Review: Naa Saami Ranga

Headline: This reimagined remake is just average

Story:

The tale commences in 1963 with the introduction of Kishtaiah, a young orphan. He finds solace in the embrace of Anji`s mother. Kishtaiah (played by Akkineni Nagarjuna) and Anji (portrayed by Allari Naresh) foster a close bond as they grow up together. Grateful for the rescue from poverty by Peddayya, the village head (played by Nassar), Kishtaiah pledges unwavering loyalty, eventually becoming Peddayya`s right-hand man. However, as destiny unfolds, and many years later, Peddayya`s son emerges as Kishtaiah`s maniacal adversary. 

Performances:

Nothing gives Nagarjuna the satisfaction of playing a colourful role in a rural entertainer. He zeroed in on this template with `Soggade Chinni Nayana`. The failure of his allegedly slick actioners like `Officer` and poorly rehashed `The Ghost` further convinced him to avoid some genres. `Naa Saami Ranga` happened because he couldn`t zero in on an original idea. The remake has been reimagined in such a way that Nag`s Kishtaiah holds his forte by being a conventional Telugu cinema hero.  

Allari Naresh, whose character has a predictable ending, is outshined by the surprisingly graceful Ashika Ranganath. This is the kind of film where the camera loves its women: Even Rukshar Dhillon looks better than she did in `Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam`. And Mirnaa Menon looks like a pakka Telugu bride in the wedding scene. Nassar makes no impact despite playing an important part. Rao Ramesh is routine and as dull as he was in the recent `Guntur Kaaram`. Mahesh Achanta and Shakalaka Shankar hardly evoke laughs.

Technical Departments:

1. Music (songs): MM Keeravani gives us a break from the Thaman-Bheems Ceciroleo-Sricharan Pakala domination.

2. Cinematography, Sound Design: Good enough.

3. Production Values: Not constrained by the budget.

4. Editing: Not bad.

Analysis:

This Sankranthi, two films have ostensibly tried to be unconventional: `HanuMan` was spot-on, but `Saindhav` missed the target. On the other hand, `Guntur Kaaram` and `Naa Saami Ranga` very well knew that they are not new-age attempts. Mahesh Babu`s film was made to offer family emotions for 30 minutes and mindless entertainment for the rest two hours of running time. It`s another matter that the film turned out to be something else. `Naa Saami Ranga`, too, doesn`t have any remarkable ambitions. It was intended to be a low-stakes drama with regular entertainment but with a touch of glamour. The film doesn`t get it right a lot of times. Yet, it doesn`t bore you to death.

It has a pretty outdated face-off between good and evil, the obstinacy of its elders is jaded, and even the Sankranthi festivities haven`t been shown well. A nuptial night is interrupted by Nag`s character in a routine manner. Sometimes, Allari Naresh`s character makes things too obvious. Yet, the film doesn`t hurt you especially if you have been made to suffer an avalanche of violence-heavy films in recent times.

Merits:

1. The treatment is appreciable.

2. The love track between Kishtaiah and Varaalu is fun to watch. It would have seemed cringey had it not been for the performances and measured dialogue-writing by Prasanna Kumar Bezawada.

3. The climax is where the three-fourths of the storyline unfolds. As such, this is not a story-based film. It is driven by the characters and their motives, their joys and chemistry.

4. No overlong episodes barring probably just one in the second half.

Demerits:

1. Dated situations leading to the fights.

2. The character of Nassar`s son is unremarkable and unimaginative.

3. Debutant director Vijay Binni doesn`t attempt a new-age spin.

Rating: 2.5/5