Nayaki Review

Nayaki Review, What’s Behind: Top actress Trisha is losing charm with each movie. She isn’t in fancy demand from last couple of years. Finally, Trisha into a heroine centric horror-comedy script sounded interesting. Let us see, what director Govi is here to offer us as the film has hit the screens after a series of postponements.

Nayaki Story: Dindigal is introduced as an area in Hyderabad outskirts deserted due to missing men every now and then. Media reports claim that a devil spirit is roaming in this region. Into the main story, Gayathri (Trisha) resides in a swanky bungalow lying in the same Dindigal area. Is she a lady or dead soul?

On the other hand, horror-short film director Sanjay (Sathyam Rajesh) is big womanizer. He picks up innocent Engineering student Sandhya (Sushma Raj) for a surprise night and lands in the same Gayathri’s bungalow. As per our routine horror formula, Sanjay and Sandhya are troubled by weird happenings in the bungalow generating humor. Here comes in Gayathri’s dead father (Jaya Prakash) to narrate her daughter’s flashback. Who is Gayathri? What happened to her dream of becoming a heroine? What’s the role of cameraman Yugandhar (Ganesh Venkataraman) in Gayathri’s life? How Sanjay and Sandhya helped Gayathri in realizing her dream?

Nayaki Artists and Technicians: Storyline envisioned by Govi isn’t anything out of the box. Throwing Trisha into an evil soul to spawn spooky moments is a new attempt on a star heroine. In those terms, Govi is wonderful to bring Trisha in the main team. But, he forgot to do required groundwork because narration oscillates within a very small story span introducing unbearable boredom. Govi’s screenplay followed a conventional formula with flashback revealing the whole purpose in story. Direction wise, Govi failed miserably. There was no real material to send shivers down our spine and never are we rolled in bundle of laughs. Govi’s direction is simply dry, torpid and lifeless. Dialogues from Govi are also pale and slothful. Jagadish Cheekati cranked the camera within a bungalow set erected with some aesthetic sense. Visuals are really appealing which made us sit throughout. Goutham Raju’s editing lacked the sharpness needed for a horror-comedy flick. Raghu Kunche songs can be easily forgotten while Sai Karthik background score did the magic to give life for few episodes. Production values from Raj Kandukuri and Giridhar are satisfactorily acceptable.

Onto performances, Trisha was off the track with a stray face. Being the very lifeline for entire plot, Trisha tried to administer a genuine dose into Gayathri character by playing with Sathyam Rajesh and Sushma Raj. However, the screenplay bleeds have put all her efforts in vain. In the back story, Trisha remained fine enough to add a much needed value. Sathyam Rajesh is in fact hero of this film. His pairing with beguiling Sushma Raj looked really odd on the screen. Yet, Rajesh managed to pull off the run time with ease. Sushma Raj is persuasive in balancing her role. Tamil actor Jaya Prakash is just fine. Kovai Sarala, Shiva Reddy’s cameo is pathetically designed. Ganesh Venkataraman’s villainy isn’t that productive though he is pivotal in flashback. GV and rest of the others are ok.

Nayaki Rating Analysis: Juiced to the pulp, there’s nothing much left in horror-comedy genre. Except anticipating something novel from Trisha bargaining in this familiar genre, we are sure to fall short. Analyzing in another perspective, we can deeply sympathize with Trisha’s piteous state of career because only those heroines who find nothing engaging in their careers retort to these non-compulsive subjects. Moreover, Trisha really can’t be a jig-saw fit into horror characters. Same was evidential although ‘Nayaki’ journey.

After a direct introduction to core geographic area where the plot unveils, Govi took a very long time to move forward. Sathyam Rajesh and Sushma Raj moving into bungalow, nothing surprising and shocking happens on story front. Slackened pace of happenings, disorderly conceived scenes keep us doubting on whether this is horror movie or a daily TV serial. Till interval, Trisha plays on with two strangers in house and patrons in theatre. 

With no more pre-suppositions, Govi takes us into second half only to prove that he can be far more treacherous to put you in trouble. Oh god… finally, Sathyam Rajesh questions evil spirit of Jaya Prakash… Oh old man… what’s your flashback? Thus comes in, the excruciating back story designed in retro look as Ganesh Venkataraman traumatizes us. Raghu Kunche and Sai Karthik should have laughed their intestines out during RR times. Finally, we are left in a confusion… is Jaya Prakash alive or dead? Back to present, Sathyam Rajesh’s transformation is cinematically a blunder leading us to an unbelievable climax which further pushes you out from theatres.

Nayaki is a complete letdown from Trisha’s standards. Director Govi never showed a promising attitude in dealing this horror-comedy. You might admire Trisha … but still, this isn’t a recommended film for weekend. Its’ too hard to rate ‘Nayaki’ with 2 stars and forget about the commercial response from viewers.

Nayaki Cinejosh Verdict: Stay Away, She Catches And Butchers Your Day.

                                                                  Nayaki Cinejosh Rating: 2.0/5.0

                                                                                                     Reviewed by Srivaas