Maa Nanna Superhero Review

Maa Nanna Superhero is Sudheer Babu’s second release of the year, after Harom Hara. This heartwarming relationship drama is produced by V Celluloid, an offshoot of UV Creations. Though this film was completed a while back, the release was delayed due to the production house’s decision to release this film after some of their banner’s other films this year. Sai Chand and Sayaji Shinde play the titular fathers in this film, while Aarna plays the female lead. Prabhu Deva’s brother Raju Sundaram also appears in an extended cameo.

What is it about?

A poor father (Sai Chand) leaves his infant son at the behest of a local orphanage for three days to do some work and get money for his child. Fate, however, forces him to go to prison for two decades while the boy gets adopted by another family (Sayaji Shinde). What happens when the paths of this father and son meet after 25 years due to pressing circumstances created by the adopted father (Sayaji Shinde)?

Performances

Sai Chand gives the film’s most earnest and convincing performance as a man who has lost his child and his entire life due to a small mistake. The senior actor’s performance really makes you root for him. Sai Chand is the heart of Maa Nanna Superhero. Sudheer Babu tried hard to convince in his role. Sayaji Shinde is a good actor but his voice modulation sometimes comes in the way of his performance. Vishnu Oi has a decent role as the hero’s co-worker and friend. He is comfortably familiarizing himself with the audience, playing more and more friend roles. Aarna as the film’s female lead has a completely useless role. Her character adds no value to the entire film. Even if you cut out her portions in the film, it wouldn’t lose even 1% of its continuity.

Technicalities

Maa Nanna Superhero is set in 2007, probably due to the lottery-tickets subplot which dominates the second-half of the film. The production design has also been designed keeping this time period in mind. The music of the film has been composed by Jay Krish, who has earned renown for his tunes in Ashoka Vanamulo Arjuna Kalyanam. However his songs in this film are not as good as the ones he had composed before. They are generic and pump up the film’s melodrama quotient in a rather unimaginative manner.

Thumbs up

Sai Chand acting
Engaging 2nd half
Feel-good factor

Thumbs down

Weak writing
Poor first half
Middling music

Analysis

Maa Nanna Superhero is a disappointing watch because it never becomes interesting despite having a good premise. The film’s screenplay is overly convenient, with everyone and everything running around in close circles. It follows the old-fashioned template of two related people hanging out together without knowing about each other’s relationship, but this trope does not yield significant interest till the second half.

While the first half of the film is steeped in sentimentality, the second half picks up in pace and stakes. The background music of the film drowns out the narrative, spoonfeeding the audience about how they are supposed to feel every single moment. The background music does not just overpower the narrative but it also overcompensates for the film’s lack of drama and strong writing.

Sayaji Shinde’s character is poorly written. His backstory is hard to believe, and his motivations behind his behaviour is even harder to sympathise with. If Sayaji’s character had to be as unlikeable as he ultimately was, his character arc could have used stronger writing. The reasoning behind how he behaves and why he behaves the way he behaves feels inadequate and incomplete. Because Sudheer Babu’s character does everything in the film for Sayaji’s character, it is harder, in extension, to even sympathize with Sudheer Babu. Sudheer Babu’s character is written well. There are only a few moments here and there and the film’s sincere intentions one can appreciate, but apart from that, the film leaves a lot to be desired.

There may be some takers for the film due to its father sentiment, but otherwise, it is bound to not impress many.

Verdict – Superhero fails to fly

Rating: 2.25/5