The action-thriller “Saaho” opens “far from India,” a voice intones, in an almost sci-fi city of gleaming, antiseptic skyscrapers. It could be Hudson Yards or Abu Dhabi (where some recognizable exteriors were shot), but it’s a fictional place called Waaji City, ruled by a mob of natty Indian gangsters, eager to restake a claim back home. Cut to Mumbai, where the Waaji City kingpin returns, only to be killed on his first drive through town.

“Saaho,” written and directed by Sujeeth , has a dense and confusing opening hour, with extended digressions and too many characters introduced by metaphorical (and in once case literal) cracks of lightning. This is storytelling that’s at once overblown and undercooked, with so many crosses and double crosses, maskings and unveilings, it’s easy to lose track of what or who’s worth paying attention to.

The glue meant to hold the whole thing together is the star, Prabhas, who plays the hero-turned-villain-turned-hero again. But the actor, who made his mark in Telugu cinema — “Saaho” is being released in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil versions — doesn’t display much range here. Though his character has more than one identity, he’s always the same know-it-all Mr. Cool.