Siddharth Naalo Okkadu review, rating

Siddarth's Naalo Okkadu hit theatres today. Before we give you a review of the film. Let's take a look at the production crew.

Directed by Prasad Ramar
Produced by C. V. Kumar
Written by Pawan Kumar
Starring Siddharth, Deepa Sannidhi, Srushti Dange
Music by Santhosh Narayanan
Cinematography Gopi Amarnath
Edited by Leo John Paul
Production company Thirukumaran Entertainment, Abi TCS Studios
Distributed by Y Not Studios, Radiance Media, Dream Factory
Release dates

About the movie: The film is the Telugu version of the Tamil hit Ennakul Oruvan. The film is a remake of the Kannada hit Lucia. An insomniac is tricked into buying a drug that blurs the line between dreams and reality.
An insomniac theatre usher is given a pill that will not only put him to sleep but make his dreams so vivid that they will feel real. In his dream, he is a popular film star. But soon, the real world and dream world spill over into one another...

Critic's Review by Haricharan Pudipeddi:

Throughout "Naalo Okkadu", a remake of Kannada indie hit "Lucia", we see Siddharth desperately trying to convince us that there's a highly talented actor within the star he has become over the years.

In the film, ironically, he plays a dual role -- of that of a posh movie star and an usher in a seedy, single-screen theatre. But when you watch the movie as a remake of "Lucia", it's slightly difficult to accept Siddharth in the lead role, originally essayed by Kannada actor Satish Ninasam, who comes with no star baggage. It's the exact opposite for Siddharth, who has mostly relied on his stardom for success.

Since "Jigarthanda", the Siddharth we've seen is not the one who craves for stardom anymore, at least in his choice of roles. And "Naalo Okkadu", which comes at the right time in his career, further proves that he doesn't mind going completely de-glam. Here, he plays the role of the usher with tanned skin, so dark that it seemed unnecessary, but it still works. If as the movie star, Siddharth caters to the multiplex audiences in "Naalo Okkadu", then as the usher he entertains the masses.

In the film, Siddharth plays Vicky, the usher and Vignesh, the movie star. The only problem Vicky has in his almost content life is the lack of sleep. He suffers from insomnia and the cure to his problem is a pill named Lucia, which will make him fall asleep as well as dream, and he'll get to live the life he dreams. When Vicky dreams, he lives the life of Vignesh, who wishes to live the life of an ordinary man, eat from roadside eateries and ride a cycle. There's a scene where he also says the life of a superstar is boring, with not even a minute of privacy.

Siddharth must've asked himself the question what it would be to discard stardom and be an actor for a change. Imagine Siddharth waking up one fine day and realising all the stardom is gone.

"Naalo Okkadu" gives him the opportunity to be just that. And as the guy who is mostly known for playing the ideal boyfriend material for beautiful heroines, Siddharth has finally ditched his chocolate boy tag and has successfully evolved as an actor. In real life, he may still be the star who'd get mobbed by fans when he steps out, but on screen he gets to be actor he likes to be.

While "Naalo Okkadu" mostly remains faithful to the original, it lacks its indie spirit and somehow still feels commercial. The film would've worked with someone with no image and stardom, but Siddharth doesn't disappoint.

Rating:3/5

Plot: The plot is non-linear, and the end scene of the film shows the real beginning of the story.The plot starts with the protagonist being in a state of coma and continuing only on life support. The film, from the beginning, tells two stories of the same person, one in colour and the other in black and white.

Check out the trailer of Naalo Okkadu to get a peek into the storyline