Anaganaga Oka Raju is a 2026 Telugu-language romantic comedy and village drama written and directed by Maari. The film has Naveen Polishetty & Meenakshi Chaudhary playing the lead roles, while Rao Ramesh, Chammak Chandra, Mahesh Achanta, Tarak Ponnappa, Bhadram, Pammi Sai, Goparaju Ramana, Ramana Bhargav, Revanth Bhimala, Kadambari Kiran, Madhusudhan Rao, Mukku Avinash, Jhansi, Santosh, Satya Sri & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by Mickey J Meyer while the film is produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi & Sai Soujanya under Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas banner.
Story:
Raju (Naveen Polishetty) comes from a once-rich family that loses its fortune due to his grandfather’s reckless ways. Eager to regain wealth, Raju sets his sights on marrying a rich girl and meets Charulatha (Meenakshi Chaudhary). Using his smart and sly tactics, he gets close to her and marries her, but his plans take an unexpected turn when he uncovers a shocking truth about Charulatha that changes everything. What is the truth? What are the consequences of it? Needs to be seen in the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Naveen Polishetty once again proves why he is among the most entertaining actors today, shouldering the film effortlessly from the start to the end. His impeccable comic timing, natural screen presence, and ease with both humour and emotions make him a constant delight to watch, keeping the narrative engaging throughout. He tries a bit with the dances, and his dance moves in the songs are impressive, too.
Meenakshi Chaudhary does a decent job as Charulatha. All her love scenes with Naveen in the first half work well, but her expressions in a few scenes felt too ordinary, and she needs to improve a lot with her comic timing.
Rao Ramesh is excellent in his part and does what is expected of him as the heroine’s father.
Chammak Chandra, Mahesh Achanta, Bhadram, & Santosh are good in their parts as the hero’s sidekicks.
Tarak Ponnappa is poorly cast as the main villain, and all his scenes are the weakest part of the film.
Revanth Bhimala brings in a few good laughs in a funny character.
Pammi Sai, Goparaju Ramana, Ramana Bhargav, Kadambari Kiran, Madhusudhan Rao, Mukku Avinash, Jhansi, Satya Sri & all others are fine in their limited supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story is a regular village drama with a simple plot line. The first half happens to be a romantic comedy between the lead pair, and the second half shifts into a political satire with the drama centred around the village elections. The setup and the proceedings are a bit similar and might remind us of Nani’s “Pilla Jamindar” too.
The screenplay is good in parts. Naveen Polishetty’s involvement in the writing is clearly evident throughout the film, as the humour feels organic and well-timed in his typical style. Several gags land effectively, elevating the screenplay and showcasing his strong command over situational comedy and character-driven writing.
However, the emotional stretch towards the end fails to leave an impact and could have been written better. Also, the character of Tarak Ponnappa looked pretty weak & Meenakshi Chaudhary’s role in the second half needed a stronger motivation.
Director Maari does a neat job with his presentation. He packs the film with non-stop fun sequences, and the majority of them land well. Had he handled the emotional sequences towards the end in a more effective manner, this would’ve been an even better film.
The dialogues are very well written. All the funny one-liners are witty and will bring in decent laughs in the theatres.
The songs by Mickey J Meyer go with the mood of the film. Raju Gaari Pelli & Bhimavaram Balma Songs are foot-tapping numbers, but the item number felt middling. Mickey’s background score lifts the film in all crucial portions.
The cinematography by J. Yuvraj is striking. The rural atmosphere is captured neatly, while the marriage portions are shot wonderfully.
The edit by Vamsi Atluri is good. It is crisp in the first half, while the second half feels a bit dragged, especially towards the climax.
The artwork by Gandhi Nadikudikar is decent, and the costumes by Mouna Gummadi are aesthetic.
The dance choreography for all the songs is well done, and the lyrics complement the songs.
The production values by Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas are good.
What’s Hot?
* Naveen Polishetty’s Performance & Comedy Timing
* Hilarious Comedy Gags At Regular Intervals
* Very Well Written Witty One-Liners
* Entertaining First Half & Good Interval Bang
* Cinematography & Production Values
* Raju Gaari Pelli & Bhimavaram Balma Songs
* Good Background Score
What’s Not?
* Predictable Plot & Regular Story
* Emotions At The End & Flat Climax
* Unnecesary Item Number & Fight
* Tarak Ponnappa’s Boring Portions
Verdict: Overall, Anaganaga Oka Raju is another full feldged comedy entertainer in the typical Naveen Polishetty style that is filled with witty one-liners and funny gags. The romantic portions with the interval twist in the first half and the political satires in the latter half work big time, but the climax portions do not land as intended. With Naveen in full form, this is a film is a complete festive watch!!
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5