‘The Devil’ movie review: Darshan hits and misses in a film that tests his stardom

In the entire first half of The Devil, director-writer Prakash Veer walks on a thin rope and manages to stay balanced. It’s a film with the hero playing dual roles and set against a political backdrop. Add the good-vs-evil trope, and you get three overused themes of commercial cinema. Yet the film is an easy watch if not strikingly unique before the writing gets tied up in a knot.

When a rogue is naturally unfit to replace his father, Rajashekhar (Mahesh Manjrekar) — who is facing corruption charges — as the chief minister, you get a look-alike of the crooked son to fit the big role. The plan is hatched by Rajshekhar’s personal advisor, Nambiar (Achyuth Kumar), who has vested interests.

One good thing about The Devil is that it doesn’t make the mistake of treating itself as a serious thriller with a predictable plot. What holds the film afloat is the self-aware writing (which fails to go the next level in the final act), which has ready answers to cinematic liberties and logical issues.

How does a father not recognise his son? Must be a case of brain fade as even Dhritarashtra could recognise Duryodhana despite having 101 sons, as Nambiar points out. Why doesn’t Krishna (Darshan), an aspiring actor, go out looking for chances? “I believe in waiting for that one big opportunity,” he often says. Why does Dhanush, who calls himself “The Devil”, have no political aspirations like his father? Because he sees only money as a powerful tool. Are the people naive enough to believe a leader who lays out typical election promises? “We might still have to struggle, but at least a good leader will show a way out,” a poor woman tells her husband.

The best scene that reveals the film’s cautious writing is when Krishna, fully into his new role as an impersonator, decides to cook and serve a quality mid-day meal to government school kids. As someone who runs a small mess, Krishna doesn’t forget his natural instinct to help the needy, yet from the outside, it looks like a publicity stunt from a political leader. A reporter even questions the intention behind such an act.

To complement these minor touches, The Devil needed consistent big surprises, like the expected-yet-massy interval block, to go several notches higher and end strongly. More importantly, the film had to fully explore the potential of a star playing the hero and the villain with exciting face-offs between the two. The dullness begins to set in when the battle between the two is reduced to long fight sequences.

It’s an interesting idea to make Darshan play an out-and-out badie. I wish the actor had more to do than exhibit his mannerisms and a particular style of dialogue delivery. With the director’s focus only on his style, the character is all dressed up, but has nowhere to go. Dhanush, a.k.a The Devil, chooses absolute freedom over power, but it’s not fleshed out.

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The Devil takes an interesting detour from the main plot of fighting for power when both the lead characters fall for one woman (Rachana Rai makes an encouraging debut). I wish the script dared to make The Devil introspect and redeem his personality to try and win over the girl, instead of putting the woman in trouble at every turn. This is where the writing plummets, as age-old problems such as melodrama and misguided portrayal of sensitive themes creep in.

The Devil is a film that tests Darshan’s stardom to the fullest. With multiple shades, it wants its star in the centre to pull out his tricks to bolster the highs and dampen the lows of the script. The actor’s efforts offer mixed results. While he blows hot and cold as the villain, he is at his best as an innocent man in a Catch 22 situation. Despite the apparent diminished screen presence, he makes you care about the character, exhibiting his ability to perform and also do star-acting.

The Devil has several meta references to the actor’s life. The film is also a reflection on his career. An enormous fan following, definite potential and the hunt for films that ensure every aspect comes together for a cracking ‘masala’ cinema. The Devil has a lot to offer for ardent fans. That’s an often-used expression to indirectly sum up a film.

The Devil is currently running in theatres