“Kingdom Movie Review: Grandeur Without Gravitas”
Sarkar Rating:2.5/5 Release Date: July 31, 2025
Cast
Vijay Devarakonda, Satya Dev & Bhagyashrii Borse
Crew
Written & Directed By: Gowtam Tinnanuri
Produced By: Naga Vamsi S – Sai Soujanya
Music Composed By: Anirudh
Cinematographer’s: Jomon T John ISC & Girish Gangadharan ISC
Editor: Navin Nooli
Action Choreographer’s: Yannick Ben, Chethan D’Souza & Real Satish
Colorist: Ranga
Story
Kingdom follows the story of Soori (Vijay Deverakonda), an ordinary police constable who unexpectedly finds himself on a high-stakes spy mission. This mission is intricately connected to his estranged brother Siva (Satyadev), and the narrative unfolds as Soori sets out to reunite with him under intense and dangerous circumstances.
Performances
Vijay Deverakonda delivers a committed and authentic performance. He strikes the right balance—never overplaying or underplaying the part—bringing a natural groundedness to the character of Soori. Regardless of how the film fares commercially, Vijay earns credit for portraying his role with conviction.
Satyadev, in a crucial supporting role, is equally impressive. His presence lends emotional weight to the story, and his performance feels effortless yet powerful. Together, their chemistry is the film’s emotional backbone—even if the writing doesn’t always support it effectively.
Bhagyashri Borse plays the female lead, but her character is underwritten and barely present. With very limited screen time and minimal impact, her role fails to make a lasting impression.
Analysis
Director Gowtam Tinnanuri, best known for Jersey, attempts a very different canvas with Kingdom—an emotionally driven brotherhood tale set in a stylized spy-action backdrop. The film opens with intrigue, featuring an atmospheric British-era setup that’s visually captivating. But the momentum quickly dips.
The first half suffers from sluggish pacing, gloomy tone, and emotionally hollow sequences. Despite the potential in its premise, the storytelling feels flat. Key emotional beats—like the jail reunion between the brothers—are executed without buildup or payoff, failing to evoke any genuine emotional response. The overarching national threat plot, meant to raise stakes, instead comes off as a tired trope with little novelty or tension.
Even the Sri Lankan antagonist track—with its cartels and mafia backdrop—feels superficial and routine. While the visual aesthetics remain strong throughout, the narrative lacks depth, urgency, and emotional connection.
The second half improves marginally, with Satyadev’s track providing some engaging moments. While it doesn’t hit the heights of a rousing action thriller, it does offer some redemption in terms of drama and character development. The climax is visually well-executed, with production design that leaves a mark. But again, the resolution lacks a truly impactful emotional high.
The villain, played by Venkitesh, is serviceable but forgettable. The character is a stock antagonist with no unique traits, limiting the overall conflict’s effectiveness.
What does work is the film’s sincerity. It avoids commercial gimmicks and tries to tell an earnest story. Vijay and Satyadev’s performances, paired with solid visuals and a decent score, hold the film together just enough to make it a passable watch.
Supporting Cast
While the film includes a supporting ensemble, the story stays tightly focused on Soori and Siva. As a result, most supporting characters lack depth or development. Venkitesh, as the primary antagonist, gets substantial screen time but is let down by thin character writing, despite a decent performance.
Music & Technical Aspects
Anirudh delivers a background score that fits the film’s moody tone, steering clear of his typical high-energy sound. His work here leans into a gritty, atmospheric zone reminiscent of KGF-style aesthetics. Unfortunately, the absence of impactful action blocks prevents his score from fully soaring.
The cinematography by Jomon and Girish is the film’s standout technical achievement. The visuals are consistently rich and immersive, often doing more to elevate scenes than the script itself. Editing by Naveen Nooli could’ve been sharper—particularly in the dragging first half—where tighter cuts might have enhanced engagement.
Production values by Sithara Entertainments, Fortune Four Cinemas, and Srikara Studios are top-notch. Kingdom undeniably looks and feels like a big-budget film, even if the storytelling doesn’t match up.
Highlights
Strong visual quality and technical finesse
Vijay Deverakonda and Satyadev’s sincere performances
Anirudh’s atmospheric background score
Drawbacks|
Flat, emotionally disconnected narration
Underwhelming writing and predictable story beats
Weak emotional arc between the brothers
Lack of freshness in execution and character design
Verdict
Kingdom boasts stellar production values and sincere lead performances, but the film ultimately feels hollow due to flat writing and emotionally uninvolving storytelling. It’s a visually grand but narratively underwhelming experience that never quite lives up to its potential.
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