Suri (Sudhakar Komakula), a directionless slacker from Saroornagar is not fond of his single working mother (Nirosha) for leaving him alone to earn a living. He roams around with his friends and falls for Ramya (Nithya Shetty) and soon part ways with her over a misunderstanding. He ends up in the US and faces obstacles to survive in life.
Director D Harinath Babu has started off the film ambitiously with an interesting storyline but fails to infuse life and passion, executes it poorly with a contrived screenplay. In a rather tedious first hour, the director goes for full-on melodrama that doesn’t always ring true.
A gripping screenplay without any justification for Suri’s motives would have worked like a charm, but his character lacked depth and his performance too appears stiff. Clocking in at almost three hours, the film drags its feet and you wonder why the director didn’t show any restraint.
One character whose representation in the movie I found eccentric was the mother of Suri, who shows up on several occasions, tolerates her son’s disrespectful behaviour without reprimanding him and also transforms into a doting mother by showering praises on him. It’s almost unbelievable that the director couldn’t break away from such stereotypes. Nithya Shetty has a little scope in a role that didn’t suit her.
Ravi Varma, who essayed a misogynistic drug dealer’s role seems to be a combination of all quirky dealers we have seen in numerous films.
He seems to forget to invest any personality in Azhar. After a hiatus, Varun Sandesh has made a special appearance in a film and despite being saddled with a cliché of a character, he tries to provide the much-needed fizz to the narration with same diction and similar kind of looks. He still knows exactly how to command the screen with his presence. Sudhakar Komakula pours sincerity into his character and offers his best despite limitations.
Had the film been powered by performances and taut screenplay, the film could have worked as a masala entertainer. But for the most part, the director couldn’t maintain a grip on the film’s tone and his treatment is too exaggerated and bombastic. The narration gives a flat feel and all the characters are mostly cardboard caricatures and clichés walking in and out of scenes. Even filmmakers of television serials and some short films make an impressive effort to make their film a grand visual entertainer. Despite its promising premise, what’s lacks in this movie is drama, conflict and emotions. It’s because of these aspects that Nuvvu Thopu Raa ends up as a bore-fest.
Nuvvu Thopu Raa
Cast: Sudhakar Komakula, Nithya Shetty, Nirosha
Direction: D Harinath Babu
— Murali Krishna CH
muralikrishna.db@newindianexpress @onlymurali