Hi Nanna Review - The emotional last half hour makes up for an otherwise slow and predictable narrative

2.5/5

Hi Nanna Story

Viraj (Nani) is a fashion photographer and a single father who lives with his six-year-old daughter Mahi (Kiara). Mahi's only question to Viraj is about her mother and the latter keeps avoiding it. Upset about this, Mahi leaves home and meets Yashna (Mrunal Thakur), who saved her from an accident. After hearing Mahi's story, Yashna meets Viraj and gives him the shock of his life. Who is Yashna? What connection does she have with Viraj and Mahi? How does the single father's life change after the arrival of Yashna? To know the answers, watch the film on the big screen.

Hi Nanna Review

After the success of Dasara, Nani is back with his boy-next-door and family-man image with Hi Nanna. With this film, Nani launches director Shouryuv into Telugu cinema. The young director has penned the story of a single father and how he finds love all over again with his ex-wife but there is a small twist in the love story.

The trailers remind us of several Telugu and Kannada films like Bheemasena Nalamaharaja and Padi Padi Leche Manasu, where the female lead has memory loss. The only difference here in the film is that the characters do not help her remember the past and she falls for her husband all over again.

Hi Nanna starts on a positive note by showcasing the single father's life and how he comes to terms with his daughter's health condition. But once the film goes back into flashback mode, showcasing the romance between Mrunal and Nani, things start getting bogged down. The romance is boring and lacks novelty. 

The narration in this part is filled with redundant scenes and the only solace is the beautiful songs by Hesham Abdul Wahab. He is the backbone of the film, as his BGM and super-hit songs entertain the audience. In all this, the slow pace also tests the patience of the audience until the pre-interval.

Once the key twist is unleashed at halftime, Hi Nanna starts making sense. Director Shouryuv scores full marks for superbly elevating the emotions in the second half. The father-daughter relationship or the heartbreaking moments that Nani goes through in the last half an hour are superb in Hi Nanna.

Coming to the performances, it is a cakewalk for an actor like Nani to play such a role. Viraj is in his zone and has played such roles time and again in his career. But in Hi Nanna, Nani showcases more maturity in terms of emotions. Nani's expressions in the climax scenes move you emotionally. 

Also Read: Nani - Hi Nanna is like a dessert in my career, our audience needs it more than ever before | Exclusive 

Baby Kiara is apt for her role. Jayaram is cast in a small role that has importance only at the end. Priyadarshi gets a few good scenes and he was decent. Angad Bedi is okay in his role. The actress who plays Mrunal's mother is amazing. Her role is typical but she performs well in her character. 

But it is Mrunal Thakur who is the life and soul of the film. At one point in the film, you get the feeling that Hi Nanna should have been named Hi Amma, as the film is entirely about Mrunal's character. After Sita Ramam, Mrunal delivers yet another noteworthy performance and holds our attention. She looks gorgeous and emotes beautifully. Hi Nanna gives her ample scope to showcase what she is capable of as an actress.

Hi Nanna has great frames, as Sanu Varghese's camerawork showcases the love story beautifully. The dialogues are amazing, as is the production design. Hi Nanna could have been trimmed by at least ten minutes in the first half. The screenplay has multiple issues, as it does not hold your attention till the end. There are so many routine family drama scenes that should have been chopped off.

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One of the big drawbacks of the film is its slow pace. Some scenes go on and on. The romantic thread between the lead pair, a few scenes in the Goa episode and the heroine's mother speaking to Nani in the pre-interval scenes test your patience. But things fall back on track in the last half an hour as the pain in the love story is narrated beautifully.

The heartbreak in the story and the way Nani's character goes through when his wife leaves him for the second time are showcased beautifully. There is nothing novel that is showcased in the story but director Shouryuv keeps his best in the last half an hour and ends the film with multiple moments that leave you teary-eyed.

HiI Nanna Verdict

On the whole, Hi Nanna is a routine and slow-paced family drama that works in the last half an hour. Mrunal Thakur steals the show and Hesham Abdul Wahab's music elevates the emotions beautifully. The slow pace is an issue and storywise, there is nothing new. If you are the one who loves romantic family drama with great music and an amazing star cast, Hi Nanna is for you, and for the rest, they can take it easy.

Also Read: Hi Nanna - Nani, Mrunal Thakur reveal why they said yes to the Shouryuv directorial