There’s not one actorly or directorly moment — there’s not one human moment. There is, however, plenty of unintentional comedy.
Spoilers ahead…
You can read the full review on Film Companion, here: https://www.filmcompanion.in/kurukshetra-movie-review-darshan-naganna-3d/
Whatever the other achievements of Munirathna Kurukshetra, directed by Naganna, it’s probably the world’s first film to have its producer’s name in its title. The story is based on the 10th-century Kannada poet Ranna’s interpretation of the epic, titled Gadayuddha. But Ranna’s Kurukshetra or even Vyasa’s Kurukshetra would suggest that the point of this production is fidelity to the source material. The point of this production is basically to tell Baahubali: “Mine is bigger than yours.” The opening scene shows Duryodhana (Darshan) leave his palace and walk to a throne in an arena where feats of valour are about to take place. His golden mace is huge. His golden crown is huge. His cape is huge. It makes the climax-scene sari that trailed behind Aishwarya Rai in Devdas look like a handkerchief. In other words, the budget is huge. Now you see the point of the title?
Continued at the link above.
Copyright ©2019 Film Companion.
Baradwaj Rangan 
jewelsofsayuri
August 21, 2019
Here is my reaction after watching the trailer – “Enna Koduma sir idhu?” Money can never become a substitute for talent.
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Vikram
August 21, 2019
When I first saw the trailer of Kurukshetra, it looked terrible. No actor in Kannada industry today can play larger-than-life characters in films based on Puranas. It seems as if the genre died with Rajkumar’s absence and his subsequent death. I am surprised that the producer signed up a paunchy, out-of-shape Ravichandran as Krishna. Terrible casting. This song is from Rajkumar’s Babruvahana, where he played both Arjuna and Babruvahana. The set design looks dated, but I can bet that none of the Kannada actors can match this intensity!
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Vikram
August 21, 2019
Sorry, missed the link in the previous comment:
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Shankar
August 21, 2019
As I finished reading through this review…the only thought that came to my mind was…if words alone made reviews, why is there only one Baradwaj Rangan? 🙂
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Isai
August 21, 2019
“Baahubali was about storytelling. The budget was just icing. If money alone made movies, why is there only one SS Rajamouli?”
Shouldn’t Vijayendra Prasad’s name be here instead of Rajamouli? It is his story and he is again acknowledged as the primary contributor for the screenplay. I think most people flocked to see the 2nd part MAINLY to know why kattappa killed baahubali. Even Rajini recently spoke about how no one seemed to know the story writers of Baasha, Annamalai etc. It is sad to see writers not being acknowledged even for extraordinary writing successes like Baahubali.
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Honest Raj
August 21, 2019
When the email notification popped up on my phone I, for a moment, wondered if the film is a sequel to Muthina Kathirika.
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Ravi K
August 22, 2019
I haven’t seen this yet, and probably won’t see it, but just judging from the trailer it seems to completely ape the Bahubali aesthetic, from the colour scheme to the set design to the way the battles scenes have been staged. That’s how I felt watching the trailers for “Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy” and “Manikarnika” as well, though in the latter case it also had a dash of SLB thrown for good measure.
It’s as if the filmmakers thought, “People liked Bahubali, so they’ll like this thing that looks a lot like it.” The takeaway from Bahubali shouldn’t have been “audiences like historical-ish mythology with tons of CGI and over-the-top battles burnished in amber hues.” It should have been “we should combine solid character/ storytelling foundations with genuine grandeur and spectacle.”
I don’t know if applying this aesthetic to historical or Hindu religious stories makes sense. One of the reasons Bahubali was so appealing was that it tapped into imagery and archetypes from Hindu mythology and masala films without being a direct adaptation of specific stories. It felt fresh, but it was rooted in the familiar.
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sorenkierky
August 22, 2019
LOL, trailer looked horrendous. Your review is the only silver lining in the existence of.. this (I guess).
Slightly off-topic – just watched the trailer of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. I mean, aside from the general cringe – the recent historical revisionism to make bland, uninteresting cinema really gets on my nerves. The trailer and the actor(s?) harp on about how Reddy is a ‘forgotten hero’ – while he’s anything but. A feudalist who clearly had class interests in the fight is no ‘hero’ in any sense. I mean, you could make compelling cinema with that though, but oh no – it’s the same chest thumping, feudal glorifying, historical revisionism again.
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Srinivas R
August 22, 2019
“it’s the same chest thumping, feudal glorifying, historical revisionism again.”- sign of the times we live in. Lot of people are making a living out of glorifying our complicated history in SM, so this is expected. When Bahubali was a success, lot of social media handles hailed it as a sign of Hindu revival. So film industry is trying to make a profit out of it.
I fully expect all southern industries to discover forgotten heroes of their region. Hopefully someone will make a good movie out of velu nachiyar or marudhu brothers.
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Honest Raj
August 22, 2019
Shouldn’t Vijayendra Prasad’s name be here instead of Rajamouli? It is his story and he is again acknowledged as the primary contributor for the screenplay.
