Right from the start when the credits roll, director Sukumar tries to tell the audience that every movement causes a parallel movement and is responsible for the way the world is. For a film that is supposed to tell the story of a father-son relationship, Nannaku Prematho has many different elements (most of which are completely needless) and is not as simple as it sounds. What promises to be an emotional roller-coaster instead turns into a drab revenge drama, with an underlying theory of the Butterfly Effect. It is NTR Jr’s 25th film and the actor does not disappoint. There is plenty for the fans to look forward to, but the film is largely underwhelming.
>>Also Read: Nannaku Prematho: Is it Worth the Hype?
Abhiram (NTR) and his two brothers are self-made men having risen from a humble beginning to prosperity in London. However, the three of them suffer a major shock when they realise that their father Subramanyam (Rajendra Prasad) is ill and has only one month left to live. With limited time available, Subramanyam reveals his real identity as Ramesh Chandra Prasad, who was India’s richest man in United Kingdom. However, he was cheated by Krishnamoorthy Kautilya (Jagapathi Babu) and lost all his fortunes overnight. With investors baying for his blood, Ramesh Chandra Prasad was forced to change his identity and assumed the name of Subramanyam. His dying wish is for his sons to take revenge against Krishnamoorthy, who becomes a powerful billionaire, and bring down his empire. And so Abhiram begins his quest for revenge. He decides the way to get through to the powerful tycoon is, surprise surpise, through his spoilt daughter Divyanka (Rakul Preet). However, Krishnamoorthy quickly realises Abhiram’s revenge plot and the rest of the film turns into a cat-and-mouse game between the two.
The film has a gripping screenplay and keeps the audience interested right till the end. Shot completely in London and Spain, the locations are wonderful and everything looks good on-screen. Devi Sri Prasad does a fine job with the music. Vijay Chakravarthi’s camera-work is first-rate. The editing, however, is poor and the film feels like a never-ending marathon.
The various twists and turns hardly evoke a response from the audience and the suspense factor is almost non-existent. Also Nannaku Prematho is all about the father-son relationship but the emotional sequels fail to hit hard. What is supposed to be a hard-hitting sequence during the climax, turns out to be rather comical. Also when Divyanka and Abhiram are at loggerheads with each other, but he still manages to kiss her, saying that he has to get it out of his system and that she doesn’t have to kiss him back. Inexplicably, she agrees, yet again highlighting the atrocity with which characters for women are written in mainstream cinema.
NTR Jr is at his stylish best and has certainly matured as an actor with Nannaku Prematho. He is understated yet intense and is a revelation in the emotional sequences.
This is definitely his finest performance as an actor till date. Rakul Preet is given limited screen time but does her part well. Jagapathi Babu is fantastic as the antagonist and it seems like he has carved a new identity in films as the wealthy, powerful, wicked tycoon. Rajendra Prasad is terrific as the dying father, while Ashish Vidyarthi does well in a special appearance.
Overall Nannaku Prematho is a refreshing change from the run-of-the-mill masala entertainers, but doesn’t fulfil its potential and leaves the viewers disappointed. Director Sukumar needlessly complicates a straightforward story and fails to get his basics right. Sadly, it’s just another pretty looking film.