Directed by: Srikanth Addala
Produced by: Suresh Babu, Kalaipuli S Thanu
Written by: Vetrimaaran
Based on: Asuran by Vetrimaaran
Starring: Venkatesh, Priyamani, Karthik Ratnam, Nasser, Rajiv Kanakala etc
Music by: Mani Sharma
Cinematography: Sam K Naidu
Edited by: Marthand K Venkatesh
Production Companies: Suresh Productions & V Creations

iQlikmovies Rating: 2.75/5

Victory Venkatesh's Narappa is the biggest Telugu film that had opted for a direct digital release. Fans were eagerly waiting for it for the last few days. The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video last night. Directed by Sreekanth Addala, Narappa featured Priyamani as the female lead. Check out the film's review here.

Story:

Narappa is a poor farmer who stays in a remote village of the Anantapur district. He doesn't involve in any feuds with others and also expects the same from his family members. However, his sons Munikanna and Sinabba are hot-blooded youngsters who turn against feudal lords in a dispute. How the dispute affected Narappa's family? What is the reason behind Narappa's intention of not getting into fights? Will Narappa save his family? These factors form the rest of the story.

Performances:

This is a tailor-made role for Venkatesh. The actor is known for his comical timing and emotional performances. As Narappa is a serious film, we get to see his emotional side in this film. Be it the sentimental scenes or the action scenes, Venkatesh did them with ease. He is the main pillar of the film and no one could have done this role in Telugu better than him.

After a long time, Priyamani got a meaty role and she excelled in it. Her performance proves what a bundle of talent she is. Young actor Karthik Ratnam steals the show with his powerful performance in the first half. The actor who played Venkatesh's younger son also did well.

Rest others like Rao Ramesh, Rajeev Kanakala, and Nasser have performed within their role limitations.

Technical Aspects:

The cinematography by Shyam K Naidu is not spell-bounding. It is decent. Most of the shots resemble the ones from the original Tamil version, Asuran.

Mani Sharma's songs are nice and so is the main background score of GV Prakash Kumar, which is again used from the original version. The editing could have been a bit crisper. The production values are not up to the mark.

Review:

Director Sreekanth Addala remained faithful to the original version. All the scenes and shots are lifted exactly from the original. But what is missing in Narappa is the soul of Asuran. The latter openly terms itself as a caste-based film and the hero belongs to an oppressed caste. While in Narappa, it is shown that the story is between rich and poor. There is also a dialogue stating that there is no caste and religion for a poor man. With this narration, the director deviated from the main crux of the story. The first half is very slow and things pick up the pace during the interval point. The second half is good.

What saved Narappa is the performances of Venkatesh and the other cast. Everyone suited to their roles perfectly and has done justice as well. If we take out their performances, the film is like an empty vessel. To sum up, Narappa may not appeal to the audiences who watched Asuran and will remain a one-time watch for people who haven't watched the original.

Plus Points:

Venkatesh
Other lead actors
Background Score

Minus Points:

Core-point has deviated
Slow screenplay
Ineffective flashback love track

Final Verdict: Narappa can be watched only for Venky Mama