Tamil film Mandaadi has opened to mixed talk, and it’s dubbed version may not have a big run at the Telugu box office. But the sea portions are being appreciated for their raw and realistic treatment. Many viewers feel the film actually puts the audience into the world of people whose lives depend on the sea.
That has immediately brought Devara back into the discussion. Social media users are once again trolling Koratala Siva over the way the sea was presented in NTR’s film.
While Mandaadi uses real sea locations and builds its world around the harsh life of coastal communities, Devara relied heavily on VFX and CGI for its ocean setting. Devara lacked the authenticity audiences expected from such a massive pan-India film based on sea people. Hence, the emotions of the characters in the film also felt plastic.
The difference is in how the filmmakers have treated the world. The effort put into creating that environment is also getting appreciation. Many feel only Tamil makers can bring such a real, raw, and rustic feel to their stories.
A massive budget and advanced VFX do not automatically make a world look convincing. Sometimes, shooting in the actual environment can give a film something that technology struggles to recreate.
Mandaadi has once again reminded viewers that sometimes authenticity leaves more impact than scale. And for many NTR fans, Mandaadi once again brings back the question: could Koratala have made Devara’s ocean world feel more real? Would that have given the film a better shelf life?
