Soggade Chinni Nayana Movie Review

Synopsis: Ramu (Nagarjuna) and Seetha (Lavanya Tripathi) have come to India for divorce. Ramu’s mother Satyabhama (Ramya Krishna) is helpless and desperately remembers her dead husband Bangarraju (Nagarjuna). Lord Yama (Naga Babu) decides to send him to earth to help her.

Movie Review: To lay it on the line, Soggade Chinni Nayana is a very simple yet enjoyable film that makes your festival celebratory! There are two ways of watching a film. One, nitpicking and looking at what could have made it better. Two, just soaking it in as it goes forward, without any judgement. And Soggade Chinni Nayana is a film which falls in the latter category.

Soggade… takes you into the world of father-son duo Bangarraju, the quintessential manmadhudu of the village who comes back as the aatma, and Ramu (both played by Nagarjuna), the nerd who is even scared to raise his head and look at women! In the contrasting world of the duo are their wives Satyabhama (Ramya Krishna) And Seetha (Lavanya Tripathi). And as we go ahead with their story, we are given the rural flavor replete with langa vonis, muggulu, panche kattu, fields, kallu and a lot more.

The fun begins when lord Yama allows Bangarraju to go back to earth albeit for a short period to help her solve some issues in the family. Well, this supernatural element is what takes the story forward and the first half of the film tracks the romance between him and his wife Satyabhama (even these many years later, their chemistry is crackling and well, they look very young), simultaneously showing us the growing fondness between Ramu and his wife Seetha.

Director Kalyan Krishna reiterates the fact that even a mediocre story can make a fun narrative if told well. Instead of going into a complex mode to deliver the output, he gives you subtle moments that elevate the experience, and make even the predictabilities seem worth the watch. There are some interesting twists at important junctures and eve comedy is situation driven, except for Brahmanandam who helps take the narrative forward.

If the storytelling is one asset, the film’s performances are like the icing on the cake. If Nagarjuna is in top form with easily carrying off two roles, Ramya Krishna is a revelation. One wonders how the two manage to retain that charm. Lavanya Tripathi reminds you of Soundarya who wasn’t just a beauty but a bundle of talent. The rest of the cast is well-placed too.

Now to the downside – Anushka’s cameo is wasted and doesn’t really add any value to the plot. Also, it’s quite obvious that Satyabhama doesn’t seem to mind her husband’s flirtatious ways. Granted, this story aims to just entertain but then, when the main part arrives – when Bangarraju realises why he has been sent back to earth, the plot seems to lose steam.

But yet, this movie is so uncomplicated, unfussy and unpretentious that you’d just get hooked to its simplicity. There’s so much hype surrounding festival releases making one wonder if it’s all too overrated. But let us tell you that watching Soggade…, you’ll realise that it’s worth it!