"Kubera Movie Review: How a Beggar Took on India’s Richest Man"

Director Sekhar Kammula has a special image in Tollywood. His films are what earned him that distinct identity. After the 2021 release of Love Story featuring Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi, his latest directorial film Kubera hit the screens this Friday. This is also Sekhar Kammula’s first pan-India film. With senior actor Nagarjuna, along with Dhanush and Rashmika Mandanna playing key roles, the movie had huge expectations surrounding it. Coming to the story: the plot revolves around how the country's resources are looted by those in power in collaboration with industrialists. Though similar stories have come before, this movie focuses on how the richest man in the country uses beggars as proxies to funnel money to political leaders. The story takes a turn when one of these chosen beggars escapes, and how the director builds the narrative from there is quite impressive. In one line, the film is about how a beggar, without being seen, fights against the richest industrialist in the country. Dhanush, in the role of the beggar, delivers a powerhouse performance. From start to finish, he does complete justice to his role with various shades and emotions.

Through Nagarjuna’s role as a CBI officer, the director shows how difficult it is for an officer to remain honest in today’s system. An industrialist is ready to pay bribes worth ₹1 lakh crore to government officials just to acquire oil reserves that the government discovered after spending ₹10,000 crore. To complete this deal, they seek help from Nagarjuna, who was suspended as a CBI officer and is in jail. Jim Sarbh, who played the role of the industrialist, fits the character perfectly. As for the heroine Rashmika Mandanna’s role, it stands out as very different from her previous characters. The way she connects with Dhanush at a railway station, while attempting to elope with her lover, is also quite unique. As both a writer and director, Sekhar Kammula does full justice to the film. The dialogues at certain points are also impactful. Though the narrative style is unique, audiences may feel that the film slows down as it progresses. Still, with Kubera, which is a social and emotional drama, the director has scored another hit. The movie is produced by Suniel Narang and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao.