I did not like Salaar at all! This is an Indian action movie and it is one of the most boring ones I have seen in the last few years. I expect these movies to last the better part of three hours, but this is one time where I well and truly felt that this was a long movie! It is a shame too as I like Prashanth Neel and really enjoyed the K.G.F. movies that he did, but this was a massive miss for me.
How to Download Salaar
Salaar was released on 22 December 2023. You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
A Critical Look at Salaar’s Story and Execution
By the way, it is worth mentioning that the original title of this movie was Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire! No spoilers, but I will warn you right now that the “part 1” is very needed as this does not have a conclusive ending. Plus, from what I have read, as of writing it is not a guarantee that the second part will even get made!
Character Analysis: The Persona of Salaar
The main character is a man called, Deva, but he goes by Salaar. Salaar is played by Prabhas who many people are big fans of and I have enjoyed his work in the past. Deva is supposedly the ultimate badass and he made a promise to a friend, a promise that he intends to keep.
Plot Complexity and Viewer Engagement in Salaar
The story here is very hard to keep track of, it starts off in the past before getting to the modern day and we also have some flashbacks. The basics are that Salaar is that there is a civil war thing going on and Salaar is going to pretty much lay waste to any gangs that get in the way of him completing his mission and keeping his promise.
To be fair, this is a solid premise for an action movie, but the plot is so convoluted and boring that I had a hard time keeping invested. I get that the director wanted to make this more about the drama than the action, but when the drama has way too much going on so that it is hard to keep track of, you lose interest, especially when the movie is nearly three hours long!
Concluding Thoughts: Salaar’s Missed Mark in Indian Cinema
Pretty much every character in this movie speaks of Salaar like he is this mythical being who can just destroy anything that gets in his past. The way people talk about Salaar kind of reminds me of the way people would talk about John Wick, only Salaar is sure as hell no John Wick, that is for sure!
There are some decent action scenes here, but some are more like a parody. There is one scene where Salaar is surrounded and all of the people fumble and cannot load their guns or get a shot off! You do have to suspend belief for most action movies, but some of the stuff here just made me roll my eyes.
This is a movie that I regret making the effort to see in the theatre. As I was so uninvested in this, by the time the credits started, I felt those three hours in my back and butt that is for sure! I have read that some people loved this movie, so perhaps I missed the point. However, I would have to put this near the bottom of my list when it comes to Indian action movies. Even Salaar threatening me could not get me to watch this again!
