Naandhi Review: Totally Gritty & Gripping!

Naandhi is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Vijay Kanakamedala and the narrative explores the journey of Surya Prakash, played by Allari Naresh, who gets caught and is put on trial for the murder of an influential individual. The remainder of the movie explains how Surya finds his way out of these crucifying events.

On to the positives of Naandhi, 146-minute thriller shines when it comes to Allari Naresh’s excellent performance that is complimented well by the supporting cast, a gripping story by Toom Venkat, Vijay Kanakamedala’s fantastic directorial debut, and Abburi Ravi’s well-written dialogues.

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Allari Naresh is undoubtedly one of the most gifted and underrated actors in the Telugu Film Industry, and his performances in movies like Gamyam, Nenu, Sambo Siva Sambo, and Maharshi serve as an example. Naandhi is another such movie that displays to us how far his acting capabilities have come. And it is, in fact, his career-best performance by far.

Subsequently, Naandhi is also one of the best story-oriented films I’ve watched in recent times, and it also ends with a great social message. Surprisingly, supporting actors Praveen and Devi Prasad were also at their career-best, and it tells us what a great script can do to good actors. Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, on the other hand, didn’t shine in terms of acting skill and also isn’t the perfect fit for the role that’s what I feel.

However, Naandhi isn’t flawless, and in my opinion, the love story part could’ve been trimmed a bit, then it would have been more appealing. The unique camera angles alongside the out-of-the-box movements blended well with the script, and it made the plot look more intriguing. The music by Sricharan Pakala clicks only at a few parts, but, on the whole, isn’t a great add-on to the plot. The ending song is what made the climax even better, and that justifies the whole film.

The film ends on a high emotional note, and I’d say that’s where the whole heart of the film lies. People say “content over anything” then I suppose it’s high time they start supporting films like Naandhi, which is a great watch.

Rating – 3/5 | Grade – B

Review by Uday Varma
Edited by Surya Komal