‘Narappa’ telugu movie review: Lacks Essence but Actors Shine
Starring: Venkatesh, Priyamani, Karthik Ratnam, Rajeev kanakala and others
Direction: Srikanth Addala
Producers: D. Suresh Babu, Kalaipuli S. Thanu
Music: Mani Sharma
Cinematography: Shyam K Naidu
Editor: Marthand K Venkatesh
Release date: July 20, 2021
Venkatesh’s much awaited remake ‘Narappa’ is ready to be viewed on Amazon Prime starting July 20, 2021. Being a remake of the tamil blockbuster “Asuran”, Narappa has managed to garner a lot of expectations from the audience. So, let’s review the film to see whether Narappa stood upto the expectations or not.
Thoughtybrain.com Rating: 3.25/5
Synopsis:
Narappa lives a peaceful village life with his wife(Priyamani), two sons and a daughter, accompanied by his brother-in-law(Rajeev kanakala). There lives a landlord who wants to occupy Narappa’s only three acre land. This doesn’t go well with Narappa’s elder son Munikanna(Karthik Ratnam) and the fight arises between the two sides. What happens after that and how Narappa, being a cool, ordinary man would cope up with the issue forms the rest of the story.
Actors’ Performances:
Venkatesh as Narappa is extra ordinary. This is one of the best performances Venkatesh has ever given in his career. He just lived in the role of Narappa. His performance at furious scenes is the highlight of the film. Likewise, Priyamana as Narappa’s wife is superb in her role. Her diction even makes the character look flawless. Her presence brings a lot to the screen. On the other hand, Rajeev Kanakala as Narappa’s brother-in-law is quite suited for the role. After quite a time, he has got an importance role to play in a big movie and he just nailed it. Rao Ramesh as a lawyer is okay in his role. Though Ammu Abhirami looks good on screen, her chemistry with Venkatesh is more of like a father and a daughter than a hero and a heroine.
Coming to other actors, special mention here goes to “Kancherapalem” fame Karthik Rathnam who portrayed the role of Narappa’s elder son Munikanna. He is one of the finest actors who could draw a line between acting and over acting. He could underplay the character to bring essence to it. He is one of the highlights of the film. Sritej as a villain is adequate in his role. The guy who played the role of Narappa’s younger son is also extremely good. All others did justice to their respective roles.
Technical Departments:
Since it’s already a blockbuster in the original, there is not much to comment about the story. Screenplay wise also, it almost follows the original. But director Srikanth Addala seems to have changed the theme a little bit. He seems to have taken utmost care to not portray the film as a conflict between upper caste and lower caste which was the case in its original. Besides, he tried to project it as a conflict between the rich and the poor. Though reasons were unknown, this minor change has eaten off the main essence of the concept. Apart from that, it has all the elements to keep the audience engaged throughout the film. The director was able to pull out the best performances from every actor present on the screen. Production values are quite good.
Coming to other departments, BGM is the other highlight of the film. The background score elevates the peak scenes in the movie. Though the main theme music of ‘Asuran’ is taken from the original itself, Manisharma was able to show his mark in other areas. Editing is also good even though the flashback scenes look a bit laggy. But the only drawback in the technical department is cinematography. Shyam K Naidu literally failed in bringing the mood of the film perfectly on the screen. Especially during the flashback scenes, a little tone change would have made a difference. And also the overall film lacks that mood which was present in its original ‘Asuran’.
Positives:
Actors’ performances
Action Scenes
Negatives:
Cinematography
Ammu Abhirami casting
Change of core theme
Highlights:
Karthik Ratnam
Venkatesh at action scenes
Background score
Analysis:
The first half of the film is quite interesting but the latter part looks somewhat boring mainly during the flashback episode. But the performances of the actors make it a worthy watch. Especially, Karthik Rathanam has lived in his role alongside Venkatesh and Priyamani. Though there is a lack of essence in the film(if you have seen the original), it’s quite a good watch for the first time audience.