KGF movie review: An engrossing period entertainer packed with whistle-worthy mass moments

The first part (or chapter) of Prashanth Neel's KGF is an engrossing period film which makes Kannadigas beam with pride. The movie has a good story packed with whistle-worthy mass moments and Yash's majestic presence doubles the joy of watching the Sandalwood film.

Ratings: 4

The trailer of KGF had clearly given away the storyline and one would have a rough idea about what to expect from the film, but what keeps the audience on their toes is the way drama gets unfolded. To fulfil the promise given to his mother before her death, Rajkrishna Bareya aka Rocky (Yash) leaves to Mumbai in his childhood with the dreams of becoming a powerful and rich person.

He finds a job with a Kannadiga and as years pass by, Rocky becomes most-feared person in the Mumbai underworld. His fate takes him back to Karnataka as he becomes a pawn in a bitter rivalry among the partners in the gold mining in KGF. The first chapter of the film ends with the hero emerging victorious and laying a foundation for the second part of the film, while we are told that the Prime Minister of the country wants him to be arrested.

The first half of KGF revolves around his childhood, his life in Mumbai and talks about his fearless attitude. Whereas the second half is about Rocky's journey into the lawless land of the mining region.

From the word go, Prashanth Neel does not hesitate to tell that the movie is all about the heroism
of fearless Rocky. But he does not adopt usual build-ups given in typical commercial entertainer, but rather lets scenes show the capability of his hero.

Be it Yash's introduction scene or the way he announces he was ready to take on the baddie in the climax, the mass elements have been redefined by Prashanth Neel. Action sequences are extraordinarily staged and performed with great intensity by Yash.

The main villain here does not shout, yell or physically attack his enemies, yet he has a powerful role which clearly shows the writing skills of the director. Debutant Srinidhi Shetty has limited number of scenes, but she looks like a promising actress. 

Don't-miss-moments:

Yash's first encounter with heroine.
The tension-building sequences leading to climax.
Rocky's conflict, within, whether to save the old man or beat the baddies to announce his arrival.

And the technical departments have heavily contributed for enhancing the overall quality of KGF. Cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda's frames and lighting are perfect, Ravi Basrur's songs are top class and BGM should get special mention. Shiva Kumar's artwork is flawless.

Having said that KGF has its own share of drawbacks. Notably, there are boring moments in the second half and the story is rather dragged towards the end.

Otherwise,  for Kannadigas this film gives a proud moment as it is being dubbed into other regional languages and also riding high on success rate.

Here is a film that will make them proud for its originality, performance and top-class production values. It is also likely to pave the way to give an identity to Kannada films in commercial format at the national level.