Movie: Naa Saami Ranga
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Srinivasaa Silver Screen
Cast: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Ashika Ranganath, Allari Naresh, Raj Tarun, Mirnaa Menon, Rukshar Dhillon, Rao Ramesh, Harshavardhan and others
Music: MM Keeravani
Dialogues: Prasanna Kumar Bezawada
DOP: Shivendra Dasaradhi
Editing: Chota K Prasad
Art: DY Satyanarayana
Producers: Srinivasaa Chitturi
Stunts: Ram Laxman, Venkat, Prudhvi
Presents: Pavan Kumar
Screenplay- Direction- Choreography: Vijay Binni
Release Date: Jan 14, 2024
Nagarjuna Akkineni has a strong sentiment tied to the festival of Sankranthi, attributing his consistent success in delivering hits around this time. As a result, he was particularly adamant about releasing the film "Naa Saami Ranga" today.
Has his Sankranthi sentiment proven effective? Let's find out.
Story:
The story takes place in a village during the year 1988. Kistaiah (Nagarjuna Akkineni) and Anji (Naresh) are friends who share a deep bond akin to that of brothers. They share a friendship with a girl named Varaalu (Ashika Ranganath). Kistaiah holds great admiration for Peddayya (Nasser), the president of the village, and regards him as a paternal figure.
Anji marries Manga (Mirnaa), while Kistaiah want to marry Varaalu, but faces opposition from Varaalu's father. Despite this, Varaalu attempts to elope with Kistaiah, resulting in her father's tragic demise.
Shocked by her father’s death, Varaalu evades matrimony with Kistaiah. Time elapses. Kistaiah and Anji rescue Baski (Raj Tarun) and his girlfriend (Rukshar), who are both young lovers. Baski also forms a friendship with them.
Due to many incidents, Peddayya's son Dasu (Shabbeer) harbors hostility towards Kistaiah and Anji. Dasu fatally eliminates one of these friends.
Will Kistaiah remain silent? Or take vengeance?
Artistes’ Performances:
Nagarjuna has portrayed a youthful character, much younger than his real age. Nagarjuna is at home in this rural setting. He adeptly manages the role.
Ashika Ranganath looks beautiful. She adeptly displays two shades of her role.
Allari Naresh steals the show as Nagarjuna's friend. He excels in his limited runtime.
Raj Tarun is just okay but the purpose of his character is not justified.
Shabber, the antagonist, asserts his presence but overacts in some scenes. Nasser does a conventional role.
Technical Excellence:
The music composed by MM Keeravani is a mixed bag. Although the background score is fitting, the songs are quite routine. They sync well with the rural theme, yet they don't qualify as hummable except "ettukellipovalanipistunde pilla".
The cinematography and production design are adequate. Dialogue writing is weak.
Highlights:
Festival vibe
Ashika Ranganath
Drawback:
Old-school narration
Boring Second Half
Lack Of Comedy sequences
Analysis
Nagarjuna Akkineni has a knack for coming up with rural stories that are appropriate for the Sankranthi festival mood. Recent examples include "Soggade Chinni Nayana" and "Bangarraju". In a similar vein, he acted in "Naa Saami Ranga," a film aimed largely at a festival audience.
The plot of the film is also centered around the Sankranthi festival and the Prabhala Teertham, a religious procession that takes place in Konaseema during the festival.
So, everything revolves around this Sankranthi season, from the story to the setting to the target audience. In this regard, "Naa Saami Ranga" passes muster despite the lack of anything exciting.
Based on a Malayalam film by Porinju Mariam Jose, "Naa Saami Ranga" concentrates primarily around three friends and how their lives are affected.
The Telugu version is more commercial, directed by newcomer Vijay Binni. It focuses on the romance between Nagarjuna and Ashika Ranganath.
Certain scenes in the first half are moderately entertaining, while the rest are boring.
Following the interval, the film is supposed to hold attention but fails due to seriousness in narration. Actually, the story's turning point occurs here. The emotional scenes work inadequately. In comparison to the first half, the new director has made it heavy in the second half. In addition, he and his writing team modified the climax of the Malayalam version to the tastes of the Telugu audiences which is okay. Thus, “Naa Saami Ranga” ends on a positive note that is suitable for the festive mood.
The film's major flaw is its use of cliches and old-school narrative techniques. Although the story takes place in the 1980s, the narration should not have been so dated. Comedy sequences should have been written better. The romance between Ashika and Nagarjuna is also quite old fashioned.
Despite this, "Naa Saami Ranga" is a just an okay for this festival season due to its overall packaging, when watched with no expectations. Overall, with the old-school narration and cliches, "Naa Saami Ranga" ends up as an insipid average treat. It's certainly not a wholesome festival entertainer.
Bottom line: Little Outdated Flavor