Kingdom (Telugu)
Gowtham Tinnanuri’s Kingdom opens with promise. The year is 1920, and a small tribal community near the Srikakulam coast is under threat from the British, who are desperate to loot gold from their homeland. The community, led by its indomitable king, is outnumbered and without modern weapons. Yet they refuse to yield. The fight sequence is gripping and rich with cinematic potential. The film even loops back to this moment in its climax. But for all the grandeur and ambition, Kingdom is undone by Tinnanuri’s lazy, incoherent writing and paper-thin characterisation, leaving viewers with a bloated, unsatisfying mess.
Kingdom stars Vijay Deverakonda, Bhagyashri Borse, and Satyadev in the lead, among others. The main act of the film is set in the 1990s, where Soori (played by Vijay Deverakonda), a police constable, is desperately searching for his long-lost brother Srinu (Satya). Carrying a childhood photograph of his brother, he comes to the Commissioner’s office, hoping that the police sketch artist could make a drawing of his brother as an adult. (I don’t know how a sketch artist can predict how one might look based on a childhood photo, but this man gives a drawing.)
The police soon find out that his brother is a smuggler in Srilanka. Soori is sent on a covert operation to infiltrate the gang and bring back his brother.
Set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war, the film squanders every opportunity to add depth or political insight. The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi is referenced, but the complex history between Tamils and Sinhalas—central to the conflict—is completely ignored. Instead, the setting is reduced to a flashy stage for gunfights and slow-motion action. There’s no context, no weight, just noise.
The tribal community in the film’s fictional island of Divi is portrayed as caught between militant Tamils and a violent smuggling cartel. These Adivasis are forced into smuggling by the cartel in exchange for safety from mainland Tamils in Jaffna, who are cruel and territorial, according to the film.
The cartel also has a strange rule that the Adivasi women should not leave their Divi island and step onto the mainland. But again, these scenes are not written emphatically to elevate the drama.
While Kingdom has grand ideas, the incoherent writing and flaws in logic make it a disappointing watch. Why was Soori specifically sent to Srilanka when the Indian government already had a different plan? Probably we will get this clarity in the second part of the film, or not. But as a complete film, Kingdom does not give full satisfaction, unlike KGF or Baahubali.
Similar to the ‘red wedding’ episode in the popular show Game of Thrones, Kingdom has a gruesome sequence. Strangely, after a mass murder, where almost an entire village is wiped out, the rest quickly jump in celebration after realising that their ‘king’ has come back to save them. This abrupt shift in the tone was too jarring to overlook.
The Adivasis initially do not accept Soori as their own. But why? There is no explanation.
When it comes to characters, except for Vijay Deverakonda’s Soori, the secondary characters are not given enough heft. They just disappear into the background. Soori’s purpose is to bring back his brother from the evil cartel and provide a safe life for his family. But there is not a single scene where Soori is seen having an emotional conversation with Satya, his wife, or son.
Vijay delivers a fine performance as Soori. Satyadev too gives a compelling performance despite his poor characterisation. However, it is Venkitesh, the actor playing Murugan, the villain, who steals the show with his spectacular performance. But when a film leans entirely on aesthetics to distract from its shallow, confused script, even strong performances cannot save it.
Bhagyashri Borse is wasted in the film. She is not given any space, and the relationship between her and Soori feels inorganic.
Kingdom ends in KGF-style, where another villain, who is yet to be revealed, will play a part in the second half. The only things holding it together are Girish Gangadharan’s striking cinematography and Anirudh’s powerful score.
While Gowtham Tinnanuri’s Kingdom is highly ambitious, it forgets what makes storytelling compelling: clarity, character, and connection.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.