Highlights
Superstar Shahid Kapoor is returning to the big screen after almost a year. ‘Deva‘ has reached theatres near you. The trailer for this action thriller had already created a lot of buzz among the audience. Has the film done justice to it? Let’s find out.
Predictable plot takes a bit of charm out of action thriller
‘Deva’ stars Shahid Kapoor in the lead as Dev, a courageous but hot-headed police officer. Pooja Hegde, on the other hand, is playing the role of a bold and beautiful journalist named Diya. The cast also includes Pavail Gulati, Pravessh Rana and Kubbra Sait in key roles.
Produced by Siddharth Roy Kapoor and Umesh KR Bansal, and directed by Rosshan, this action thriller focuses on Shahid’s police officer character and a probe into a murder case. There is also an article being printed about Dev that asks, “Police or Mafia?”
In ‘Kabir Singh’, one of Shahid’s biggest blockbusters yet, one could find the protagonist’s reliance on alcohol. In ‘Deva’, the focus has shifted to cigarettes. Shahid, nonetheless, has proved himself immense useful in multiple unrestrained roles.
Still, despite his sincere efforts, the latest action-packed thriller just doesn’t land. It is not the fault of the actors. They did a great job at performing in their designated characters. The blame here falls on the script as it fails to lure attention despite a generous runtime.
Terrific performance: Shahid Kapoor steals the limelight
Shahid Kapoor is famous for his unrestrained characters. There is ‘Kabir Singh’, ‘Haider’ and ‘Kaminey’ for examples. The actor’s angry performances have lured audiences on numerous occasions. Seeing him back in an intense role is definitely a big thing.
In ‘Deva’, Shahid plays a police officer famous for fearing none. One day, he kills a dreaded gangster in an encounter and lets his best friend take the credit. But things start to turn South as his friend is shot dead at a felicitation ceremony.
Next comes a tough chase. The probe is going to keep you on the edge of your seat on multiple occasions. But the film could have been a blockbuster if the makers had put more efforts into the story. The plot started to appear predictable sometime into the film.
Pooja Hegde’s screentime doesn’t make sense
The Central Board of Film Certification has granted ‘Deva’ a ‘UA 16+’ rating. The runtime of the film is 156 minutes and 53 seconds. Shahid has a strong presence and he does complete justice to his character. But Pooja’s screentime could have been enhanced.
Before the release, it had already been expected that the female lead’s character is not going to be as dominant as Shahid’s. But it is still shocking that Pooja’s role as a journalist and Kubbra Sait’s portrayal of a fierce police inspector did not get the required screentime.
Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde: Fresh pairing on big screens
There are multiple pleasant things about ‘Deva’. For instance, director Rosshan has captured Mumbai in its real sense. He did not focus on famous landmarks and instead brought his eyes to other destinations that lent an earthy feel to the scenes.
It is going to be unfair to not mention the fresh pairing of Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde. The actors are sharing the big screen for the first time and their chemistry in the film adds another important reason to not skip the action-packed thriller.
Pavail Gulati shines, film doesn’t glorify police brutality
There is at least one thing about ‘Deva’ that must be highlighted as much as possible. This action thriller does not try to justify police brutality and systemic hooliganism at any point in the story. The plot does not celebrate troublemakers as patriots.
Shahid Kapoor has done a phenomenal job as an angry but courageous police officer. There is Pavail Gulati, too, nailing his role as Rohan D’Silva, Dev’s colleague and college friend. He has earlier been seen in ‘Thappad’, ‘Made in Heaven’ and ‘Dobaaraa’.
Poor start: Deva box office collection on Day 1
Shahid’s latest action-packed thriller is off to a poor start at the box office. ‘Deva’ has earned approximately 5 crores India net on its first day for all languages, according to Sacnilk. This platform is famous for offering almost accurate estimates of profits.
This figure is in respect to early estimates only. On its first day, the film had an overall 8.27% Hindi occupancy. Morning, afternoon and evening segments noted a 5.87%, 9.18% and 9.77% Hindi (2D) occupancy in theatres.
Initial public reactions to Shahid Kapoor-starrer
Many people are stressing on the internet that ‘Deva’ is actually a remake of director Rosshan’s 2013 Malayalam film ‘Mumbai Police’. They are raising concerns about a bit ‘choppy’ editing and ‘dragged-out’ screenplay.
There is another person putting out a similar message. Shahid Kapoor nailed his role; the ensemble cast did equally great; the highlight is the cast; intelligent, cunning and unique storyline troubled by dragged screenplay, the statement added.
This Shahid Kapoor-starrer is being hailed for the performance of its cast. One user on X noted that ‘Deva’ delivers a solid mix of action and mass moments. The film loses a bit of its pace in the middle, but the end shock is definitely something to sit tight for.
One more X user has described Pooja Hegde’s performance in this action thriller as “decent”. The person ranked the film at 3.5/5 stars, highlighting that the second half could have been tighter. Nonetheless, the climax is a hit and Shahid Kapoor nailed it, it added.
My verdict
There is no doubt that superstar Shahid Kapoor has done an outstanding job in his latest action-packed thriller. This genre suits the actor and he has not disappointed us, too. His portrayal of the unrestrained police officer is a big hit among the audience.
The ensemble cast, featuring Pooja, Pavail and Kubbra, did justice to their roles. The onus falls on the screenplay. The makers should have put more effort into the story and character build-up. The female characters should also have been given more screentime to shine.
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