Anaganaga Oka Raju

Naveen Polishetty is effective in light-hearted roles and once again livens up the screen with his swag and humour. However, even his charm cannot salvage the weak story, especially as the second half drags. Meenakshi Chaudhary looks pretty and performs adequately. Rao Ramesh, Chamak Chandra, and Goparaju are passable in their roles. Director Maari handles the proceedings competently, but Naveen, who also penned the script and screenplay, should have opted for a fresher, new-age storyline instead of rehashing themes reminiscent of old Rajendra Prasad films AA Okkati Adakku. The result is a disappointing entertainer that fails to rise above clichés.

Naveen Polishetty has created an image where his films guarantee entertainment, and he once again proves it with Anaganaga Oka Raju. Though Maari is the director, Naveen’s involvement in the dialogues and screenplay — as mentioned in the title cards — makes it evident that he has a strong hand in shaping the film. He knows how to keep the audience engaged without letting the film feel boring.

Directed by Maari, Anaganaga Oka Raju is a film that breathes easy because of its male protagonist. The world created is generic not only in terms of its template look and feel but also because of the stock characters that inhabit it. Yet, the focus is cast entirely on Naveen Polishetty, who takes centre stage with great confidence and struts about with his now well-known comic timing and self-effacing warmth. The story might be predictable all along, but his one-liners come at a breakneck speed, and the gags remain at the optimum level of silly and harmless.