69. Naa Saami Ranga; movie review

 

NAA SAAMI RANGA

Cert 15

143 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence

How many veteran actresses are given the same lofty status as men in Indian cinema?

I have never seen any receive the trumpeted screen acclaim of Megastar or Superstar attributed to established male actors.

I have long grown bored with the fact that the overwhelming majority of Indian films treat women as makeweights.

And I simply cannot remember a female over 40 having a significant part, let alone a lead.

But the men keep receiving the plaudits even if their films are sub-standard.

In Vijay Binni's lamentable Naa Saami Ranga, we see yet another celebration of an actor who is playing a role of a much younger man.

To be fair to Nagarjuna Akkineni or 'King' as he is hailed, he looks much younger than his 64 years and not severely amiss playing the hero, Kishtayya, who is in his 40s.

But it is still plain that he is way older than his love interest, played by Asika Ranganath, who, at a mere 27, was born 13 years after Nagarjuna's first marriage.

This old man and much younger woman scenario is not the only cliche to bedevil this film.

Nagarjuna plays the village hero who stands alone against the stereotypical bad guys.

His character, Kishtayya, is an orphan taken under the wing of the local lord (Nassar) after he saves him from a car crash and a marauding mob.

The plot spins forward 25 years, and Kishtayya is loved by the locals and loathed by those who seek power and the atmosphere sours when the lord's psychopathic son (Shabeer Kallarakkal) returns from a stint in jail.

Sadly, the plotline is mundane, and the characters are one-dimensional and hackneyed.

If that weren't bad enough, the film has an ending so ludicrous and irritating that it prompted me to mark the movie down two points.

Nagarjuna's fans won't care. They will love him killing scores of villains at a time with a machete while seeming to be indestructible.

For me, however, the only saving grace of Naa Saami Ranga is the song and dance numbers which are wonderfully vibrant and include some beautiful images taken from above.

Reasons to watch: Beguiling song & dance routines

Reasons to avoid: Way too many cliches

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 3.5/10

Did you know? Nagarjuna is one of the co-owners of the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC

The final word. Nagarjuna: "This is a big-scale movie in terms of a range of characters. The number is almost six to seven. We got inspired by the core subject of the Malayalam original. Friendship, sacrifice, love, loyalty and revenge are the driving themes." Ragalahari

Share this post