This buddy film with a loose plot entertains only in parts
Coming in the wake of the award-winning hit Pelli Choopulu, director Tharun Bhaskcer raises a lot of expectations with Ee Nagaraniki Emayindi. Another small-budget film, produced by Suresh Babu, many of the actors are new except the lead actress Anisha Ambrose.
Vivek (Vishwaksen Naidu), Karthik (Sushanth Reddy), Upendra (Venkatesh Kakumanu) and Kaushik (Abhinav Gomatam) are childhood friends. Vivek is an aspiring director and wants to make short films with help from the other three: Karthik is a photographer, Upendra is an editor and Kaushik an actor.
Their plans go awry when Vivek breaks up with his girlfriend (Simran Chudhary). Karthik settles as a manager in a bar, Upendra becomes a wedding photographer and Kaushik gives voiceovers for animal channels and aspires for roles in TV serials.
Karthik’s engagement is fixed with the daughter of the bar owner, who even offers him a ring to give his daughter. The friends decide to meet up and holiday at Goa. While in Goa, Karthik loses the wedding ring and Vivek finds a new girlfriend (Anisha Ambrose).
A short film contest is going on and the friends decide to participate in it for the `6 lakh prize money with which they want to buy a ring.
From the well-narrated romantic comedy of Pelli Choopulu, Bhaskcer shifts to a buddy comedy. Ee Nagaraniki Emayindi features some episodes from his own life, including his struggle to make it as a short film-maker.
Bhaskcer takes his time to introduce each of the characters. The actors are realistic, the dialogues and some scenes are lively. The slow narration lets them down. The jokes and dialogues entertain now and then, the story is not strong enough to tie them all together. Besides, the emotional quotient is missing.
Ee Nagaraniki Emayindi falls in the category of a few Hindi films like Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On and Hangover, and has elements from these films. A buddy comedy is always fun, but this film lacks novelty, especially in the second half. The gang losing the ring and trying to make money by participating in a contest is not convincing.
All in all, after Pelli Choopulu Ee, Nagaraniki Emayindi is a climbdown for Bhascker.
Vishwaksen Naidu is convincing as Vivek. Sushanth Reddy and Abhinav Gomatam are promising. The highlight is Venkatesh Kakumanu, who steals the show. He actually saves the film in the second half with his fun dialogues and hilarious expressions, especially the scene between him and Vishwaksen.
Anisha Ambrose is beautiful and plays her part very well. She is the only experienced actor in the film. Simran Chaudhary plays the other female lead does a nice job. The cinematography captures beautiful locales especially during the Goa episode. Music by Vivek Sagar is a big disappointment and the songs are not catchy. The dialogues are entertaining.
Ee Nagaraniki Emayindi only targets a certain kind of audience, especially the youth. It is a pity that Bhascker has not concentrated on the script and has instead focused on scenes with boozing and banter.