Kingdom (2025) Movie ft. Venkitesh, Vijay, and Satyadev
Vijay Deverakonda returns to screens with Kingdom, his first collaboration with Jersey filmmaker Gowtham Tinnanuri since 2019. The movie brings together Satyadev and newcomer Bhagyashri Borse in key roles under the Sithara Entertainments banner.
This spy thriller puts Deverakonda in the shoes of an undercover cop sent to Sri Lanka on a dangerous mission. The twist? His target turns out to be his own brother, setting up a classic family-versus-duty conflict that drives the story forward.
Story That Promises More Than It Delivers
The plot follows familiar spy movie beats but adds a personal touch through the sibling rivalry angle. Kingdom wants to be both an action spectacle and an emotional drama, tackling issues like fishermen’s struggles along the way.
Unfortunately, the film bites off more than it can chew. The story jumps around too much, making it hard to connect with any single element properly.
I noticed the movie tries to pack in too many themes without giving each one the attention it deserves. The result feels scattered and lacks the focused storytelling that made Jersey so effective.
Performances That Mostly Work
Deverakonda puts in solid work here, showing more restraint than in his recent outings. His portrayal of the conflicted agent feels genuine, especially when dealing with family tensions.
Bhagyashri Borse makes a decent debut, though her character doesn’t get much room to shine. She handles her scenes well but the role itself feels underwritten.
Satyadev brings his usual reliability to the supporting cast. The actor knows how to make even smaller roles memorable, and he does that here too.
The rest of the cast does their job without standing out much. Some of the antagonist roles could have used stronger performances to match the film’s ambitions.
Visual Treats Save the Day
Where Kingdom truly excels is in its technical presentation. The cinematography captures both the action sequences and Sri Lankan locations beautifully.
Every frame feels carefully crafted, giving the movie a polished international thriller look. The production team clearly spent considerable effort on getting the visuals right.
Action scenes are choreographed well and shot with flair. Even when the story falters, the visual appeal keeps you engaged with what’s happening on screen.
Direction Struggles With Scope
Gowtham Tinnanuri showed incredible skill with character-driven storytelling in Jersey. Here, he seems less comfortable handling the broader canvas of a spy thriller.
The director’s strength lies in intimate, emotional moments. When Kingdom focuses on personal conflicts, it works better than during the larger action set pieces.
I felt the film needed tighter editing and clearer focus on what story it wanted to tell. The multiple plot threads don’t merge as smoothly as they should.
Mixed Bag of Elements
What Works Well:
- Deverakonda’s measured performance
- Stunning cinematography throughout
- High-quality production values
- Some effective action sequences
Where It Falls Short:
- Pacing issues hurt the flow
- Emotional beats don’t land properly
- Supporting characters feel underdeveloped
- Story structure lacks clarity
Critics and Audiences Divided
Reviews have been all over the place for Kingdom. Some critics gave it very low ratings, while others praised it highly, showing how divisive the film has become.
Audience reactions mirror this split. Deverakonda fans seem more willing to overlook the flaws, while general moviegoers appear less forgiving of the storytelling issues.
The film hasn’t achieved the unanimous praise that Jersey received, suggesting that this genre shift hasn’t been entirely successful for the director-actor duo.
Most reviews agree that while the movie looks great and has good performances, it doesn’t quite come together as a complete package.
Final Take
Kingdom feels like a missed opportunity rather than a complete failure. The ingredients for a great thriller are all there – good lead performance, excellent visuals, and interesting premise.
However, the execution doesn’t match the ambition. The film works as a showcase for technical filmmaking but falls short as an engaging story that connects with viewers emotionally.
For Deverakonda fans and action movie lovers, it offers enough entertainment value for a single watch. Just don’t expect the emotional depth that made this team’s previous collaboration so special.
Rating: 3/5
