Kuberaa (2025), this is an incomplete review

I had high hopes for Kuberaa with Nagarjuna and Dhanush together. Two brilliant actors in one film, what could go wrong? Well, quite a bit actually.

The story follows a wealthy businessman trying to exploit India’s ocean resources. He needs to pay massive bribes to the ruling party, so he ropes in a former CBI officer who’s been put behind bars for being too honest. This officer comes up with a scheme involving beggars and foreign shell companies to launder the money.

The concept isn’t terrible, but the execution felt flat. The first half moved at a snail’s pace with uninspiring screenplay. I found myself checking the time repeatedly, which is never a good sign. When the thought of sitting through another ninety minutes felt daunting, I decided to leave at the interval.

It pained me to see Nagarjuna, whom I’ve admired since Geethanjali (1989) days and absolutely loved in Ratchagan (1997), stuck with such an ordinary role. The man deserves better material. Dhanush, the actor of the century from South India, predictably, delivers as the beggar. He’s incapable of a bad performance, but even his talent couldn’t keep me glued to my seat.

Since I only watched half the film, it wouldn’t be fair to give it a mangoidiots rating. Maybe the second half redeems it completely, but I wasn’t willing to find out.