TejaFilms.com Rating: 5/10 (Average-Strict One Time Watch)

Actor Nani has been on a roll ever since Yevade Subramanyam and has delivered 4 consecutive hits. His next film Majnu, directed by Virinchi Varma hit screens on September 23rd. Will Nani make it 5 hits in row? Read my review to find out.

Story: Aditya(Nani) is an assistant director to Rajamouli for Baahubali 2. He is just coming off a breakup. His friend Satya (Satyanand) shows him his new boss (Suma) and he immediately impresses her and she wants to know his love story. 4 months back in Bheemvaram, he just graduated college and already has a job waiting for him but he left everything because he fell head over heels for a girl Kiranmayi (Anu Emmanuel). But she disappear after the accident that causes them to meet. So he looks in and every corner until he finally finds her on the road one day which stalking to the extreme limit and finds out that she is studying at the same college he went to. Slowly love blossoms between but due to some circumstances, they break up. After hearing the story, Suma falls in love with him. The twist is that Kiran is Suma's cousin and how Aditya and Kiran realize they're made for each other is the rest of the story.

Performances: As expected there's only one reason to watch this movie and that's Nani. The Natural Star is superb in his role and does a decent job in the college episodes. His performance in the Navarasa scene is too good. He carries this weak film on his shoulders. Heroines Priyashri and Anu Emmanuel are what hold this movie back. Neither of them put in even a half decent performance and Anu's expressions were straight up stone faced the whole movie. Satyanand provides some comedy and has a lenghty role. Saptagiri is okay. Vennela Kishore is hilarious as Bhansali. Rajamouli steals the show with his witty dialogues.

Technical: Music by Gopi Sunder is good to listen to and is ok on screen. Background score is fine. Dialogues are ok. they could have been better. The love letter written is good. Editing is the main culprit of this film. It could have been way better. Cinematography is excellent and easy on the eyes. Production values could be better in my opinion.

Analysis: When walking into a Nani film, you expect two things. One is entertainment and two is a good performance from him. While he never disapoints on the latter, it's the former that kills this movie. Majnu has a weak story that could have been so much better. Director Virinchi Varma got the 2nd movie syndrome but Nani bailed him out this time. The movie starts off well but the flashback is long and drawn out and too many songs in the first half test your patience. When the flashback is over, you expect the romance to turn into something that's like cat and mouse game. But it doesn't.

The interval bang is nice and unexpected and you'd think it would make for an entertaining 2nd half. But it doesn't. Vennela Kishore enters in the 2nd half and you wish he was there the entire half because he makes you laugh more than any other actor in the movie. But his role is cut short and the entertainment dies once again. The 2nd half drags on and on and you wonder when it will ever end. The makers could have easily trimmed off about 30 minutes and made this an 1 hr and 50 min film but instead it runs on for 2 hrs and 20 mins.

On the whole, Majnu is Nani's least entertaining film in a long time. Weak story and dragging 2nd half play spoilsport to this average love story. Given Nani's track record, he could and should be able to save this one from sinking.