Starring: Nagarjuna, Tabu, Chalapathi Rao, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu, Ahuti Prasad, Lakshmi, Manju Bhargavi, Brahmaji, Uttej
Directed by: Krishna Vamsi
Released on: 4 October, 1996
Story:
Mahalakshmi (Tabu) comes to Hyderabad from Vizag for pilot training. She stays at the house of her father’s friend’s friend played by Chalapathi Rao and she soon falls in love with his son Seenu (Nagarjuna) as she sees him as her ideal dream boy. Seenu’s family accepts their love and only then all of them realise that Mahalakshmi is none other than the daughter of Bhavani (Manju Bhargavi), Seenu’s paternal aunt (atthayya) who married against her family’s wishes and left home. How do these two families reunite and accept Seenu and Mahalakshmi’s love forms the story.
Performances:
The best thing about this movie is that it never feels like anyone is acting or performing. It almost feels like everyone have been left in a house to party and secret cameras were used to capture everything they did. Such is the energy of each and every character in this movie. Starting with Nagarjuna, his craze among young girls and ladies reached new heights after this movie and he went on to be called ‘Greekuveerudu’ off screen too like Tabu calls him in the movie. Be it in comedy or romance or emotional scenes, Nagarjuna has completely owned this film and will be one of his most memorable performances for decades to come. Tabu has an equally strong role in this film. She plays a mischievous, brave and tom-boyish kind of role and she is a perfect fit and shared sizzling chemistry with Nagarjuna. It is not an exaggeration to call Nagarjuna and Tabu as one of the best on-screen couple ever. All the supporting actors generate great fun throughout the film. Chalapathi Rao, Lakshmi, Chandra Mohan, Giri Babu, Brahmaji, Uttej, Jeeva, Shanoor Sana and Rama Prabha all play family members and family friends of Seenu (Nagarjuna) in the film. Actor Raviteja played a cameo in this film.
Technicalities:
Prasad’s camerawork created a perfect celebration atmosphere throughout the film and the nostalgic and enviable visuals are a huge plus for the film. Music director Sandeep Chowta is the unsung hero of this film. This is his debut film and each and every song in this film is an evergreen classic. Dialogues are realistic and funny and have been written by Uttej and Pruthvi Teja. Shankar’s editing is perfect and there is not a single unwanted or boring scene in the entire film. Nagarjuna himself produced this film and production values are grand.
Screenplay-Direction:
Krishna Vamsi, who was initially an assistant of Ram Gopal Varma is a good friend of Nagarjuna. After seeing the terrific success of movies like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in Hindi, Krishna Vamsi decided to make something with the same kind of theme and atmosphere suiting the Telugu sensibilities. He narrated the story to Nagarjuna and Tabu and instantly got a green signal. This film started the trend of fun filled family entertainers in Telugu where the screen is always filled with dozens of actors.
This is Krishna Vamsi’s second film as a director and he broke the image of “RGV’s assistant” and created a mark for himself. His screenplay in this film is almost flawless. The entire film is filled with fun sequences, colourful visuals, superb love track and beautiful songs coming one after another. There is absolutely no dip in momentum or energy anywhere in the movie and it is surprising how Krishna Vamsi was able to create that kind of magical screenplay. Only towards the end of the film, the movie turns a bit serious and emotional but even that has been dealt neatly.
Awards and appreciation:
The movie bagged the National Award for the best feature film in Telugu and also bagged 2 Nandi Awards. The movie also won three Filmfare awards in the best film, best actress and director categories. The movie had a 175-day run at theatres. The success of this movie also led to another movie in the combination of Nagarjuna and Krishna Vamsi.
Box office:
Ninne Pelladatha turned out to be a blockbuster at the box office and took Nagarjuna’s stardom to the next level. It became the biggest hit in Nagarjuna’s career at that time and also one of the highest grossing Telugu movies ever.
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