Film: Ninnu Kori
Cast: Nani, Nivetha Thomas, Aadhi Pinisetty, Murali Krishna, Pruthvi
Director: Shiva Nirvana
Rating:
A love story. That’s all Ninnu Kori is. But amid the clutter of cheesy romances, and forced love tracks in commercial potboilers, this one stands out for being a relatable story. It’s a story of falling in love and out of it; of acceptance and moving on. In a no-nonsense opening, it is revealed that Arun (Aadhi) and Pallavi (Nivetha) are married for a year and are living in the US. And Uma (Nani) her ex-lover, who turns alcoholic and self-destructive suddenly re-enters her life. The entire first half is dedicated to Pallavi and Uma’s flashback which is the usual humdrum of a boy saving the damsel in distress and winning her love. Pallavi is ready to give everything up for Uma while Uma wants to secure their future.
Succumbing to family pressure, she marries Arun.
Back to present, to pacify Uma who refuses to believe her when she says she’s happy with Arun, she invites him to stay with them for a few days. The challenge being, Uma has to get his life back on track if he is convinced she is happy and Pallavi has to let go of Arun, if she realises she is still in love with Uma.
On one side Ninnu Kori has you rooting for the tragic hero, Uma to win back his love, and on the other you will want Arun’s faith and trust in Pallavi to succeed. Throughout the movie, you will keep trying to figure out who wins Pallavi. And by the end you realise that no matter who does it would’ve been just as painful.
If the treatment of the plot was one thing to be applauded, those who played these characters only added to it with their performances. Nani was in his zone, with both his comic one-liners and his emotional monologues. Aadhi in his role of an introvert husband, carried out the subtleties without losing out on the intense emotion. Nivetha is a gift to the Telugu cinema and she gets the act right effortlessly.
Shiva Nirvana reinforces that lately debutants are able to deliver what pros haven’t been able to in Tollywood. The characters, their situations and their reactions are presented in a mature manner. Kartik Gattamaneni’s visuals and Gopi Sundar’s tunes only add to the feel of the movie. Despite being a tad bit slow in the execution, the film may not keep you engaged throughout but will certainly keep you intrigued.
For those who would have loved and lost, Ninnu Kori lends a cathartic respite, if not closure.