Boyapati has joined the list of top directors in Tollywood after series of hits and his movies generally strike a chord with the mass audiences.

After smashing hit “Sarrainodu”, Boyapati teaming up with an upcoming star like Bellamkonda Srinivas for “Jaya Janaki Nayaka” has raised curiosity. Boyapati also claimed that he has made love story after a long time.Let’s find out its merits and demerits.

Story:

Gagan (Bellamkonda Srinivas) is son of an industrialist called Chakravarthy (Sharath Kumar). Gagan, his father and his brother (Nandu) behave as if they are thick friends and hangout with drinks.

One day, Gagan rescues a girl from rowdy gang in the college and the college student Sweety (Rakul) starts liking him.She comes to know his family and she changes the habits of his family – drinking alcohol and getting in fights. Soon Gagan also starts liking her.

On the other hand, a businessman Varma (Jagapathi Babu) bids for a highway project but a liquor don wants this project to come to him at any cost.

When the Chief of National Highways Authority (JP) hands over the project to Varma, the liquor don is on mission to kill all of them. The officer happens to be  Sweety’s father and he marries her off to Varma’s son much against her wishes.

In the marriage mandapam, the groom is killed by liquor don and Sweety turns widow. In a turn of incidents, Gagan comes into the picture and saves the family of Varma.How Gagan takes on liquor don and weds widowed Sweety is the story.

Artistes’ Performances:

Bellamkonda Srinivas as Gagan has built up muscles and body. He has looked more like macho man than a student. He impresses in action stunts and final sequences.

Rakul Preet Singh looks beautiful in the beginning but she turns weepy post interval.Jagapathi Babu gets another interesting role as an industrialist who does anything for ‘pride’ (paruvu).Sharat Kumar and Nandu as father and brother of Bellamkonda are neat.

Pragya appears as Vizag girl in few scenes and songs. There are plenty of actors but all of them act in loud manner. Vani Vishwanath appears as Jagapathi Babu’s sister.

Technical Excellence:
The one thing that is striking in the movie is cinematography by Rishi Punjabi. He has made every frame look rich. It is for his camera work that the movie looks bright despite routine scenes.

Editing is okay. Action stunts are terrific, the Hamsala Deevi episode is done in a terrific way. Dialogues by Ratnam might appeal to mass audiences.

Highlights:

• Boyapati mark of mass elements
• Love scenes
• Pre-climax scenes
• Hamsala Deevi Action Episode

Drawback:

• Predictable story
• Routine screenplay

Analysis:

Director Boyapati Srinu’s heroes and villains are predictable. His villains behave as if there is no law or no law enforcement officers in the country. His heroes fight with villains as if they are trained in all kind of fight sequences despite they coming from rich families and posh backgrounds.

In “Simha”, the hero is a rich doctor. In “Sarrainodu”, the protagonist is the son of chief secretary of a state. Here in “Jaya Janaki Nayaka”, the hero is a student and son of a rich businessman. But that doesn’t stop Boyapati’s heroes taking up swords, doing stunts.

If you forget these aspects, you will enjoy Boyapati’s movies. His core strength is evoking emotions in action stunts.

In “Jaya Janaki Nayaka” too, he gets them right. The film begins with the love story between Rakul and Bellamonda, but it soon turns into an action-revenge drama.

The only difference here is that the heroine gets married to another guy and becomes a widow and then the hero decides to risk everything for her. But it gets into serious mode and also turns a bit emotional after the interval.

The entire episode from Vani Vishwanath asking Jagapathi Babu to do homam in Hamsala Deevi to the “Nee Valle Nee Valle” song is quite riveting. The “Hamsala Deevi” action episode is one of the best shot sequences in Telugu.

The movie slackens a bit but it holds interest again in the final sequences. The highlights of the movie are its action stunts and hero going to any length to win back the love of his lover who is now a widow.

Although the movie holds interest in the second half, it has predictability factor throughout. This is director Boyapati’s mark film but it also has ample mass moments that will appeal to his targeted audiences.

