Nayaki Review

Release date:July 15th, 2016 Director: Govi Producer: Giridhar Mamidipally, Padmaja Mamidipally Music Director: Raghu Kunche Starring: Trisha, Shushma Raj, Ganesh Venkatraman 'Nayaki', the horror-comedy written and directed by Govi (Govardhan Reddy) of 'Love You, Bangaram' fame, is here in theaters 'Nayaki' begins with a newsreader reporting about the disappearance of a number of youths over the last three decades, scores of males have gone untraced in suburb of Hyderabad. Meanwhile, a very lengthy intro scene of Nayaki (Trisha), where she dresses herself in old-world attire expecting lechers to knock on her door, sets the mood. The mystery surrounding the deaths has been unresolved. On the other hand is narrated the story of Sanjay (Sathyam Rajesh), a filmmaker with a penchant for horror flicks, and an inclination for gloating about his harsh ways of treating evil spirits. He is cheating on the honest Sandhya (Sushma Raj), who wants to confess her love tonight. A bespectacled, tech-savvy old man (played by Jayaprakash) is apparently offended by his ways as the double-timing Sanjay cheats on Sandhya (Sushma Raj), who is innocence-personified. Sanjay-Sandhya duo ends up in the haunted mansion where Nayaki is apparently waiting to teach Sanjay a lesson. What is Nayaki's agenda and why is she scaring the daylights out of Sanjay? Why has she devoured many males over three decades? Answers to these questions are found in the second half. Technical Cinematographer Jagadish work is quite impressive. Lighting setup and mood for this film were aesthetically created. Raghu Kunche’s music is about average. Editing and production value were not up to mark. Coming to the director Govi, he has done quite a routine job with his narration. Locations and the treatment of the film were not aesthetic. The way he shown the lead was fresh which has to be appreciated. Analysis The games that Nayaki plays with Sanjay and Sandhya are kid stuff, much like the film itself. Director Govi is inspired by 'Prema Katha Chitram' in no small measure (perhaps owing to his association with Maruthi Talkies in the past). The story line bears some resemblance to that of the 'Chitram Bhalare Vichitram although 'Nayaki' is technically far superior to that movie. Trisha's character is way too sketchy. The flashback episode needed mature writing. The basic backdrop and template of the film is quite routine and old. After a promising start to the film, the second half goes for a toss. So many irrelevant scenes take centre stage are deviated after a while. There are certain scenes which are quite predictable and do not make audience to hold the screen for long time. Also, the flashback shown does not create any interest. So called horror elements showcased during the second half fail to excite you.