‘Storytelling’ is more than writing a screenplay. The real star in Baahubali is the storyteller in Rajamouli.
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brangan
August 22, 2019
Got this comment on Whatsapp:
Read your review of Kurukshetra. The film makers have falsely attributed the source to 10 Century Kannada Mahabharata epic Gadhayudha of Ranna. There’s absolutely no link to the epic poem.
The entire film is an uncredited wilted down pale remake of 1977 NTR film Dana Veera Shoora Karna. Not just the screenplay, several dialogues are literal translations or in some cases with only minor variations, at least in the Kannada version.
There are only 2 sequences that are not there in DVS Karna – the Gandhara – Shakuni sequence and the conversation between Bheeshma and Abhimanyu.
The Gandhara-Shankuni sequence is direct lift from 1966 NTR starrer Shri Krishna Pandaveeyam, shot by shot, remake.
The Bheeshma Abhimanyu sequence is the only original sequence as it’s more about H D Kumaraswamy than anyone else! Nikhil who plays Abhimanyu is Kumaraswamy’s son and the film was shot when he was CM. So the scene is dedicated to praise him. Ironically, by the time the film released HDK was pulled down as CM and the film producer Muniratna was one of those responsible for it!
But one needs to appreciate the ‘guts’ of Munirathna to spoil a veritable NTR classic and release it in Telugu again.
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shaviswa
August 22, 2019
I am now scared about Ponniyin Selvan. Hope Mani Ratnam knows what he is doing!! :O
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Vikram
August 22, 2019
Rangan, the WhatsApp comment is 100% true. The director is a hack who has directed remakes for most part of his career. The producer Muniratna is an MLA from RR Nagar, the same constituency where the 2018 assembly poll was cancelled due to electoral malpractices. The fact that it’s a bad remake of an old Telugu has been highlighted by Kannada movie reviewers!
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Isai
August 22, 2019
‘Storytelling’ is more than writing a screenplay. The real star in Baahubali is the storyteller in Rajamouli.
My knowledge about this is very limited, so kindly correct me if I am wrong. My understanding is that apart from Story and Screenplay, storytelling includes camera angles, overall mise-en-scene, dialogues and editing. Now even if we ignore the fact that there were reputed specialists working on these other elements and attribute it entirely to Rajamouli, I still feel that the story and the screenplay easily outweigh these other elements in this movie.
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MANK
August 22, 2019
The entire film is an uncredited wilted down pale remake of 1977 NTR film Dana Veera Shoora Karna. Not just the screenplay, several dialogues are literal translations or in some cases with only minor variations, at least in the Kannada version.
That’s what i felt too , when i saw the trailer.
DVSK is one of my favorite films and just love NTR in his three roles. His Suyodhana was electrifying
I am now scared about Ponniyin Selvan. Hope Mani Ratnam knows what he is doing
shaviswa, i dont think Mani Rathnam knows what he is doing these days, going by his recent films. I wish he was able to make the film in 2007-08 period, when he was planning to make it with Vikram, Vijay and Mahesh Babu, but that unfortunately fell apart. With his utter disdain for narrative cohesion and character development these days, i have a terrible feeling that Ponniyin Selvan is going to be his Heaven’s Gate, the film that’s going to end his career. Though,I would be very happy if he proves me wrong.
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shaviswa
August 22, 2019
@MANK I have the same worry. And judging by how he is putting together a star studded cast, I suspect if he believes the stars (and the audience’s love for the story) will make it a hit.
Ponniyin Selvan is all about the characters. If you mess with that, the film will be doomed. Going by reports, Aishwarya Rai as Nandini is not giving me the right vibes.
In the story, Nandini is a young girl (same age group as an unmarried Aditha Karikalan who is probably in his mid 20s) who is married to a very elder Pazhuvettaraiyar. In which world will Aishwarya fit into this role?
Ponniyin Selvan needs youngsters in the key roles. If you cast Vikram as Aditha Karikalan, Aishwarya Rai as Nandini and other characters per what we hear, they can title the film as Ponniyin Kizhavan instead.
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sanjana
August 22, 2019
Well. The review tempts me to watch the film and enjoy it as a spoof!
I read another review on First Post.
https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/kurukshetra-movie-review-the-mahabharta-is-told-more-with-more-focus-on-flesh-than-the-spirit-7139721.html
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Honest Raj
August 22, 2019
My understanding is that apart from Story and Screenplay, storytelling includes camera angles, overall mise-en-scene, dialogues and editing.
… treatment, aesthetic, extracting performances from actors, et al., Simply put, bringing life to the script and presenting it in a way which makes it a visual experience for the audience.
I still feel that the story and the screenplay easily outweigh these other elements in this movie.
That’s okay. In the case of Baahubali, there’s hardly anything interesting about the film in terms of story/screenplay—at least to me. It’s the plain old Raja-Rani tale that Telugu cinema has churned out over the past 80 years. The ‘experience’ is what made the movie a big hit.
