Salaar first impression: Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer is 'mass bonanza', say trade experts

Prabhas' highly-anticipated film Salaar has finally hit the theatres today, December 22. Helmed by Prashanth Neel, the film also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran and Shruti Haasan in pivotal roles. Just a few hours into the theatres, the film has already taken over the internet and garnered positive reviews from film critics and the audience. The most common ratings given by all the trade analysts are 3 stars out of five. Let's take a look at the first impression of the film.

Salaar is a mass bonanza: Sumit Kadel

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Sumit Kadel breaks down the whole film, lauding Prabhas and Prithviraj for their 'fantastic' performance in the film. He opens up his review by writing, "Salaar is a MASS BONANZA which has Prashanth Neel signature stamped all over it. The film starts slow but ends on a high note with a good interval block though the real game starts from second half when twists in the screenplay gets unfold."

He calls the last hour of the film "extraordinary" and adds, "It has some crazy elevation scenes which get an electrifying response in theatres [Sequence, where Prabhas saved a girl, is a goosebumps inducing stuff]." He also reviewed the climax of the film and said it "is the major highlight which paved the way for Salaar Part 2."

"Prabhas is presented on celluloid with the glory he deserves. His fantastic action blocks are a feast for his fans. Prithviraj is brilliant. BGM by Ravi Basrur is good but could’ve been more better. The cinematography & Mounting of the film is lavish. Overall, Salaar is a good watch which suffers due to a slow narrative but ends on a satisfactory note thanks to its last 45 minutes. On the box office front, it’ll prove to be a winner for @hombalefilms," he concluded.

Looks and feels like KGF: Ramesh Bala

Ramesh Bala gave 3.5 stars to the film and concluded his review by saying that the film was "mostly one man show - Prabhas". He said that Salaar was "not the best work of Prashanth Neel" but still its a "winner". "It's mostly a one-man show - #Prabhas. His screen presence and terrific action sequences elevate the movie. Looks and feels like #KGF @PrithviOfficial provides good support... Action choreographer #AnbarivNot the best work of Director #PrashanthNeel But still he has delivered a Winner!"

This is Prashanth Neel universe all the way: Joginder Tuteja

Joginder Tuteja calls the film "thunderous" and said the KGF franchise and Salaar belong to the "same setup". He lauded Prabhas and Prithviraj's performance and said Shruti Haasan was "just there". An excerpt from his review read, "You know the kind of cinema he makes with the KGF franchise and Salaar belongs to the same set-up. Violence violence violence - of course, there is a lot of that so you need the stomach to digest that. Prabhas does what’s expected out of him as it’s his towering personality that has been used to create a stunning impact. Prithviraj Sukumaran is an able performer and that shows again. Shruti Haasan is just there though. All in all, this one is a film which would appeal to those who like KGF kind of set-up."

While these are a few reviews from popular industry trackers, social media is filled with such reviews which are based more or less on the same lines.