Hi Nanna is a Telugu-language romantic family drama film written and directed by debutant Shouryuv. The film has Nani & Mrunal Thakur in lead roles while Baby Kiara Khanna, Jayaram, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Angad Bedi, Viraj Ashwin, Drishty Talwar, Ritika Nayak & others play important characters. The music is composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab and the film is produced by Mohan Cherukuri, Dr. Vijender Reddy Teegala & Murthy K. S. under Vyra Entertainments banner.
Story:
Viraj (Nani) is a single father who is taking care of his terminally ill 6-year-old daughter Mahi (Kiara Khanna). Viraj always narrates a bedtime story to Mahi involving all the characters in their lives apart from Mahi’s mother. One day when Mahi forces him to tell the story of her mother, Viraj narrates his love story. Who is Mahi’s mother and what is the complete story? How is Yashna (Mrunal Thakur), a friend of Mahi, involved in it? Needs to be seen in the film.
What about on-screen performances?
Nani is a proven actor and he once again shines in this film with his natural performance. Nani as Viraj wins the audience with his emotional act throughout the film and does well in the romantic portions as well.
Child artist Kiara Khanna steals the show with her portrayal of Mahi, Viraj’s daughter. She is too cute in a few scenes and has an arresting screen presence. She is also good in all her emotional scenes with Nani and there is no doubt to say that she did overshadow everybody in the movie.
Mrunal Thakur also gives out a memorable performance as Yashna. She looks gorgeous in the film and emotes beautifully in her meaty role. Her chemistry with Nani is good and both of them complement each other in the best way possible.
The actor who played the role of the heroine’s mom is the wrong choice for that particular role. The dubbing of her character is also not in sync.
Priyadarshi is pretty decent in his typical hero’s friend character.
Jayaram does a neat job in his key role.
Angad Bedi & Viraj Ashwin are not seen in strong roles.
Shruti Haasan comes in for a special party song and she is excellent with her dances in that song.
Nassar, Drishty Talwar, Ritika Nayak & others are fine in their respective limted roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Shouryuv is somewhat predictable and looks okay. It reminds us of Chiranjeevi’s ‘Daddy’ in a few places. The conflict points are not strong enough to complement the drama that happens in the plot. It moves at a slow pace which is the main drawback of the film.
The dialogues however are nicely written and give the film the much-needed emotional depth.
Director Shouryuv does a brilliant job with his presentation. He showcases the entire film in a classy and stylish manner but he failed to engage the audience with his slow narration. The slow-moving scenes add up as an insult to injury.
The music by Hesham Abdul Wahab is the biggest plus of the film. All the songs are soothing to hear and have great lyrical value. Samayama & Ammaadi are the best songs of the album. His background score too is impressive and is the soul of the film.
The cinematography by Sanu John Varghese is amazing. He captures the film in the right colours and good lighting with perfect framing.
The edit by Praveen Anthony should have been improved. There are too many dragged-out scenes/shots that could have been easily chopped off.
Special mention to the art work by Avinash Kolla. The Goa episodes and Nani’s house are well set up.
The production values by Vyra Entertainments are top-notch.
What’s Hot?
* Nani’s Performance
* Baby Kiara’s Performance
* Mrunal Thakur’s Performance
* Soulful Songs & Good Background Music
* Good Emotional Scenes
* Interval Twist & Climax Portions
* Cinematography
What’s Not?
* Slow Paced Narrative
* Weak Conflict Points
Verdict: Overall Hi Nanna is a slow paced emotional drama film that works in few parts. However, the good performances and decent emotions make it a worth watch film for the people who enjoy emotional movies on the big screens.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.5/5