Rating: 3.25/5 (Entertaining Festival Film)

It's been 18 months since we last saw Akkineni Nagarjuna on screen in Manam. Joining hands with debutant Kalyan Krishna, Nag has made a romantic fantasy film that was released for Sankranthi 2016. How is the film? Find out in this review.

Story: Satyabhama (Ramya Krishna) is a widowed mother of 1 who lives in Sivapuram with all her relatives. Her son Ramu (Nagarjuna) returns home with his wife Seetha (Lavanya Tripathi) to convince her to let them get divorced as she feels all he does is work and pays no attention and spends no time with her. Satyabhama, unable to figure out what to do calls for her dead husband, the flirtatious and charming Bangarraju (Nagarjuna) to help her solve the issue at hand. Yama (Nagabbu) sends his soul to Earth to help his wife with their sons problem. But there's more than meets the eye to Bangarraju's death. What actually happened to him and does he save his sons marriage in the end forms the rest of the story.

Performances: Nagarjuna rocks the film from start to finish. Bangarraju takes the cake here and he is simply incredible as the flirtatious zamindar. The way he goes around the village trying to pick up girls is just too funny to watch and his village slang is on point. He is good as Ramu too and portrays the shy and timid character to perfection.

Nag and Ramya Krishna have always been a hit pair and this film is no different. Ramya Krishna is stunning and so gorgeous even at this age and she also gives a commanding performance as usual. She is extremely good looking in the sarees in this film.

Lavanya Tripathi as Sita is gorgeous as well and goves a sincere performance as well.

Nasser, Sampath, and Mahadevan as the villains leave an impact. Chalapathi Rao has some nice one liners that will make you laugh.

Brahmanandham as a fake baba will make you laugh and root for him after a long time. Posani has a highly irritating character that's vital to the movie.

Anasuya, Hamsa Nandini and Anushka make cameo appearances as love interests of Nagarjuna.

Technicalities: Music and BGM by Anup Rubens is excellent. Vasthane Vasthane and the title song are nice to see on screen. Cinematography by PS Vinod is superb. The rich visuals and the lush greenery give a positive vibe when watching the film. Editing by Prawin Pudi is decent. Art is ok. Dialogues by Kalyan Krishna are very good especially for Bangarraju's character. Direction by Kalyan Krishna is good. Production Values by Annapurna Studios are grand and vibrant.

Analysis: Soggade Chinni Nayana is a pure family entertainer, that barring Bangarraju's flirtatious avatar, makes for a perfect Sankranthi treat. The taking, the visuals, the concept, and the village feel just give a celebratory and festive vibe to the film and you will definitely feel this way when you watch the film.

The 1st half is good and the interval twist is unexpected. The 2nd half is nice as well but you wish the conflict and the reason for Bangarraju's death was more convincing. The fantasy angle and the performances from the leads make this an entertaining watch and Nagarjuna will definitely score back to back hits with this film.

Overall, Soggade Chinni Nayana is an entertaining Sankranthi treat. The performances, concept, music, camerawork, and festive feel make the film worth a watch.