DC
Loki was on a disappointing roll when he again broke my trust with "Coolie" as that movie has aged like milk and I constantly stop myself from reducing my rating of the movie even further because that movie was intolerable at best. So, like many others, I was also one of those people who were skeptical when the teaser for this movie came. Like a director transitioning to a full fledged actor role, there is obviously some skepticism that would follow and with my diluted expectations, I step in without even watching the trailer of the movie.
DC is a romantic action thriller that takes inspiration from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdas to mold the soul of the original characters into this world filled with violence and injustice. The movie is very effective with its characters, for the most part and has some substance to back up the stylized sequences.
Music is such a banger here. There are times when music becomes an integral part of the screenplay. I remember when I saw "Vikram" in a packed theatre and the score by Anirudh was so legendary in that movie. I couldn't help but bop my head throughout the movie. This movie also fills that spot for me and "Raga of Revenge" is such a strong theme reflecting pain, anger and chaos.
Loki as the titular, Devadas or Das, was surprisingly good. For my pre-judgement, he completely took me off guard. Not that he does something never seen in an action genre but he has done his homework and you see him putting in effort where most actors could easily go over the top with the role. But, he brings this calm and brooding energy that just fits the movie well. This is a character that internalizes and externalizes his pain and sadness and Loki knows it and does very well. Genuinely surprised.
Wamiqa Gabbi as Chandra is also such a great deuteragonist. The way she channels her trauma and pain so effectively is a testament of the actress.Her tenacity and her chaotic nature fits with Loki's Devdas like a puzzle and the dynamic the two share is actually the highlight of the movie.
And after all the good points I could muster, I do have to say I am not totally ok with the movie. The movie hesitates to dwell deeper into the characters and it is so jarring to witness. The lack of time given to characters is criminal and I think a bit more runtime wouldn't have hurt the movie at all. It could've been such a strong action movie with a little bit more substance but it doesn't go all in and ends up being an okay movie but not something I would remember for a long time.
And don't even talk about the so called "villain". He has absolutely no strong motive nor hunger to catch the titular duo and is so basic that I couldn't care less for his character tbh, the climax doesn't even feel like a climax, despite Anirudh and the actors doing thier best. I don't expect an outlandish antagonist for a south action thriller but when you have such a strong source material, you can't give me a deadbeat cop that provides absolutely nothing as an antagonist and call it a day. That just doesn't work for me. No fault of the actor playing it though.
All in all, It is still a very fun and engaging action thriller that did manage to surprise me in spurts but the potential of the movie hurts me bad, because you see the effort by everyone and you know deep inside it could benefit from a more refined writing or screenplay. So, it lies neither on the best nor worst for me. It's somewhere middle on the spectrum.