BOTTOM LINE
Middle Drop From Jogendra
OUR RATING
2.5/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 40 mins
What Is the Film About?
The rise and fall of Jogendra (Rana Daggubati) told through the eyes of Jogendra. How a normal wife loving person becomes a politician by committing crime and how he tries to redeem himself is what the film is all about?
How Is Rana’s Performance?
Rana is in terrific form as he is doing a role that he is completely in love. The variations are subtle and the emotions are grand. He makes the best use of the character that offers him a scope for grand heroic gestures. The interval and the hospital sequence in second half highlight his acting potential. Also, in the climax, he delivers the lines superbly.
Direction by Teja?
Teja has always been a capable director with good technical command. He is also a great extractor of performances from artists. The problem with him is the outdated and hackneyed stories. When the foundation is bad no matter what Teja does, it doesn’t matter. With Nene Raju Nene Mantri, Teja finally gets somewhat fresh subject and he leaves his mark.
The first half of the movie is neat with good twists and turns. There is an air of predictability but things move at a fast pace which doesn’t let the audience put their thinking caps on. The trajectory of Jogendra character is what interests everyone. The interval point is solid and one awaits the second half with great interest to see where the character will reach from that point.
The interest in the second half is maintained assuredly by Teja but one can sense something off happening. The narrative isn’t as smooth as the first half and characters behave differently from what they have been built initially. It wouldn’t be a problem generally in a mindless entertainer but in a film like Nene Raju Nene Mantri, it shows effect. There are high moments but overall the impact of the first half is missing. However, it all wouldn’t have mattered with a powerful climax. Unfortunately, the climax is the biggest letdown in the film. Not only it makes the whole thing look silly but it literally kills all the build up. A better climax would have elevated the whole movie to a next level but barring few dialogues, nothing works here. The ‘hackneyed’ part which we mentioned above can be seen in the second half with second heroine track and climax. Overall, Nene Raju Nene Mantri is a one-time watch fare if one doesn’t mind the entire climax and parts of the second half.
Kajal Agarwal and Others?
Nene Raju Nene Mantri is one of those films where everyone gets the scope to perform. Both the heroines, Kajal and Catherine Tresa, have been given well-defined roles and they do well here. It is far better than what they get on a regular basis in a big commercial film. Kajal, especially, is given a solid role and she does act to the best of her abilities. Navadeep is good as long as he lasts. Ashutosh Rana is good as a corrupt politician. He gives a very calculated and measured performance. Ajay is his usual self. Tanikella Bharani is wasted. Posani Krishna Murali is in form along with Prabhas Sreenu.
Music and Other Departments?
Music by Anup Rubens is decent and it’s neatly used in the movie. The cinematography is good. Editing is fine. Dialogues are major asset for the movie.
Highlights?
First half
Fast paced narration
Rana
Dialogues
Drawbacks?
Climax
Inconsistency in characters
Weak second half
Alternative Take
When a subject line offers the makers to go all out in terms of characterization, the makers should go all out. An alternative take, therefore, would be presenting Jogendra in a complete free fall without giving him an heroic exit.
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes but with reservation
Nene Raju Nene Mantri Review by Siddartha
Final Report: Nene Raju Nene Mantri ends in an unpredictable way. Is it good or bad? Watch out for our review shortly.
First Half Report:
There is a nice emotional build up towards the interval with a good twist. Overall it’s a good first half with few really engaging blocks.
– Nene Raju Nene Mantri begins on an interesting note with a flashback of Jogendra. Good going so far with interesting twists and turns in an entertaining manner.
Nene Raju Nene Mantri Live Updates begin at 8 AM IST.
Preview: Nene Raju Nene Mantri
As an actor, Rana isn’t presently bound by any particular image and hence, he is open to accepting different roles. When a film like ‘Nene Raju Nene Mantri’ (NRNM) is coming, the expectations are decent to huge as it is his first commercial movie after a massive hit like ‘Baahubali 2’.
This movie is crucial for him as he still needs to prove himself a commercial star who can carry a commercial concept entirely on his shoulders. ‘Ghazi‘ was a way different and its success after Baahubali in both Hindi and Telugu is definitely an encouraging factor.
The trailer of the movie was awesome and created positive hype. The producer Suresh Babu was happy for the pre-release business of NRNM. By the virtue of the trailer and Rana’s image after ‘Baahubali’, NRNM has a big advantage over the other two releases, Nithin’s ‘Lie’ and Bellamkonda Srinivas’ ‘Jaya Janaki Nayaka’.
For director Teja, this movie might turn decisive for his future projects. He didn’t score a hit over a decade. But, that doesn’t make any difference if the content of the movie makes as much impact as the trailer has created. Over the years, the director seemed to have mellowed down and also changed his style a bit, in this movie.
Coming to the heroines, both Kajal Agarwal and Catherine Tresa seem to be having strong characterisations. The promotional material and the interviews suggest the same and strong female characters always make the story connect directly with the audiences. Let’s see if the hype on the two heroines is good enough.
‘Nene Raju Nene Mantri‘ is coming at a juncture when Rana seems to be blooming after a few disappointments when he chose bad scripts before ‘Baahubali, The Beginning’ and ‘Bangalore Days’ remake after the first part of Baahubali. After that, ‘Ghazi’ was a real breather.
With so many factors acting positively for Rana’s movie, the mass commercial entertainer with political elements is all set to hit screens this Friday. The verdict is in the hands of the audiences and if anything goes wrong, the blame would be on director Teja as the hero and the producer gave the best platform, from their side.
This is all for now. Wait for the full review from our mirchi9 team, coming soon.
US premiere update: Nene Raju Nene Mantri leading two other releases Lie and Jaya Janaki Nayaka pre sales. So far Rana starer collected over $60K which indicates NRNM will be his solo highest from premiers going by early trends
