Naa Saami Ranga is a Telugu-language action drama film directed by Vijay Binni. It is based on the Malayalam film ‘Porinju Mariam Jose’ which is directed by Joshiy. The film has Nagarjuna, Allari Naresh & Ashika Ranganath in lead roles while Raj Tarun, Mirnaa Menon, Rukshar Dhillon, Shabeer Kallarakkal, Ravi Varma, Nassar, Rao Ramesh, Madhusudan Rao, Bharath Reddy, Harsha Vardhan, Mahesh Achanta, Kadamabari Kiran & others are seen playing important supporting characters. The music is composed by M. M. Keeravani and the film is produced by Srinivasa Chitturi under Srinivasa Silver Screen & Annapurna Studios banners.
Story:
Set in the 1980s, Kishtaiah (Nagarjuna) & Anji (Allari Naresh) are orphans who become best friends in the village. Kishtaiah is a loyal person to the village head (Nassar) who has taken care of him since childhood. One day, Vaaralu (Ashika Ranganath) is proposed for marriage with the village head’s younger son (Shabeer Kallarakkal) but the families get to know that she is in love with Kishtaiah. On the other hand, there are a few problems with the village festival from the adjacent village people. How does Kishtaiah solve the village problems and win back his love forms the rest of the plot.
What about on-screen performances?
Nagarjuna is back to his strong zone of festive entertainers with a bit of comedy, romance, and action that has been working for him in the past few years. He does a commendable job as Kishtaiah. His screen presence is amazing and he packs a punch in the action scenes.
Allari Naresh also gives out an excellent performance as Anji. It is good to see him back in a comedy role and he as usual nails it with his timing. He is equally good in the emotional sequences in the second half.
Ashika Ranganath looks gorgeous in both her looks as Varaalu and she does a superb job in both of them. Her screen presence is extraordinary and her chemistry with Nagarjuna surprisingly worked out well on screen. The love track between Nag & Ashika is one of the biggest highlights of the film.
Raj Tarun, Mirnaa Menon & Rukshar Dhillon are pretty decent in their respective supporting roles.
Shabeer Kallarakkal does well as the film’s main villain, but his scenes are very cliched that needed better writing.
Nassar & Rao Ramesh perform ably and do what is expected out of them.
Ravi Varma, Madhusudan Rao, Bharath Reddy, Harsha Vardhan, Mahesh Achanta, Kadamabari Kiran & others are okay in their limited supporting roles.
What about off-screen talents?
The movie’s story (original) written by Joshiy lacks novelty and has nothing new to offer. It’s the same old wine in the same old bottle with friendship, unfinished love, and a small problem. The conflict points in the film are weak, especially Rao Ramesh’s conflict in the love story looks silly.
The screenplay by Vijay Binni too is not up to the mark. It follows the traditional template most of the time and there is nothing much to look forward to. Except for having a convincing love track and a few good comedy scenes, the rest of the part is highly predictable and routine.
The dialogues by Prasanna Kumar Bezawada are very ordinary. The film needed much more better witty lines and more powerful dialogues.
Director Vijay Binni who is a Choreographer before does an amazing job with his debut film. He presents the film in a rich manner and makes sure he satisfies Nagarjuna’s fans with good elevations and decent romantic portions. The recreation of the Chain scene adds excitement to the festival-like climax action episode.
The background score by MM.Keeravaani is one of the biggest strengths of the film. His score surely lifts the film to another level. His songs neatly complement the narrative but a few songs are completely unwanted, especially in the second half. Inka Inka & Etthukelli Povaalanipisthunde are the best songs of the album.
The cinematography by Shivendra Dasaradhi is top-notch. He captures the village atmosphere and the festive vibe perfectly.
The edit by Chota K Prasad is fine. The film is crisp and has a decent run time.
The production values by Srinivasa Silver Screen & Annapurna Studios are good.
What’s Hot?
* Nagarjuna’s Performance
* Allari Naresh’s Performance
* Ashika Ranganath’s Performance
* Interval & Climax Fights
* Decent Romantic Portions
* Neat Background Score
* Cinematography & Production Values
What’s Not?
* Lacks Novelty In The Plot
* Silly Conflict In Love Story
* Cliched Villain Scenes
* Few Unnecessary Songs
* Unconvincing Climax
Verdict: On the whole, Naa Saami Ranga is an average family entertainer that lacks freshness in its plot and ends on a bizarre note. But the blend of comedy, romance & action with the festive atmosphere in the film might work well with the families in this particular holiday season.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.5/5