The recent release of “Devara”, starring Jr. NTR, is receiving its fair share of both criticism and appreciation. On one hand, fans are loving its world-building with the four villages and the dynamics between Bhaira and Devara, especially in the first half. However, many are complaining about its lethargic storytelling, which we’ve discussed before. “Salaar”, starring Prabhas, which was released last year, dealt with a similar issue. Why are such movies bombarded with too much information?
In an attempt to prevent the story from being too simplistic, writers often fill it with excessive details and many characters who have little impact on the main narrative. It’s said that these characters and details will play pivotal roles in upcoming parts. With this benefit of doubt, writers leave many loose ends in the story, which gives the audience an incomplete feeling. Why can’t we create big-budget movies that don’t aim to build an extended universe?
Can you enjoy “Stree 2” if you haven’t seen “Munjya” or “Bhediya”? We’re seeing very few big-budget standalone films, and it’s concerning since we’ve been flooded with numerous IPs in a short period of time. Now, we’re in a situation where every upcoming movie is either a sequel or part of a larger universe.
While we agree that this pattern has some perks, like writers not needing to start from scratch and the already-existing hype in the market needing just a little push to succeed, the increasing number of such films takes away from the originality of cinema. Cinema was once a three-hour collective experience in theaters. What are your thoughts?