On the whole, “Jaya Janaki Nayaka” is typical Boyapati’s mass-action drama that has some good fights and interesting scenes here and there. It may work in B and C centers but it is unlikely to appeal to class audiences and overseas audiences.

Bottom-line: Typical Boyapati Movie

Following the back-to-back successes of Ghazi and Baahubali 2, expectations are quite high on Rana’s Nene Raju Nene Mantri. Teja, who is eagerly waiting to bounce back with a solid hit, has directed NRNM. Kajal pairs up with Rana for the first time in this movie which has hit the screens today after a huge round of promotions. Let’s see how it fared.

Story :-

NRNM’s story is set in Uravakonda village in Rayalaseema. Jogendra (Rana) is a good-natured financier. He loves his wife Radha (Kajal) so much that he rechristens his name as Radha Jogendra.

An unfortunate incident involving the village Sarpanch (Pradeep Rawat) and his wife results in Radha’s miscarriage. Jogendra avenges the injustice by becoming the Sarpanch. A series of dramatic events motivate Rana to become an MLA and then a minister before he sets his eyes on the Chief Minister’s chair eventually.

Can Jogendra overcome the impending powers that come in his way? Does his love for Radha remain the same in his lust for power and fight for survival? You need to watch the movie to experience the high-voltage drama.

Plus Points :-

Performances and a dramatic narrative are the major highlights in NRNM. Rana surprises with his menacing performance as Jogendra. He effortlessly transforms from being a kind-hearted village man to a dreaded politician who lusts for power. His performance in emotional scenes shows his maturity as an actor.

Kajal looks gracious in traditional saris. Her chemistry with Rana in romantic scenes and her emotional performance in a few confrontational scenes with Rana and the pre-climax scene is a treat for her fans. Catherine Tresa as an egoistic media baron, Devika Rani, who falls in love with Jogendra is quite impressive. Navdeep as Rana’s trusted lieutenant has a substantial role and he plays his part with elan.

Seasoned actors like Ashutosh Rana, Posani, Sivaji Raja, Ajay, Tanikella Bharani and others bring in high-voltage drama to the narrative with their commendable performances.

After a long time, director Teja has come up with a racy and riveting story that is filled with intense drama right from the word go. Certain scenes that elevate Jogendra’s heroism bring back glimpses of the vintage Teja we have been missing all these years. The way he sticks to an unconventional ending laced with a strong social message is praiseworthy.

Minus Points :-

Rana takes a while to get into the skin of his character. While he is at ease playing the power thirsty Jogendra, his performance as the village financier is not entirely convincing as his expressions and body language is too sophisticated.

Can a simple village man become the state’s Chief Minister in 5 years? While the storyline sounds too superficial, Teja makes his narrative even more unconvincing at times as he takes too many cinematic liberties while showcasing Rana’s rise as a politician.

Even the climax scenes where Rana kills more than 200 MLAs and then the Supreme Court ordering a re-enquiry into Rana’s death sentence just moments before his execution defy logic.

Technical Aspects :-

Songs in NRNM are situational and serve the purpose of carrying the story forward. Anup’s background score elevates the mood and adds intensity to the proceedings, especially in the pre-climax and climax scenes. Dialogues by Lakshmi Bhupal are functional. He penned several punch dialogues that play to the galleries.

The film is shot realistically in natural locales. Venkat C Dileep explores the barren lands and the gigantic canyons in Kurnool quite well. Editing it’s adequate as it complements the movie’s flow. Production values are quite impressive.

Verdict :-

On the whole, Nene Raju Nene Mantri is a conflict between love and power. What happens when a common man seeks vengeance and takes on those in power and how his ego destroys his life forms the main story. You will surely enjoy this hard-hitting drama if you leave the logics aside. The film offers a bit of everything to a wide range of audiences and its box-office range depends on how well the movie lovers accept the intensity of the story.