Theeni / Ninnila Ninnila Review: A Compelling Tale of Friendship, Love and Food!

Theeni, Ninnila Ninnila in Telugu is the latest film on the pay-per-view platform ZEE Plex, is directed by Ani Sasi, and has Ashok Selvan and Ritu Varma in the lead roles. Nasser, Nithya Menen, Satya also star in this film as supporting cast. Rajesh Murugesan of Premam fame scores music for this movie while Divakar Mani handles the camera.

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Theeni / Ninnila Ninnila follows the story of Dev, who has weird muscle spasms and insomnia problems. He joins as a cook in the UK, where he meets Tara, another cook with an OCD problem. The restaurant where they work run by Nasser, who is grumpy and a man of minimal words. The narrative is 120-minute long and explores their lives and what led them to their current life situation.

The film takes a lot of time to settle in and to establish the primary story. The narrative of Theeni / Ninnila Ninnila begins only during the second half as the initial one hour of the runtime is breezy and a compilation of delightful scenes.

Director Ani Sasi has taken a simple story and has presented it to us in an elegant manner. Thanks to cinematographer Divakar Mani. With 90% of Theeni / Ninnila Ninnila taking place inside a restaurant, his unorthodox shots and playing with the light makes the scenes a treat to the eyes. Combing them with the mesmerizing background score and songs from Rajesh Murugesan, the film is nothing short of a visual poem.

Also, what intrigued me the most is how subtle the film was. Theeni / Ninnila Ninnila had a lot of emotions to be handled. It could have been an emotional melodrama, but the director maneuvers it into a soft, buoyant, and light-hearted tale.

Adding to the positives is the acting from the lead stars. Ashok Selvan fits into this insomniac cook. He makes his weird muscle spasms funnier to look at while blending into his role. Ritu Varma was alluring with her looks. Nithya Menen was child-like and delightful to watch. Nasser is a masterclass when it comes to acting and acts just enough of the requirements.

Food plays a major role in the film. Set in the UK, there are many exquisite recipes shown to be prepared and presented on the plate. Also, our very own Vada, Chutney, and tea make a cameo. Everyone’s love for food and the emotion it carries is neatly implied with the film.

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So is this a perfect movie with no negatives? Well, it depends on the way you perceive it. The film is made with care and precision. As earlier mentioned, the emotion is significantly below an amount, nevertheless, it of an adequate level. This balance is what makes Theeni / Ninnila Ninnila stand apart. Rent the film on ZEE Plex here.

Rating – 3.75/5 | Grade – B+

Images via ZEE Plex