Salaar Review: Prabhas-Prithviraj Outing With Prashanth Neel Is Continuation Of That Massive Macho Project
Salaar review was easy and simple: it’s exactly the continuation of the massive macho project which is masqueraded as new age action thriller took shape in South India. Same or more number of people are being killed, women and men talks paeans about the hero and his violent excursions, all types of weapons starting from daggers to modern weapons being rallied as in online games, and archival themes like friendship, hero worship, love for mother, tribe camaraderie and saviour admiration touted as masala for the execution of the main theme of the movie. That’s it. Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is the same KGF that packed all these elements into a new place called Khansaar instead of Kolar.
Prashanth Neel employs elements such as narrative structure, visual aesthetics, symbolism, character motivations, sound design, genre blending, cultural context, and catharsis to create a compelling cinematic experience centered around above-mentioned themes plus violence and revenge. The movie”s success lies in its ability to convince the viewer about these elements, immersing the audience in a visceral and emotionally charged narrative that is attached to sense of each viewer who is into entertaining themselves with massacres and violence.
Classical narrative structures often involve a protagonist seeking vengeance or homecoming for gaining the ground as the tribe leader, and “Salaar” adheres to this archetype. The revenge motif is a powerful storytelling device that engages the audience emotionally, drawing them into the protagonist”s journey as he returns to the tribe.
Neel”s use of visual aesthetics and cinematography plays a crucial role in the portrayal of violence. The gritty and raw cinematography enhances the impact of action sequences, creating an experience of a new place and grouping for the audience.
Violence in “Salaar” is often symbolic and allegorical, representing larger societal conflicts and power struggles, but with one caveat: you must have seen this elsewhere.
There are many killers in Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire, which is otherwise trying to create a movie universe that fans of action thrillers can get glued into.
One is the length Prashanth Neel trying to build the characters, especially Prabhas’ Deva. The director-writer who builds the story, reportedly as continuation of his Kannada hit Ugramm, spends more than an hour to present the protagonist. Once, Deva’s depth was established, then there was a flurry of stories and characters where the viewer has left no option but to move along with whatever appears on the screen.
Another spoiler of the movie is undermining the common sense of a viewer who is ready to watch a movie thinking that it will be senseless movie when it comes to realities and maximum power a single human can possess. He won’t be thinking about how the hero wasn’t killed in thousand bullets flying around, but he may thinking about the possibility of the writer leaving all his senses to nothing.
Both the lead actors, Prabhas and Prithviraj, are mere culmination of the overly assertive and aggressive masculine manifestations of Neel’s whims. Both were asked to show off their aggressiveness and machismo and they deliver it for the script.
Then comes women in the room. Among Shruti Hassan, Easwari Rao and Sriya Reddy, the latter two have significant roles to play, however limited as mere supporting cast to the machismo of the lead actors. Shruti Hassan”s presence in the movie was merely to give a love angle, yet she comes into the screen at times with an ‘always surprised’ face, and doesn’t make much difference.
Salaar: Part 1 Ceasefire is full of violence and blood. There is a central theme of tribes fighting in urban setup and sub-plots which are weak in details. As a viewer you may not wait for the second part as you have already watched enough Prashant Neel in KGF.
