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Nodidavaru Enanthare movie review: Naveen Shankar's great, but film is just about passable

Nodidavaru Enanthare movie review: A slow-burner, Naveen Shankar-led film picks up only in the second half, and is held up by good performances. But is that enough? 

2.5/5rating
Nodidavaru Enanthare movie review: Naveen Shankar's great, but film is just about passable

Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enanthare

Last Updated: 03.51 PM, Jan 31, 2025

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Nodidavaru Enanthare movie story: Siddharth Devaiah’s (Naveen Shankar) personal struggles – life-long mommy issues and a more recent love failure – put a heavy strain on his professional life. With his career on the balance, Siddharth chooses to ship out, rather than shape up, when the only parent he’s ever known passes away. He then sets out to seek answers for the existential questions he’d battled with for the longest.

Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enantare
Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enantare

Nodidavaru Enanthare movie review: In a career spanning only a few years and a handful of films, Naveen Shankar has already established that he’s an actor to look out for, who, as it so happens, also has a penchant for content-driven cinema. The film’s that he’s been a part of as protagonist may not have been money-spinners, but have had positive discussions going, either for the subjects that were explored, or the performances, especially Naveen’s.

When Nodidavaru Enanthare came along, it piqued intrigue, even though, his character seemed like an extension of what he’d done in Hondisi Bareyiri. Here, he is Siddharth, a young web designer, with a flair for writing, who has not dealt well with abandonment – first from his mother and then a lover. There’s a simmering anger, anxiety, distrust, etc., in him, even as he tries to wrap his head around whether it’s really the fault of these women in his life, or if it’s something to do with him after all.

Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enantare
Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enantare

On his journey, he meets two interesting people, young Mallanna and the feisty Nadia (Apoorva Bharadwaj), experiences that have a profound impact on him. But these don’t unfold until the interval, making much of the first half, rather pointless. In fact, the way it is now, Nodidavaru Enanthare finds its footing only in the second half, which had me wondering why it was stretched to feature film length. This could have made a great short film.

The crux of Nodidavaru Enanthare is that Siddarth’s mother left her family behind, when he was only a toddler. Siddharth carries years of resentment and anger, not only because she chose to walk out on them, but also for the disparaging comments he endured on account of being the son of the woman who ran away. It’s not something one heals from easily and yet Siddharth gets closure at the drop of the hat, which feels a tad too convenient.

A 5-minute conversation is all it takes to brush everything under the carpet, which, comes at the very end of the film, and is, honestly, a big cop out. The much-awaited mother-son reunion needed a helluva lot more drama and emotions; right now, it’s like soda without the pop, despite the casting choice of Padmavathi Rao as the mother.

Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enantare
Naveen Shankar in Nodidavaru Enantare

Both Apoorva and Padamavathi are severely under-utilized, but both make the most of the limited screen space they got. Having seen Apoorva twice already this year – in Nimma Vastugalige Neeve Javaabdaararu and now Nodidavaru Enanthare – one cannot help but wish that she gets juicier roles to sink her teeth into soon. The boy who plays Mallanna is also very effective, but the star of the film is, no doubt, Naveen.

It’s Siddharth and his every emotion that we see onscreen, but despite this stellar performance, the end result of watching Nodidavaru Enanthare is not the most gratifying. The film has its moments, but they are few and far between and doesn't leave one with any wow moment worth talking about.

Nodidavaru Enanthare movie verdict: Naveen Shankar valiantly tries to elevate Nodidavaru Enanthare, with great support from Apoorva Bharadwaj and Padmavathi Rao too, which works to some extent, but doesn’t sustain throughout. If slow-burners are your cup of tea, chances are that you will enjoy and engage with Nodidavaru Enanthare far more than I did.

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