‘The Devil’ movie review: Machismo on the rampage in Darshan potboiler

When Godard said, ‘All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun’, little did he know that six decades later, someone would take him too literally! Murder-accused Darshan’s ’The Devil’ shows him in a violent avatar, putting girls through hellish abuse and killing people without a second thought.

The only saving grace is that the actor plays a double role — a good Krishna, an aspiring actor. The evil Darshan is Dhanush Rajshekhar aka The Devil, spoilt child of a corrupt chief minister.

After being outsmarted by his nephews, chief minister Rajshekar (played by Mahesh Manjrekar) is convicted of corruption. Desperate to keep his political legacy alive, he wants his son, Dhanush, back from London. When his assistant, Anant Nambiar (Achyuth Kumar), is unable to bring him back, he discovers Krishna — Dhanush’s lookalike — and convinces him to impersonate Dhanush, with the promise of a big film. The good-hearted Krishna ends up giving the party an outrageously fantastic campaign. But what happens when the real Dhanush comes back? The film soon turns into a Darshan vs Darshan and if you thought it was for the chief minister’s seat, you are wrong.

While Krishna’s characterisation is heartwarming in parts, it is melodramatic and outdated — Rana Daggubati did it 15 years ago in ‘Leader’. The problem lies in the titular character. It is one thing for an antagonist to be vile, but another for his actions to be glorified (and even justified). This leads to an excessive male gaze, with the shots panning from cleavage to thigh and revelling in rape and molestation. These sequences are downright nauseating. In what time warp is the director stuck in? Another question is how the CBFC give the film a U/A certificate. How is this appropriate for children?

Tharun Sudhir set the bar high for Darshan, who delivered a brilliant performance in ‘Kaatera’ (2023). There is nothing much to say about the jailed star’s performance in ‘The Devil’.

While Achyuth Kumar, as usual, is superb, Rachana Rai, who plays a damsel in distress, is only just bearable. It is Mahesh Manjrekar who does full justice to his role.

The music, cinematography, and production design offer little for a film mounted on a huge scale and led by a big star.