Naayak does well but the plot lacks conviction. Review on Naayak

A blockbuster it will be for sure, thanks to some crazy fans, but again it is a routine story which carries the same masala entertainer formula that has helped many movies taste success at the box office. And that’s my description of this movie in one single sentence. If you are a Ram Charan fan, you will probably hate my review. So go ahead at your own risk.

Story – The plot of this movie revolves around a techie called Cherry. Cherry is a happy go lucky guy and has a very good comic side with an even more comical uncle Jilebi who runs into trouble most of the times and it Is mostly upto Cherry to come to his rescue. Jilebi happens to run into a local gangster named Gandiopeta Babji . Cherry has to now come up with a solution his uncle for which and plots to befriend the don’s gorgeous sister Madhu, but falls in love with her in the process enraging Babji in the process. On the wake of some mass killings in and around the city, Cherry finds himself framed due to traps set by the former. To evade the investigation authorities he decides to go underground and stay away from the public eye, but now there is team trying to find his whereabouts who also stumble upom another interesting backdrop involving Cherry. What happens next forms the crux of the story. I don’t intend to put any more spoilers.

Cast performance – The movie had created much hype mainly due to Ram Charan’s presence and he has lived up to the expectations. He enthralls the audience with his dance moves, punchy one liners, hard hitting dialogues and brilliant comic timing. Apart from his superhuman prowess that the story portrays, all other aspects of his character is humanely likeable. He looks to have matured from his initial days and now seems to be fitting into father’s shoes with ease. By a popular opinion, he can now be called junior ‘Chiru’. His role as Cherry is going to take his fan following a bar higher. And you’ll like the twists in the character. I hope to see much better performances from him in the future.

Kajal Agarwal who had previously collaborated with Charan in another hit movie ‘Magadheera’ gives a similar performance here. The chemistry between the two is wonderful though the characterization has left much to be desired. She is at her gorgeous best in all the scenes where she is involved. But I cannot give too many marks mainly due to fact that the plot completely revolves around Ram Charan’s character.

Amala Paul on the other hand has had minimum role in the movie though the backdrop scenes was good. She deserves much more screen time than that and I expected more, but maybe the director and the writer did not find it necessary. Shame on them. But Amala has shined in whatever little time she has got. I guess the actresses were just added for some aesthetics.

Bhramanandam who plays Jilebi has been at his comical best through the movie. His comic timingis almost unmatched in the entire Industry. And his proves his comical might in this movie too. Some of the scenes currounding him is sure to give you those LOL moments in the first half which the second half direly lacks.

Ashish Vidyarthi who plays a CBI officer has also lived upto his name. But his role seems to be concentrated in the second half. But full marks to him.

Others have been good in some tit bits. Not much to speak of there.

Direction, Script and Screenplay – The Script has nothing much to speak of. As I have mentioned earlier. It is the same old masala entertainer. The first half seems good but the second hald tends to get a little boring with a lot of violence involved. Definitely not recommended for kids. The script also suffers from the lack of characterization of most of the characters expect our ‘Naayak’. The direction too has been mediocre, though the song sequences has been well captured. The Camera work is good in patches and the story takes unexpected twists at palces you wouldn’t expect and that was a little too much for my liking. Overall the script is loose, the camera is haphazard and direction falls flat on its face. Bad work here. This movie was just made to make the cash registers ring in the box office.

Verdict - Though the movie is entertaining there is a lack of sensible script. Charan though unmatched in style and persona deserves a much better script. If you have some time to pass in the weekend and you are a fan of him go for it. It is a onetime watch.

Thanks and Regards,

SlightlyDrunk