Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire

Till the violence in Prabhas-Prithviraj-starrer is comic-book and Games Of Thrones-type stylised, you can find a way to rationalise it; the trouble ratchets up when it becomes more real.

With nested flashbacks overflowing with exposition, it has lengthy stretches that can feel like a chore. However, each extraneous segment eventually converges in some of the most exhilarating and cathartic on-screen violence Indian cinema has to offer.

Neel’s become a more polished filmmaker since “Ugramm,” and has used what he’s learned to dig his heels deeper into a style that he’s clearly been thinking about for a while now.

Even Thelma Schoonmaker, the legendary editor who could turn a bureaucrat’s farewell speech into a monologue worthy of Winston Churchill, would concede defeat after one glance at Salaar.

Prabhas and Prithviraj may lead the film, but the side characters are written with equal depth.

Prabhas’ Salaar is a masterclass on delayed gratification.

Are mass films meant to be admired for their surface, and at a distance? But show me another with this much texture.

Everyone thinks they are delivering the best work of their career but they are actually delivering the worst … It's so lazy [in every department.]

Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is not as fun to watch as RRR, but it’s got plenty of action and intrigue in this saga about two best friends caught up in personal and political power struggles. The plot gets convoluted, but the movie is packed with thrills.

A hackathon that tries too hard to shock.