Each and every Telugu film hero has an amazing quality of appearing the same in each and every film. Likewise, self-styled Mass Maharaja, Raviteja, also has certain image to play with, that is to entertain the masses with his energetic and loud performances. With that image of his to protect, Raviteja has come with "Nippu" in the direction of Gunasekhar and with YVS Chowdary producing it. Will "Nippu" set the screens on fire with entertainment? Let's see.
Surya (Raviteja), runs a fitness center in Hyderabad and helps out businessmen who are in distress with the atrocities of rowdy elements. His involvement in the settlement issues is not taken lightly by Raja Gowd (Pradeep Rawat) who is a the biggest don. On the other hand, Surya loves Meghana (Deeksha Seth) who is an athlete and the sister of his best friend Sri Ram (Sri Ram) who works in Saudi Arabia.
Surya visits Saudi to wish Sri Ram on his birthday but gets to know that his friend is wanted by the Saudi police for killing his girlfriend Vaishnavi (Bhavana). Sri Ram tells Surya that Vaishnavi's death was an accident. Saudi Government awards capital punishment to Sri Ram and there's only one way through which Surya can save Sri Ram which is through the mercy petition signed by Vaishnavi's parents.
Surya has to trace Vaishnavi's parents and has to obtain their signatures before Sri Ram gets hanged. He has to maintain secrecy of not revealing anything to Sri Ram's father (Rajendra Prasad) who's a heart patient. Who are Vaishnavi's parents are they ready to forgive and forget their daughter's killer? The answers for these questions are the remainder of the story.
After reading the part of the story if you get a notion that "Nippu" is a different film, then you are thoroughly mistaken. Director Gunasekhar (did he really direct this film) and Producer YVS Chowdary have created a mess of a story and brought forward a film which is neither entertaining nor different. The basic premise of the film has been borrowed from Nagesh Kukunoor's "Dor" and twisted and churned with using the garish Tollywood narrative.
The story is such that there are lot many plots involved but the director does not let any one plot to take its natural course. For example, the friendship angle between Surya and Sri Ram. It is never shown of why there is so much of trust and bond between them. One more plot which is never explored is bond between Sri Ram's father and Surya. They seem to be very superficial though there was some scope to bring some emotional satisfaction. Also the thread involving Vaishnavi's mother and Surya, the most misplaced one in screenplay and which makes audience restless, should have had more depth to it.
Instead the director takes useless directions such as Meghana winning the athletic race, which by the way appears more like show off of Deeksha Seth's navel than a race. Also the oneupmanship games between Raja Gowd and Surya do not gel into the film once the main story is established.
There is so much to write about Nippu in the form of analysis but it would take as much screen time and it is an exercise in futility as the audience seem to want the same things over and over again.
Coming to the performances, there is not even one performance worth mentioning. As usual, Raviteja is careless and Deeksha is expressionless. As usual, Pradeep Rawat bites his teeth and Brahmanandam makes faces. And as usual, Sri Ram is the brother of the heroine and the friend of the hero. Bhavana comes in the darkness and vanishes in the darkness. The comic department tries hard to make you laugh but you don't.
The technical departments do not cover themselves in glory as SS Thaman gave his routine mix in the name of music and Sarvesh Murari just went through motions with his camera and the editor of the film had forgotten that there lies some sequential order to films and he can make proceeding quicken if he had applied his scissors in a better way. There are so many things to be edited out, such as the entire interval fight episode and the entire Jeeva portion. The climax could have come 20 minutes earlier and the culmination much more better.
But what was an actor like Rajendra Prasad doing in this film? Sir, do not degrade yourself by accepting these kind of roles. It hurts your fans. One sincere appeal to Gunasekhar, Sir! You have missed your stamp in the movie. Please gives us your conviction and do not compromise. On the hindsight, an appeal to Raviteja would not be out of place, Sir! You have entertained us critics and masses alike with your films and we wait for your films, but show some difference in every other flick as we are getting confused about your films and mistaking one film with the other. In one word all your films are appearing to be the same. And finally one tongue-in-cheek comment for YVS Chowdary, Sir! You have an unbelievable knack of delivering greatest duds for Tollywood heroes. Who's next on your list?
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