Naandhi Review

'Naandhi' hit the screens today (February 19). Here is our review of the latest box-office release. 

Story:

Surya Prakash (Allari Naresh) is accused of taking the life of a good politician. He is shocked when a top cop (Harish Utthaman) arrests him on a busy street without a warning. How can an ordinary middle-class 'abbayi', who is just a software engineer, murder a politician? Is mere circumstantial evidence enough to frame him? The criminal justice system doesn't bother much and Surya Prakash leads the next five years of his life in jail. 

But there is hope for salvation in the form of Aadhya (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), an honest lawyer who is determined to prove Surya Prakash's innocence and show the bad cop his place.

Analysis:

This is the story of an underdog and the uphill task of challenging the powerful. As an undertrial prisoner who nearly dies due to the dehumanizing prison torture, Allari Naresh delivers one of the career-best performances. He sinks his teeth into the role with earnestness. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's Aadhya is well-written, with a backstory of its own. She is remarkable in the courtroom scenes, where she exposes the conspiracy layer by layer. 

'Naandhi', written and directed by Vijay Kanakamedala, tries to educate the viewer about Section 211 of the Indian Penal Code. The section is weaponized by the victim and his lawyer, who use it to avenge the wrong done to them by Harish Uthaman's cop. 

The first half is more or less a creative extension of what we have seen in the trailer. The second half introduces us to Vinay Varma's character, which is written on the basis of how the zillions of politicians have been depicted in our movies since time immemorial. It is in these portions that the film is found wanting. 

Naandhi's courtroom scenes could have been meaty. There is little hope in the way they play out after a point. It's not convincing that the powerful antagonists commit some extremely stupid mistakes. 

For all its flaws, 'Naandhi' covers itself in glory, bathed as it is in Sricharan Pakala's evocative background music. So many moments are made special by his impeccable work. Vijay Prakash's emotion-laden voice elevates a portion or two through a montage song. The cinematography is decent, while the production design understands the need to show 'Naandhi' as a gritty film. 

Verdict:

'Naandhi' is a watchable film, which is taken to the next level by honest performances. The technical output is commendable. The writing could have avoided low-hanging fruits.