Hi Nanna Movie Review: Heart wrenching movie of father and daughter; Nani, Mrunal, & Kiara satisfied feeling

There are films that shock you and there are film that manipulate you and there are films that gently nudge you and tug you. This weeks movie is Hi Nanna (transl. Hi Dad) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Shouryuv in his directorial debut. 

The film stars Nani and Mrunal Thakur in the lead roles, alongside child actor Kiara Khanna in a solid debut. 

It's the season of daddy issues. After last week's animal, we get a human with Hi Nanna. 

Viraj is a single father to Mahi. His daughter keeps asking him to narrate stories and pesters him to narrate this particular story of his mother. What follows is a whirlwind romance that is emotional and touching. 

In other words, "chala chala hota hai". First time director Shouryuv nails the beginning portions of the movie thanks primarily to his crew. Sanu John Varghese who also shot Jersey brings his A game. 

The frames look like an ice cream sundae. Purple, pink and mint coupled with Nani's pastel brown colors as if to signify a weary man raising a daughter by himself. Then there is Hesham Abdul Wahab whose stirring uplifting tunes string together the delicate scenes using his soulful BGM. The film is in fact shot like a Hallmark movie. Like it belongs in the same universe as the sound of music or Mary Poppins.

Shouryuv throws all things soft and fluffy at you. Whether it is puppies or children or single fathers or songs that remind you of your younger self jiving to Harris Jayaraj. In a Hallmark movie, logic takes a backseat and lets charm do the driving. Having witnessed dysfunctional families, I generally roll my eyes at movies that depict stories of familial love. But the writing in this movie is sensitive and yet not syrupy sweet. It is touching but not emotionally manipulative. There are easy themes that the director resorts to. But the writer and him always find something fresh to bring into the scenes. Even with the limiting genre, the director elevates the film by making it a heart wrenching story of father and daughter. Personally like a pet peeve of mine, I was glad that even though the movie is situated in Mumbai, none of the characters acknowledge that hey you are also Telugu. That's the scene we have in every movie.

Holding the film together are the performances in the movie, and each of them are on point, child actor Kiara Khanna's character was the one I was most iffy about, and that is because child actors are usually oscillating between cute and weepy. But she is the spot of sunshine in the movie and you will feel for her. Mrunal Thakur is as good as Varsha her eyes acting like her windows to her turbulent soul. In her two movies Mrunal Thakur have done more things than some of the other female actors in the Telugu cinema. Nani is back to his comfort zone, his body of work if you look at it is such a fine contrast to the grunting bellowing Heroes who attach us every Friday. But Hi Nanna is continuation of his Humane filmography and its hard to imagine anybody else pulling a such a role with such ease and nuance. 

Of course, Hai Nana has some obvious flaws. The open-ended threads that it leaves in the movie are sometimes confusing and parts of it feel dragged out like eternal sunshine of the thoughtless mind. 

Finally those of you who used to always think that you would be a single father, you know, but after watching this movie, you will realize how difficult it is to be a single father.  Having said that, Hi Nanna is a film that leaves you with a warm, satisfied feeling. 

  

Fiction rating is   3.5/5

Please leave your thoughts on the comments. Hi Nanna is available in Netflix, go-ahead and have fun.