Rating: 7.5/10 (Majestic Action Thriller)

Cast: Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Ayyapa, B Suresh, Srinivas Murthy, Archana Jois, Roopa Rayappa, Master Anmol, Ananth Nag, Tamanna, Mouni Roy, Malavika, Achut Kumar, Naga Bharana, Dinesh Mangalur, Harish roi, Ninasam Ashwath, Avinash, Ram, Lucky, Vinay, Puneeth Rudranag

Music: Ravi Basrur
Cinematographer: Bhuvan Gowda
Production Design: Shivakumar
Lyrics: Ramajogayya Sastry & Madhura Kavi
Fights: Anbariv-Venkat
Editor: Srikanth
Story-Screenplay-Direction:Prashanth Neel
Producer: Vijay Kiragandur

Format Watched: Amazon Prime (Kannada Version) 

On December 21st 2018, a film called KGF released. Led by the stunning trailers and grandeur, the film became an India wide sensation and the Kannada film industry took the nation by storm. Starring Rocking Star Yash in the lead role, KGF Chapter 1 is directed by Prashanth Neel. Why was the film such a sensation? Let's find out in this review.

Plot: Rocky (Yash) promises his mother that he will become rich and powerful. The rest of the story is why he enters KGF and the power struggle that ensues.

Performances: Rocking Star Yash is apt for the lead role and looks incredible as the rowdy Rocky Bhai. The beard and whole look compliment the character very well.

Heroine Srinidhi Shetty doesn't have much a role. Famous Kannada actor Ananthnag garu gets a crucial role as the narrator of the story and is he excellent as always.

The rest of the actors are all new and from the Kannada film industry and they are all well casted.

Direction: Prashanth Neel, take a bow. KGF is simply stunning and one of the most beautifully shot movies to ever come out of India. The visuals in the movie are simply world class and on par with any big budget movie anywhere in the world. The story of the film is simple. It's about a young man's quest for power and his hunt and journey of achieving it. It seems routine and you need emotions for the story to connect. And Neel succeeds mightily in that. The mother sentiment os heart touching and goosebumps inducing stuff. Literally every scene in the movie is grandly shot and is goosebumps inducing. The whole visual style of the narrative is amazing and shows how talented he is. The villain intro in particular is another highlight scene in the movie. Overall, KGF proves that you can have an average story, but it's the execution and narrative story telling technique that matters at the end of the day and Prashanth Neel succeeds in that regard and is easily one of India's most exciting young directors.

Technicalities: As mentioned before KGF is just a stunning movie overall. Not only is the story told brilliantly, but the technical aspects are just another level. Music and BGM by Ravi Basrur is WORLD CLASS. The BGM is the lifeline of the movie and easily one of the best background scores in the history of world cinema. Each and every scene is complemented by the incredible score. Cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda is also WORLD CLASS. Literally each and every scene in the movie is an elevation scene. There are some 500+ elevations scenes in the movie and each and every frame is grand and goosebump inducing to the viewer. The look and feel of the movie gives this rustic and gritty feel to the movie with constant green and brown color palettes. This is some next level stuff from the cameraman and here's hoping that he gets many more huge projects in the future. Simply outstanding. Dialogues are good. The best one is there is no better guardian than a mother in the bread scene. Goosebumps scene. Production Design is outstanding. The KGF set is incredible and the attention to detail needs to be commended. Costumes and Styling are very good. All the other technical departments are excellent. Production Values by Hombale Films are Mesmeric. It's amazing to see such a quality film with world class visuals coming from the Kannada film industry and here's hoping that they keep making bigger and better films for years to come.

Positives: 

+ Yash

+ Background Score 

+ Direction

+ Cinematography

+ Grand Visual Narrative and Scale 

Negatives: 

- Too Many Bearded Villains 

- Overdose of Elevations

Analysis and Final Take: KGF was hyped since day 1 with these trailers that gave us this epic feel and grand visuals. The movie wasn't expected to make any headlines outside of Karnataka. But the result is another Indian film that we can all be proud of. Simply put, KGF is a scintillating film. Not only is the story told well, but it's well made film in all components.

The first starts off in stunning fashion with a flashback. Yash's introduction scene is amazing and then Salaam Rocky Bhai is goosebumps inducing stuff. The first half is very good. The real story really starts at the interval when Rocky enters KGF and the emotions are excellent during this period and carry the film. The climax is outstanding with one particular scene involving Garuda in a pool. The shot there is simply iconic. The film ends with a bang and makes you restless for the 2nd part very similar to Baahubali.

However, this film does have its flaws. There are way too many villains and people in this movie needs a shave ASAP. Every single villain has a damn beard and there are too many villains and too many names thrown around and it's hard to pay attention to who is who. Also despite the background score and cinematography being world class, there are way too elevation scenes which eventually get boring and tiresome to some viewers. The right amount of elevations in doses is fine, but constant ones do tend to leave you exhausted.

Nevertheless, due it's grand scale and solid direction, KGF is a solid movie in the end.

Overall, KGF is a majestic action thriller from Prashanth Neel and Yash. The story, emotions, world class background score and cinematography make KGF a scintillating viewing experience for anybody. Definitely worth a watch for the moves South India is making as a whole. Massive steps towards huge respect from the entire country.