'Needi Naadi Oke Katha', starring Sri Vishnu, Devi Prasad and Satna Titus, hit the screens this Friday. Here is our review.
Story:
Sagar (Sree Vishnu) is good-for-nothing when it comes to formal education. His father (Devi Prasad), a school teacher, commands so much respect in his circle. So, his son's incompetence bothers him a lot. Sagar's repeated failures in obtaining graduation is a blot on his image.
In search of motivation, the youngster befriends Dharmika (Satna Titus), a well-read girl.
However, the quest to turn a new leaf doesn't work for Sagar. He is frustrated. Education is not his cup of tea. This is when he realizes life is not as hard as it seems. But his father's obstinacy sticks like a sore thumb.
Analysis:
'NNOK' is essentially character-driven. It's Sagar's biopic. His fall and fall and fall needs to watched to be believed. Writer-director Venu Udugula comes up with a fairly tight idea.
The character study is good enough. Although many scenes are rather simplistic, some elements do leave an impact. For example, how seemingly trivial incidents permanently affect the psychology of a child is shown with sensitivity. The film may well hold some key lessons in parenting.
Dharmika turns out to be faking her intelligence and it's fun to watch. Her own backstory is another lesson in parenting. It's here that the title actually finds a justification.
Many in our society think that reading a motivational book is equal to becoming successful. The film calls out the tendency and that's good.
The father-son equations take an unexpected turn in the second half. In terms of writing, this is bang on.
Much of the film goes into convincing the audience that Sagar is incapable of any other emotion than wallowing in self-pity. We have seen a dimwit of this order in '7/G Brindavan Colony', whose hero had many shades. In contrast, Sagar is unidimensional. The director shouldn't have made him look like a pure-hearted dimwit child-man scene after scene.
Cliches abound. Everybody except the heroine is there to humiliate Sagar. Posani Krishna Murali, a motivational speaker, declares in a hall full of audiences that Sagar is fit for nothing. The overemphasis on his dullness is boundless and it starts to pester after a time.
The hero comes to believe that thinking positively and constructively is silly because it's being somebody else! He starts believing he is sincere because he is sincerely aimless. The one character who succeeds with grit and talent bites the dust. And, as if this is not enough, fatalism is glorified at this juncture in the film. A painter (Nara Rohit) is there to paint 9-to-5 jobs as dirty.
Sagar has a Rip Wan Winkle moment when he seeks to find out how everybody other than doctors, engineers and teachers are surviving. After talking to a mechanic, a pan wallah, and a hawker, he realizes that India's happiness index is remarkable. The heroine starts saying that her man is evolved because he doesn't want to become intelligent. She takes him to Ooty and our guy finds liberation in tourism. A dreamy world it is.
Sree Vishnu plays the dude in distress with confidence. He doesn't try to do what he is not capable of. The largely situational songs and comedy help him. Satna Titus proves to be the right choice. The 'Bicchagadu' heroine comes across as a genuine girl-next-door. Devi Prasad shines in the role of a frustrated father who swallows the pain and occasionally seethes with rage. The girl who is seen as Vishnu's sister is convincing. Posani has an extended cameo.
The classical touch to the songs and background music is interesting only to a certain extent. The Dogme95 technique is a mixed experience.
Verdict:
'NNOK' is what happens when you tell the biopic of a failure as defined by the society. While the writing shows flashes of talent, the film needn't have been a showreel of Sagar's misery compounded by insults. Good performances are a plus.
