Kingdom, produced by Naga Vamsi S and Sai Soujanya, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box office release.
Plot:
Suri (Vijay Deverakonda) is a newly-minted undercover spy commissioned to wreak havoc in the gang of Siva (Satyadev Kancharana) on an island in Sri Lanka. Suri's superiors are well aware of his only motive - he wants to reunite with Siva, his elder brother who ran away from his house in the Telugu land after killing their dad. Once in Sri Lanka, Suri gains the trust of Siva and the tribe. But a series of unforeseen events involving Odiyappa and his son Murugan, the mafia dons, could upset Suri's plans.
Performances:
Vijay Deverakonda, as the tormented undercover agent, embodies a raw vulnerability that makes his character's emotional struggles deeply resonant. Satyadev portrays a character burdened by circumstance yet driven by a moral compass. Together, they deliver soulful performances.
Bhagyashri Borse is thankfully not wasted in superficial scenes; although her romantic song and a song with Vijay were edited out. Venkitesh, as Murugan, is earnest. Ayyappa P. Sharma (as the swamiji), Goparaju Ramana, Manish Chaudhari (as Suri's spy handler in Sri Lanka), Baburaj (as Dileep Nair), Rajkumar Kasireddy (as a sharp-witted tribal), and Goparaju Ramana (as a constable) are seen in different roles.
Technical aspects:
The cinematography by Girish Gangadharan and Jomon T. John. From Vizag to Sri Lanka, from Kothamangalam, Thandikudi and Nagercoil to Kerala, the scale is multi-dimensional. Avinash Kolla's production design does justice to the humongous budget.
Anirudh Ravichander's background score is commendable. It doesn't soar for the sake of it. It attains a new heft in the finale when the visuals narrate the transformation of VD's character. Ragile Ragile is way better in terms of its placement and staging.
Action Choreographers Yannick Ben, Chethan D’Souza, and Real Satish could have done a better job. The dominant style is that of shootouts and gun battles, leaving little potential for imagination.
Post-Mortem:
Kingdom is director Gowtam Tinnanuri's immediate next Telugu movie after Nani's Jersey. A day before its release, the makers made sure to set the expectations right: expect drama to be more consequential than action. And that's what the movie delivers. The conversations between Satya and Siva are among the best moments in the movie. Under the influence of Prashanth Neel and Lokesh Kanagaraj, many movies have jettisoned the art of building heartfelt/meaningful conversations between characters. Kingdom breaks away from the trend.
Many scenes carry an operatic quality, which is reinforced by strong emotions. The battle in the alien land is accentuated by the agony experienced by the male protagonist. Without making a hullabaloo about the pain of the male lead, the film conveys the weight of sadness.
Through Bhairagi, a character with a transcendental awareness, the story acquires a saviour saga character. The background score and framing elevate the refugee story to the level of a KGF-esque system. The theme of a saviour who gets called a leader is time-tested. Kingdom amplifies it through first-rate technical output.
On the flip side, Kingdom would have achieved more had the tribal scenes been portrayed in a new-age way. Also, Suri, in the initial portions set in India, assumes that the system works fairly when it comes to dealing with a low-level officer like him who slapped an Inspector hard. Why would he be so naive? Suri has been searching for Siva for the past 18 years, we are told. How exactly did he do that? Did he keep searching for a sketch-artist for 18 years?
Closing Remarks:
Kingdom delivers a powerful emotional core driven by exceptional performances from Vijay Deverakonda and Satyadev Kancharana. Director Gowtam Tinnanuri crafts a nuanced narrative prioritizing heartfelt drama and character development over generic action, a refreshing change in a landscape often dominated by high-octane sequences.
