Movie review 'Anaamika': Nayanthara steals the show

Cast: Nayanthara, Vaibhav, Harshavardhan Rane and Pasupathi

Director: Sekhar Kammula

Rating: ***

In search of her missing husband, Anaamika (Nayanthara) lands in the Old City of Hyderabad from USA.

From the airport, she directly goes to a police station and lodges a complaint about her missing husband Ajay Sastry (Harshavardhan Rane), who works as a software employee. And though the cops are not of much help, a lone officer, Parthasarathy (Vaibhav) develops a soft spot for her and helps her out.

Meanwhile, investigating officer Khan (Pasupathi), appointed by the Home Minister (Naresh), who is on the hunt for a bomb blast suspect, takes charge of Anaamika’s case. Will he find the suspect? What is the link between the bomb blast and Anaamika’s husband? Is there a political connection in her husband’s kidnap? That forms the crux of the film Anaamika.

A remake of the Vidya Balan-starrer Kahaani, Anaamika is director Sekhar Kammula’s first attempt at a thriller. However, instead of copying the original film scene by scene, the director has taken the central plot and adapted it to suit the Telugu audience. As a result, the film does not feel like a remake.

The filmmaker has come up with a tight screenplay and tells us a gripping story in just two hours. Credit also goes to writer Yandamuri Veerendranath who has helped Sekhar narrate the film in a different manner compared to the original.

The soul for the film is the excellent music by Keeravani and cinematographer Vijay C. Kumar has managed to capture the essence of the city very well. And though the film starts a bit slowly, it moves like a roller coaster as the story unfolds.

When it comes to performance, Nayanthara steals the show and her experience shines through. One can’t, however, compare her performance with Vidya Balan’s as the latter had acted as a pregnant woman in the Hindi version while Nayanthara has been showed in a completely different light.

The actress has proved earlier that she is a good performer and in Anaamika too she comes out with flying colours. She perfectly justifies her title role and portrays the right emotions and expressions, especially during the climax.

Pasupathy and Vaibhav have both done their parts well while Harshavardhan Rane appears only in couple of scenes. Naresh as Home Minister too justifies his role.

Anaamika is not a regular film with three songs before the interval and a few action scenes. It’s a serious film and also connects to the present scenario.

Watch it for Nayanthara and for the genuine work of Sekhar Kammula.