Naa Saami Ranga Review

Nagarjuna and Sankranthi festival has a connection. Nag teamed up with choreographer-turned-director Vijay Binni for Naa Saami Ranga which is the remake of the Malayalam period action drama Porinju Mariam Jose. Let’s check out what is in it.

Plot:

Kishtayya (Nagarjuna), an orphan, becomes a brother to Anji (Allari Naresh). He saves village head Peddayya (Nasser) and turns his right-hand man. Kishtayya and his childhood love Varalu (Ashika Ranganath) get separated but both remain single. Peddayya’s sons envy Kishtayya’s dominance and want to eliminate him. How Kishtayya fights against all the odds for his friendship, love and revenge is the storyline.
 
Performances

Nagarjuna as Kishtayya is a one-man show. He is well-supported by Allari Naresh as Anji and Raj Tarun (Bhaskar). Allari Naresh shines in emotional scenes. Heroine Ashika Ranganath offers a treat with her glamour in traditional attire. She emotes well too. Mirna and Rukshar deliver what is expected of them. The film’s ensemble cast is an advantage. However, Nassar’s role needs more punch. The villain Das character played by Shabeer Kallarakkal turns out to be a major disappointment.

Technicalities

It is a remake with minor changes and the addition of nativity elements. MM Keeravani’s songs and their picturisation engage. But Seesa Mootha Ippu’s placement is a bit odd and obstructs the flow. Ethukellipovalanipistunde in the first half is a treat to watch. The narration is not gripping, leaving space for editing. 

Thumbs Up

Nagarjuna and Allari Naresh
Songs and Action Episodes

Thumbs Down

Thin Conflict and Weak Villains
Flat Narration with no twists
Predictable Scenes

Analysis

Naa Saami Ranga is a no-nonsense and simple rural action drama with no major twists. It just moves flat and works here and there. The film has a weak conflict which acts as a major shortcoming. There are time-pass scenes which add no value to the story flow.  Director Vijay Binni plays to Nag’s strengths and doesn’t largely mess with the original (Porinju Mariam Jose). Cast and well-picturised songs and nicely choreographed action scenes are the highlights. 

The director takes a chunk of time in establishing the characters. The comedy in the first half needed betterment. At the interval point, the film picks up the momentum and holds the interest. Action scenes take centre stage which make audiences sit through the film.  The early second half is a bit dampener owing to the formulaic narration such as song and fight. With a major jolt, the film bounces back and gets into serious mode. Towards the climax, the film concludes on a decent note, though it lacks twists. It is noteworthy that debutante director Vijay Binni managed to deliver a quality film with such ensemble cast in a short-time even though he is under pressure and release it in Sankranthi fray.

The period action drama genre has an advantage, especially for a festival like Sankranthi. If this genre connects to audiences, it is well-received by audiences. The silver lining here is Nagarjuna and Allari Naresh’s relation. In nut-shell, Naa Saami Ranga is purely a Sankranthi watch. Considering Nagarjuna’s films performance at the Box Office during festival season, it has scope to hit the right chords.

Verdict: Sankranthi Saami Ranga

Rating: 2.75/5