Nene Raju Nene Mantri review: Here's what Rana Daggubati starrer offers!

Pic Courtesy: Movie Still

New Delhi: After the insurmountable success of 'Baahubali 1 and 2', Rana Daggubati aka Bhallaladeva has become the most sought-after actors in Indian cinema. So, it's quite natural that his next release will be high on the buzz word.

'Nene Raju Nene Mantri' opened in theatres on August 11, 2017, and it features Rana in the lead role. Besides, there's Kajal Aggarwal and Catherine Tresa in pivotal parts.

The Telugu political drama has been helmed by Teja and has garnered a positive review from the critics. Here's what some of the publications have to say about 'Nene Raju Nene Mantri':

“The film is so dense and layered that it leaves you with a heavy hangover in the end. At its core, it’s a biopic of a man whose rise to power turns him into an enemy for a number of people and soon, Jogendra’s journey feels like playing a serious game of chess, where every move he makes turns into a power tussle. It’s the cinematic equivalent of Newton’s Third Law of Physics where every action is met with an equal and opposite reaction. It’s the rise and fall and rise of a man, who’s blinded by the goal he wants to achieve.” Firstpost

“The whole political angle of the story, with numerous characters coming together to plot his ruin, seems like a pesky annoyance in an otherwise beautiful movie. The first half has everything right, until Jogendra does something so out of character that everything begins to fall apart from there. What begins as a stylish film, especially catering to Rana’s fans, gets a little tiring in the second half.” Times Of India.com

“Kajal Aggarwal has delivered a convincing performance in the given role. While Catherine Tresa as Devika Rani, an owner of a news channel, is not explored to her full potential. Her role is meant to add scandal to this political drama. But, again Teja’s reservations has kept him from taking that character to a logical end. It was very evident that Rana’s character was not an ideal hero, who could never make a mistake. The audience knew that Jogendra was morally corrupt and he was ready to do wrong things to get what he wants. So, we expect him to up the ante in being the ‘bad guy’ and surprise us by doing some shocking things. But, director Teja, for some reasons, has not gone all the way in exploring the possibilities of things a character like Jogendra, who is drunk on power, greed and arrogance, could do.” Indian Express

“In a power-packed performance, Rana makes Nene Raju Nene Mantri a memorable film that you would like to revisit. It also marks the strong comeback of Teja after a bevy of duds, and he captures the turmoil of the Indian political system at the grassroot level in the most commercial but entertaining fashion. While the story can be predictable and follows a regular template, the scenes and dialogues make it work. Rana’s powerful screen presence takes everything up a notch and it’s a treat to watch him turn from good to grey.” Hindustan Times

“Rana’s character – Jogendra! As Rana said in one of his earlier interviews ‘The story is about the rise, fall, redemption of Jogendra. We are taken through the chronicles of Jogendra as he rises from an aspiring politician to a scheming money lender to  a powerful, greedy MLA. As a character, he goes through many graphs from being an innocent, scared commoner, to a rising, confident politician to a ruthless, greedy MLA who stops at nothing.  Apart from his politician act, we also get to see Jogendra the husband who is incomplete without Radha, his wife. As he puts it, where there is Radha, there is Jogendra. He is loving, caring, respectful of her. Her presence in his life is what matters most to him. In that sense, you get to see two sides to Jogendra that in turn is layered and complicated. He cuts a fine figure in his suits that are tailor made for his towering figure. Rana’s presence on screen cannot be ignored.” Bollywood Life.com