Kuberaa is the latest box-office release in Telugu. Made as a Telugu-Tamil bilingual, the film has been produced on a big scale. In this section, we review the movie.
Plot:
Deepak Tej (Akkineni Nagarjuna) has been wrongfully locked up in jail. A super-honest CBI officer who once made a top industrialist cough up one hundred crores, Deepak is now a sorry figure who sorely wants to spend time with his growing daughter. When a crooked tycoon named Neeraj (Jim Sarbh) needs his help to orchestrate a scandal of epic proportions, Deepak reluctantly says yes because he is desperate to walk out of jail. In this process, Deepak enlists an unlettered beggar named Deva (Dhanush), whose timidity takes a backseat when he realizes that the world is more sinister than he would have ever imagined.
Post-Mortem:
Writer-director Sekhar Kammula's creative choices are mixed in Kuberaa. Sometimes, he lets the large canvas speak for itself. Other times, he conceives silly coincidences in lazily moving the plot forward. He lets headlines-worthy incidents paper over the many obvious flaws in the script. He is more a clever filmmaker than an ingenious writer.
Kuberaa would look smart if you don't ask probing questions. Nagarjuna's character rightly describes the Indian political and bureaucratic systems as driven by money and connections. But if you wonder how come such a super-corrupt system had let him enter the CBI instead of transferring him to the Traffic department, obvious cracks appear.
Deepak is grey, with his conscience agreeing to enable a gigantic scam but protesting some other heinous crime. Fair enough! But the conversations between Deepak and Neeraj are old-school, moving from one clichéd usage to another bookish beat. The character Robot is a typical pervert in an atypical setting. How come a multi-billionaire has such a hormonal crackpot working for him on an existential project?
The background score is too melodramatic for the novel nature of the unfolding gigantic conspiracy. Devi Sri Prasad's songs, otherwise, blend into the script. The cinematography and other production values are impressive.
The scenes involving the characters of Dhanush and Rashmika Mandanna (as Sameera, who runs into the beggar at a crazy moment in her life) are overstretched. There is no sense of urgency in the episodes following Deva's escape from the captivity of Neeraj and Deepak.
Every time Nagarjuna's character is overshadowed, the film acquires pacing issues. The characters of Sayaji Shinde and others seem to be explaining things to the audience instead of going about their business. Even colossal players in the system are worried that an ordinary SI can pose a threat to their mammoth scandal.
The conversations between the evil business tycoon and the politicians look extremely staged, lacking a slice-of-life edge. The power dynamics are sketchy at best, fitting a regular commercial potboiler.
The use of religious symbolism is clever, lending a mythical touch to Deva. The pregnant woman trope feels too convenient at first but the later portions make up for the early shortfalls.
Closing Remarks:
Kuberaa attempts a large-scale, intricate thriller but is ultimately let down by a convoluted script, inconsistent pacing, and underdeveloped character motivations. While its impressive production values and occasional cleverness shine, the film's many logical loopholes and clichéd writing prevent it from reaching its full potential.
