Predictable Writing Yet Heartening Treatment
Hi Nanna isn’t a film that relies on groundbreaking concepts or techniques to set itself apart. Yes, there’s a big interval twist that turns the tables around for the story in the second half but the way the screenplay flows from one point to the other is largely predictable, especially in the first half. But what works is the heartfelt treatment. Let me explain the story to make my point. 6-year-old Mahi (Kiara Khanna, an amazing find) is raised by a single father, Viraj (a top-tier Nani), and naturally, is very curious to know about her mother. Every time Viraj reads her a bedtime story, he asks her to visualise him as the main character from the story. He is cautious not to tell a story that would demand her mother’s presence. But after a series of incidents, Viraj is left with no option but to tell the kid her mother’s story. And Mahi visualises Yashna (Mrunal Thakur stands out), a kind bystander who prevents the kid from a road accident, as her mother or, her father’s love interest; the lyrics of the song ‘Samayama’ smartly allude to Yashna’s presence, thanking the time for bringing her into their lives and giving the mother a form.
However, the backstory chronicling the blossoming of love between Viraj and Varsha (played by Mrunal Thakur), is Hi Nanna‘s weakest link. These portions reek of predictability and exude a heavy been-there-seen-that feeling because there aren’t many directions this story could go in any way, considering we have already been exposed to the endpoint.
Even though this backstory is suffused with cliches in the form of Varsha’s materialistic and classist mother who stands in the way of the couple’s marriage or the fact that Varsha is scared of marriage because her parents’ relationship ended on an ugly note, the film comes up with some lovely moments. Be it the moment Varsha first finds solace in Viraj’s comforting gesture (something that ties to her parents’ rocky marriage) or the conversation where Varsha points out Viraj’s lack of responsibility, there are glimpses of mature writing. And the exchange between Viraj and Varsha’s mother about his financial status, where he gives it back to her with the trademark Nani simplicity is such a classy mass moment. I wish the film had more such moments that explored familiar situations with a pinch of novelty and coolness.