictable, works well. All the action sequences worked in the movie.
The slow pace in the first half diminishes the required emotion of the film. A few key scenes do not get the right feel because of poor dialogues. The second half starts well, but it gets stretched after a point. Janhvi’s character and her love track with NTR is underwhelming. The climax of the film looks abrupt.
