Movie: Needi Naadi Oke Katha
Rating: N/A
Banner: Aran Media Works
Cast: Sree Vishnu, Satna Titus, Devi Prasad, Posani Krishna Murali, Nara Rohith and others
Music: Suresh Bobbili
Cinematography: Raj Thota & Parvez K
Editor: Bonthala Nageswara Reddy
Art: TN Prasad
Producer: Prashanthi and Krishna Vijay
Director: Venu Udugula
Release date: March 23
While majority of Telugu film-makers were stuck in the mould of regular commercial movie making, new and young directors are exploring different approaches of narration. Of late more and more of such attempts are being seen. "Needi Naadi Oke Katha" is the latest addition.
Directed by newcomer Venu Udugula, "Needi Naadi Oke Katha" deals with the relevant topic of parents putting pressure on their children to settle down in high-paying jobs, giving no space to them to explore their wishes or wants. This is an easily relatable issue that we see around us.
But the taking is raw, the director's approach is more artsy, the scenes he created have deeper meaning, which cannot be easily comprehended by a regular moviegoer.
Rudraraju Sagar (Sree Vishnu) is son of a middleclass father (played by director Devi Prasad). While his father is a teacher, he is poor in studies; he struggles to complete graduation as he keeps on failing in exams.
Knowing his limitations, Sagar tries to settle down as a mechanic or driver much to the chagrin of his father. Despite his attempts to clear exams to impress his father, he fails to succeed and this leaves much gap between them.
There is a famous scene in Kamal Haasan starrer "Akali Rajyam": J V Ramana Murthy reprimands his son Kamal Haasan saying poetry doesn't provide a living. Kamal's angst and Ramana Murthy's practical approach remind you of Sree Vishnu (son) and Devi Prasad's (father) characters in a way.
"Akali Rajyam" was more about unemployment in those times. Needless to say, "Needi Naadi Oke Katha" solely focuses on father and son's conflict over "settling in life".
The film is filled with realistic and touching emotions. The film is set in Chittoor and hero speaks in that yaasa (dialect) which adds the novelty element.
The film also speaks about other issues like how personality development teachers have become fraudsters.
It also talks about how people are putting on masks to live according to the expectations of the society. All these deeper meanings are tucked away in dialogues.
However, despite these positive aspects, the film also has a downside. It demands high patience from the viewer as it is paced slow (runtime is just two hours).
It also gets too brooding after a point. Many scenes are repeated to stress the same point again and again. There is also no reason why the hero acts more like a madman when confronting his father.
Of the performances, the film belongs to Sree Vishnu. He once again proves he is a good actor. He shows consistence with his good performance here. He is excellent in showing pain.
Director Devi Prasad who played the father’s role has come up with convincing act. Heroine Santa Titus is good.
Director has filmed the movie in a raw format. His scenes are set in middle-class house, small lanes and or on a compound wall of a lake. No glossy locations (except for a small Ooty episode) at all. It seems as if it were a deliberate attempt to keep it a raw movie. Still, cinematography catches the eye. The Ooty sequences were shot quite well. Music is the plus point as two songs are catchy.
No doubt that director Venu Udugula is another promising talent; he has shown his mark in all aspects. But his strength seems to be showcasing the emotions and extracting performances, which he pulled off quite well.
On the whole, "Needi Naadi Oke Katha" is a film that can only be liked by audiences who like raw and intense movies made with a simple storyline.
The film is slow and artsy but also deals with a relevant issue. This is a serious movie aimed at niche audience.
Bottom-line: Off-beat Story!