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Eswar
August 23, 2019
I fully expect all southern industries to discover forgotten heroes of their region. Hopefully someone will make a good movie out of velu nachiyar or marudhu brothers.
Ending up in people micro-analysing their history and probably realising that these Heroes are not what they are perceived 🙂. History is more often appropriated. If Kattabommu’s life is made into a movie today, he may not be as appreciated as Kattabomman, the Shivaji.
@Shaviswa: I thought Vikram would be the Ponniyin Selvan.
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Anu
August 23, 2019
Why in the world is Darshan called challenging star? What is with monikers that do not make any sense.
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Vikram
August 23, 2019
@Anu, there’s no logic in these titles. We have “Roaring Star”, “Rising Star”, “Action Prince”, “Golden Star”, “Power Star” and many such absurd titles. Sometimes, fans bestow these titles, and at times, actors themselves proclaim it. Darshan’s title “Challenging Star” is a ridiculous one considering all his roles have been the same.
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vogon
August 23, 2019
“Darshan’s title “Challenging Star” is a ridiculous one considering all his roles have been the same.”
So it should’ve been Challenged Star.
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shaviswa
August 23, 2019
@Eswar As far as I have seen reports on the film, he is slated to play Aditha Karikalan. Jayam Ravi may play Ponniyin Selvan (yuck!) and Karthi as Vandiyathevan.
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chvs Chaitanya
August 24, 2019
Its funny when some one say that ‘manirathnam does not know what he is doing’!, he has been getting these type of comments from ‘DIL SE’ times for every film. I have been listening to the same comments which sound similar to- “Mani lost it, it is better he stop making movies, bla bla bla”. People write them off for whatever little/small/big/major flaws they found in his films.
Filmmakers whose career span decades and yet stand on top face Criticisms which are funny and Hard. I say it funny because people expect the past magic to repeat! While the director want to let it go, start afresh.
I do know that he reborns with every film he makes, rewrites his career every now and then… Creating beautiful KANMANIs, complex KATRU VELIYIDAIs, Action packed CCVs and making a generation of 2018 to wait for FDFS.
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hattorihanzo4784
August 24, 2019
A great Kannada novelist, S.L.Bhyrappa has written a book named “Parva”, which is presented as a series of conversations or contemplations of the major characters in the Mahabharata. It is as deep in understanding the motivations of the characters from the great epic as “yuganta”, which infact is a small booklet compared to this dictionary sized book by bhyrappa.
The English translation of Parva is available on Amazon from time to time and I would recommend it for anyone looking for an in-depth discussion on Mahabharata to buy it.
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Rahul
August 25, 2019
@hattorihanzo478
Its available to read for free on the archive.org as well.
https://archive.org/details/bhyrappaparva/page/n12
Thank you for the tip, looks rather interesting.
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Vivek
August 26, 2019
Clearly, @chvs Chaitanya is not from the generation that followed Mani Ratnam from Mounga Ragam to Iruvar days… 🙂 (how one yearns for some of that magic…)
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Isai
August 30, 2019
@honestraj “The ‘experience’ is what made the movie a big hit.”
When I read this, I thought you are right, after all Baahubali is not very different from Mahabharata or other Raja-rani stories. But seeing Saaho’s reviews today, I realise that script is the backbone that is essential for creating this ‘experience’ without which the other elements of storytelling, irrespective of how good they are, would be as pointless as a castrated hulk. These other elements may elevate a ‘good’ movie to a ‘great’ theater experience, but a solid script is essential for creating this ‘good’ movie in the first place. Hence I still feel that screenwriting should be considered as the pivotal element of good storytelling.
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Satya
February 1, 2021
….. it narrates the story of the Pandavas and Kauravas through Duryodhana’s point of view. But if the film is to be believed, the epic is essentially a bromance…. Wikipedia credits an actor in the role of Bhanumathi, Duryodhana’s wife, but I swear I couldn’t find her on screen. I suspect she wanted no part of this Brokeback Mahabharata….
God… that Brokeback reference! How did I miss that first! I personally find the film lying in a little grey area between “just skip it” and “it’s so bad, it’s fun”. Agree with the Draupadi’s scene being unintentionally funny and Sonu Sood’s casting, but I can make peace with the latter. He was cast better than Ravichandran, the last dude I would expect playing Krishna. To borrow your words BR, it is not about Ravichandran as an actor. It is about Ravichandran as Krishna in this particular film.
Speaking of Krishna (or how the film runs), I wished they borrowed a bit of the spirit Karnan or Daana Veera Soora Karna possessed (because the screenplay is more or less the same here). Take the scene where Duryodhana goes to see Karna’s corpse. The background is a painted image, resembling the older period dramas, and the way it pans out was so 70’s. If they could have embraced that wholeheartedly and attempted to be honest, I think such moments would have come out more humanly.
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