Nenu Student Sir Movie Review: Student passes the exam

After the family entertainer “Swathimuthyam,” Ganesh Bellamkonda is back with his second film “Nenu Student Sir!” Directed by Rakhi Uppalapati, the film has hit the screens today. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Subbu (Ganesh Bellamkonda), a college student, is very fond of iPhone. He plans to purchase iPhone 12, but his financial ability stops him from doing so. Subbu finally buys one with his hard-earned money. Unfortunately, the same mobile makes him land in a murder case and turns his life upside down. Much to his shock, his bank account gets credited with 1.75 crores. How did Subbu get involved in a murder case? Who deposited such a lumpsum amount in Subbu’s account? What hardships did Subbu go through to prove his innocence is the main crux of the film.

Analysis

At first glance, "Nenu Student Sir" gives the impression of a murder mystery or suspense thriller. However, the film only delves into its central issue—the fraud of stealing from unclaimed bank accounts—towards its final act. Much of the film revolves around the protagonist's quest to find his lost phone and the subsequent events.

Withholding the central point until the end can be acceptable if the preceding sequences are highly captivating. While the film's central premise is intriguing, the narration by the new director Rakhi Uppalapati fails to engage the audience enough to sustain their interest for over two hours.

The first act of "Nenu Student Sir" focuses on the protagonist's obsession with obtaining an iPhone, which he affectionately refers to as "Buchi Babu" and treats as if it were a younger sibling. The second act revolves around his attempts to win over the heroine and retrieve his phone from the police. However, these parts lack interest and make the movie tedious. Thankfully, the film gains momentum when the hero is framed in a murder case, generating curiosity.

The main story of "Nenu Student Sir" revolves around a scam involving the theft of money from unclaimed bank accounts, which is a serious issue. The film merely scratches the surface of this subject, but there are enough elements present to create some exciting sequences. As mentioned, the film only becomes interesting during these portions, while the rest of the movie is dull.

Overall, the scam portrayed in "Nenu Student Sir" is interesting and relevant, but the execution and storytelling of the film fall short. The majority of the film lacks interest, yet the central idea is worth exploring. Perhaps, among the three new releases this weekend, this film feels a bit better.

Performances

Bellamkonda Ganesh has the looks of a college student. He is a perfect match for the part. Avantika Dassani, daughter of veteran actress Bhagyashri (of "Maine Pyar Kiya" fame), makes her acting debut in the film. However, her role is rather regular, and the romance between Ganesh and Avantika lacks fizz. Samuthirakani portrays a good cop. He's fine. Both Srikanth Iyengar and Charandeep perform their roles competently. Ravi Sivateja as the hero's friend is okay.

Technicalities

Director Rakhi Uppalapati did a below-par job with the movie. Despite having an interesting point, he didn’t succeed in coming up with an engaging screenplay. The last forty minutes act as the saving grace. Nenu Student Sir! indeed had a lot more potential, but it hasn’t been used effectively. The music by Mahati Swara Sagar is decent, and the Maaye Maaye song was good on screen. Anith Madhadi’s camera work is good, and so are the production values. The dialogues, as mentioned earlier should have been written better. The editing is not upto the mark.

Advantages

Core point of bank scam

Interval bang

Climax scenes

Drawbacks

Boring first half

Scenes between hero and heroine

Ineffective narration