Four years after his initial outing, Prashanth Neel’s magnum opus-- KGF Chapter 1-- raises the bar for the film industry. The much-hyped film has some brilliant technical nuances, giving the film an overall visual appeal. At the same time, it manages to balance commercial elements. Sprinkled with convincingly strong dialogues in Hindi and Kannada, the film is purely driven by Yash. It does have instances of class but is able to cater to the masses with equal ease.
The story set between 1951 and 1981 is narrated by a journalist (played by Ananth Nag) during his TV interview to Deepa (Malavika Avinash), and revolves around Raja Krishnappa Bairya aka Raja aka Rocky’s (Yash) experiences in the world of gold and gangsters. Prashanth’s story takes the audience to Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolar Gold Fields (KGF).
Vivid glimpses of the life of gangsters is portrayed on screen as Rocky undertakes his mission.
In addition, the emotional connection between mother and son becomes KGF’s underlying story. During Raja’s growing years, his mother’s words are final. And before dying, her words are: I don’t know how you will lead your life, but when you die, I want you to be the most powerful and rich man on earth.
For director Prashanth, also the writer of KGF, the gangster world was beyond imagination. All of it, he manages to show it through one man, Rocky - the power, the greed and ambitions.
Since it’s a two-part film, he has taken the liberty of introducing the characters slowly and building the plot at its own pace. In fact, some of the characters who will be seen in the second part have been hinted at in the first. The film gains tempo at various intervals with some engaging fights sequences, which reaches its peak during the climax. The director must be appreciated for having brought alive KGF with massive sets. Kudos to art director Shiva Kumar.
A one-man show, KGF solely belongs to Yash. He is able to get into the skin of the character — looks, style, expressions, dialogue delivery and even handling of weapon — with much ease.
Despite Yash stealing most of the show, other characters are given adequate prominence. Srinidhi Shetty in her debut begins on a good note, and hopefully, there’ll be more to come in the second.
Tamannaah Bhatia fills the glam quotient. A host of actors have been given prominent roles, including Archana Jois, who plays a young mother, and Anmol who plays young Yash. Vasishta Simha, Acyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash, Mita Vasisht, Ayyappa P Sharma and Ramachandra Raju provide the right kind of support.
The highlight of KGF is also the cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda, who sets the tone and the mood of the film. So is Ravi Basrur, who has scored the background score. Editor Srikanth deserves a mention for the tight package. KGF is a mass entertainer, leaving the audience in anticipation for Chapter II.