Review: Kuberaa

Film: Kuberaa
Director: Shekhar Kammula
Co-Writer: Chaithanya Pingali
Cast:Dhanush, Rashmika Mandanna, Nagarjuna, Jim Sarbh and others
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematographer: Niketh Bommi
Editor: Karthika Srinivas R
Rating: 4 Stars

Make no mistake about it, Kuberaa is a masterpiece!

Sekhar Kammula comes up with a brilliant plot and masterfully narrates it in this exceptionally taut socio-economic thriller that has you glued to the screen from start to finish.

The director wastes no time in getting to the point and commands your undivided attention, right form the word ‘go’.

The base of the plot is based on proper research and that is what lends credibility to the whole story.

A credible, interesting plot is just one reason for you to like the film. There are others like the brilliant acting all the film’s lead actors including the antagonist have displayed.

Synopsis:

The story starts with an oil rig unit searching for oil resources. After much effort, they strike it rich as they find a rich source of natural, pure oil. 

A corrupt top official in the government run unit leaks this information  to a greedy business tycoon who wants to own the rig and thereby the oil it has found.

Technically, the oil rig is government property and therefore the oil belongs to the public. But the business tycoon sees an opportunity to add to his already burgeoning wealth, which he has made through corrupt means. He offers to pay ministers huge sums as bribes and gets them to readily collude with him. 

As expected, the government announces its decision to sell the rig to  private players and the business tycoon emerges the beneficiary.

The problem the tycoon has now is that he has to ensure the huge sums of money he has agreed to pay as bribes reach the ministers without anybody getting to know.

How he intends to do that and what happens as a result is what Kuberaa is all about.

Analysis: 

Kuberaa has a lot of positives. From Shekhar Kammula’s excellent direction to Dhanush, Nagarjuna and Rashmika, Mandanna’s outstanding acting to Devi Sri Prasad’s rich and peppy music, everything is near perfect.

The only drawback, if you can call it that, is that the film has a runtime of 3 hours and 2 minutes and you tend to feel the strain as a result of sitting on the edge of your seat and keeping your eyes glued to the screen for a long time without taking  a break.

Dhanush in particular is simply outstanding. The man just completely transforms into his character Deva so much so that you forget you are looking at an established, versatile actor. You only get to see a begger whose considerate nature makes him to stand up for those weaker than him. Any doubts about Dhanush’s acting skills can safely be put to rest with this scintillating performance of the actor, whose performance deserves nothing less than a National Award. Playing a beggar is one thing but playing a beggar who is physically challenged is an even more daunting task and Dhanush does it with flair.

Rashmika Mandanna is cute and convincing as the poor, middle class girl, who, despite struggling to put her own life in order, still offers to grudgingly lend a helping hand to those around her.

Nagarjuna, who plays a middle-class man, who is torn between being selfish and being righteous, comes up with an exceptional performance as well.

Jim Sarbh, who plays the business tycoon, simply owns his part and delivers a stupendous performance that makes him stand out and into the limelight.

‘Kuberaa’ is more than just a film. It offers its audiences what its name suggests — a rich, rewarding experience!