Till the violence in Prabhas-Prithviraj-starrer is comic-book and Games Of Thrones-type stylised, you can find a way to rationalise it; the trouble ratchets up when it becomes more real.

With nested flashbacks overflowing with exposition, it has lengthy stretches that can feel like a chore. However, each extraneous segment eventually converges in some of the most exhilarating and cathartic on-screen violence Indian cinema has to offer.

Neel’s become a more polished filmmaker since “Ugramm,” and has used what he’s learned to dig his heels deeper into a style that he’s clearly been thinking about for a while now.

Even Thelma Schoonmaker, the legendary editor who could turn a bureaucrat’s farewell speech into a monologue worthy of Winston Churchill, would concede defeat after one glance at Salaar.