When, even in the climax, the screenplay obsesses itself about parody (here, Brahmanandam is introduced as a Takkaridonga, making sure to appease Mahesh Babu's fans), you know the narrator is more into frivolity than connecting emotionally. Many have been inspired by Maruthi's 'Prema Katha Chitram' (kindling the flavour of horror-comedies since 2013), but not many seem to have understood that, for all the "commercial elements" that are stuff of this genre, an emotional connect is most needed. That's why 'PKC' has inspired many a writer/director, whether or not they learnt the required lessons.
'Nayaki' begins with a newsreader reporting about the disappearance of a number of youths (all male, okay?) in a desolate house at Dundigal. Meanwhile, a lengthy intro scene of Nayaki (Trisha), where she dresses herself in old-world attire expecting lechers to knock on her door, sets the mood. The mystery surrounding the deaths has been unresolved. Sanjay (Sathyam Rajesh) is a short filmmaker who is comically super-confident about his exceptional ways of dealing with devils. A bespectacled, tech-savvy old man (played by Jayaprakash) is apparently offended by his ways as the double-timing Sanjay cheats on Sandhya (Sushma Raj), who is innocence-personified.
The old man misleads the Sanjay-Sandhya duo and they end up in the haunted mansion where Nayaki is apparently waiting to teach Sanjay a lesson.
What is Nayaki's agenda and why is she scaring the daylights out of Sanjay? Why has she devoured many males over three decades? Answers to these questions are found in the second half.
To be fair to director Govi, the first half looks good when the scenes are seen individually, distinct from the main story line. However, by the time it's pre-climax, the narration looks odd enough. Why on earth does the divinity-personified Nayaki scare the innocent Sandhya for a good part of the film? Who is entertained by Trisha showing variations (both as an 'atma' and a body)? Not may perhaps, especially because the template follows 'PKC', with Sapthagiri replaced by Sathyam Rajesh (and the unconscious Nandita Raj by the conscious Trisha), minus the craziness, of course.
Nayaki's game is over-stretched, especially because she could have extracted Sanjay's promise earlier. Maybe, a major portion of the second half should have been about what is in store in the climax.
The comedian who was there to evoke laughter (he arrives with Gona Ganna Reddy's dialogue) ends up testing the audience's patience. A familiar face like Dhan Raj would have helped.
The film essentially belongs to Sathyam Rajesh and Sushma Raj, who both deliver a very good performance. Sushma fits the bill, whereas Rajesh gets another thumbs up after 'Kshanam' and 'KVPG' this year.
As for Trisha, her character needed a better sketching. You can't entertain through a role that is divinely-inspired in the flashback, but purposelessly plays pointless games in the present, complete with a parody of '70s era melodrama.
Ganesh Venkatram, Jayaprakash fit the bill. Nara Rohit's special appearance doesn't help.
Raghu Kunche's music is good. Sai Karthik's BGM is an asset. The cinematography is apt.
Verdict: Works in bits and pieces, that too, only in the first half. The second half loses pace. Overall, predictability and pointless narration do the film in.
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