What’s it about?
Anji (Allari Naresh) and Kistaiah (Nagarjuna), childhood friends, live together like brothers in the village of Jaganna Thota in 1988. Their childhood buddy Varaalu (Ashika Ranganath), who recently returned from Madras after finishing her studies, is in love with Kistaiah.
But Varaalu’s father (Rao Ramesh) wants to marry off her to the son of the village president Peddayya (Nasser). Varaalu’s effort to flee her home and live with Kistaiah prompts Varaalu’s father to commit suicide since he is strongly opposed to his daughter marrying someone of low social status like Kistaiah. Consequently, Varaalu lives in solitude as she did not marry her beloved.
Dasu, the son of Peddayya, with whom Varaalu’s marriage proposal was being considered, behaves inappropriately with Varaalu when she is alone in her house. Anji, in response, beats Dasu, leading Dasu to vow to seek retribution. This incident alters everything, including the occurrence of a tragic incident. But will Varaalu and Kistaiah marry or remain single? That is the rest of the drama.
Analysis
Following the failures of action thrillers “Ghost” and “Wild Dog”, Nagarjuna Akkineni came to the realization that he can only regain his form with a film that is suitable for a festive atmosphere. Consequently, he opted for the storyline of a Malayalam masala entertainer “Porinju Mariam Jose” (2019) and instructed the writers to modify it for Telugu. Writer Bezawada Prasanna Kumar and new director Vijay Binni have made sufficient modifications to align with Nagarjuna’s image.
Frankly speaking, the Malayalam version is not a remarkable film. It is a conventional masala film featuring notable performances. The story of “Naa Saami Ranga” evokes a sense of familiarity. The central focus of the storyline in both the Malayalam and Telugu adaptations revolves around the friendship of the three primary characters. Among these three friends, a romantic relationship exists between two individuals and their plans for matrimony were thwarted by a certain incident. But the film is packaged in such a way that it gives an impression of having a meaty story and multiple timeframes.
It takes a while for the film getting to its point. The beginning portions are quite cliched and boring.
The film has a rural backdrop and a period plot (1980s), and the narration never feels modern. The comedy and romance are both cliched. We feel that neither the writer nor the director has done enough to make the film look afresh.
Still the film manages to hold our attention due to its theme. The well-designed penultimate sections and climax scenes contribute to the overall impression. The character and the sequences related to Allari Naresh in the second half of the film have worked well. There are also couple of decent entertaining episodes. Thus, this film manages to give an okay feel in the end.
This type of roles is a breeze for Nagarjuna, and he does it again. He pulls the role off effortlessly. Ashika Ranganath’s matured appearance of her character is not particularly successful, yet her sequences in the first half are charming. She looks stunning in the initial passages.
Allari Naresh is given a big role and shines in it. He is the main strength to the film. Raj Tarun’s character hardly matters in this whole setup.
The music of MM Keeravaani is adequate. Overall, the production values are impressive.
Bottom line: Based on a Malayalam film, “Naa Saami Ranga” is created for this festive season. The film will appeal to Nagarjuna’s fans and those looking for festival-related family movies this season, but it provides the sense of dejavu to the regular audiences.
Rating: 2.75/5
Film: Naa Saami Ranga
Cast: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Ashika Ranganath, Allari Naresh, Raj Tarun, Mirnaa Menon, Rukshar Dhillon, Shabeer Kallarakkal,and others
Dialogue: Prasanna Kumar Bezawada
Music: MM Keeravani
DOP: Shivendra Dasaradhi
Editing: Chota K Prasad
Art: DY Satyanarayana
Stunts: Ram Laxman, Venkat, Prudhvi
Producers: Srinivasaa Chitturi
Presents: Pavan Kumar
Screenplay-Direction: Vijay Binni
Release Date: Jan 14, 2024
