Nani who portrays the travails of a Brahmin youth in love with a Christian girl is confident that his movie will not annoy the community…writes Narendra Puppala
Telugu movie ‘Ante Sundaraniki’ is ‘Natural Star’ Nani’s second theatrical release in the post-pandemic scenario.
Nani feels that a lighthearted rom-com like ‘Ante Sundaraniki’ to be welcomed by theatre audiences.
“A film like this is much needed at this point of time after watching back-to-back huge action movies and after the pandemic, people need some relief, a breather which is just lighthearted, which will put a smile on you throughout the film and you walk out with a nice feeling. I mean that’s the kind of film we’re all looking for now. Im super happy that it’s coming out now,” Nani said.
In the movie, Nani is a young Brahmin named Sundar whose dream is to visit the USA at least once in his life. Nazriya Nazim who played his love interest as Leela aims to become a popular photographer. The two different worlds of Sundar and Leela, their love story and the fun in the journey together is depicted interestingly in ‘Ante Sundaraniki’.
While in the past there have been protests by Brahmin organisations over caricaturing and denigrating the community in some Telugu films, Nani who portrays the travails of a Brahmin youth in love with a Christian girl is confident that his movie will not annoy the community.
“Not at all. Because we didn’t exaggerate or mock anyone. Or it’s not a loud kind of comedy. It’s a very realistic approach. And we’re not discussing the religion. We’re discussing people here. So I’m not worried about it at all,” he told.
Nani stood a solid chance of landing success with ‘Ante Sundaraniki’ after ‘Shyam Singha Roy’ went quite well despite average material. It is, after all, a family drama, not merely a rom-com.
Theatrical response
‘Ante Sundaraniki’ has not done well for some reason, despite the fact that the majority of audience members think the second half is fantastic.
One probable reason being quoted behind the commercial flop is that people are likely to prefer seeing the film on OTT rather than seeing it in theatres (something they did not wish to do in the case of ‘Shyam Singha Roy,’ which fared well on OTT in the month of ‘Akhanda’ and ‘Pushpa: The Rise’).
There has been a steady stream of people arriving in theatres since February, producing exhaustion and the need to take a break, which is another possible reason for the movie’s performance. On the other hand, ‘Vikram’ and ‘Major’ showed no such indicators.
If ‘Virata Parvam,’ starring Rana-Sai Pallavi, has a bigger opening weekend than Nani’s film, it will be assumed that ‘Ante Sundaraniki,’ tanked due to its content. Otherwise, it’s just another case of poor luck for Nani, who has put in a strong performance.
‘Ante Sundaraniki’ starring Nani, Nazriya Nazim, Fahadh Faasil, is directed by Vivek Athreya and produced by Mythry Movie Makers. Vivek Sagar has composed the music for the movie released on June 10, in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
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