Actor Vikram in the last decade or so has excelled in every role he has done. So when he dons the role of a mentally underdeveloped person in Nanna, it is no surprise that he makes it look like a cakewalk. He, along with child actor Sara, makes the movie adorable.

What’s it about : Krishna (Vikram), in spite of being a mentally disabled person, works at a chocolate factory at a picturesque locale near Ooty. Even though his wife dies after delivering a baby girl, Krishna manages to raise the girl, whom he names Vennela. He is helped by his neighbours and other friends like him, and it is not long before Sara starts going to school. It is during such time that things change drastically for Krishna, as Vennela (Sara) is forcibly taken away from him by his father in law. Krishna visits a lawyer Anuradha (Anushka) to help him get back the custody of his daughter Vennela (Sara). Though initially reluctant, Anu takes up the case, and has to fight an experienced counsel Bhashyam (Nassar) to win the case for her client. With everything against him, can Krishna, even if he wins the case, be able to bring up his child – that is the question for everyone, and only Krishna has to find an answer.

What is Good : Vikram’s performance as a mentally disabled person is the biggest standout in the film. He never overdoes it, limits himself a lot, and leaves many dialogues half said – but speaks with his expressions and body language. It can be said that if there is anyone / anything who could match Vikram’s performance, it is only the innocence of the child actor Sara. The two, along with some tailor made dramatic scenes, comic situations and emotional moments light up the screen, sometimes making you laugh and sometimes making you shed a tear.

Anushka does a decent job too, and so does Nassar as the stern senior lawyer. Amala Paul makes her presence felt, mostly thanks to her being paired with the kid in most scenes. Sachin Khedekar in a negative role underplays himself exceptionally. The likes of Santhanam, M.S.Bhaskar, Surekha Vani etc. too manage to keep the tempo of the emotions flowing in their respective scenes. The film’s most heart wrenching moment comes in the climax making it a befitting one, even though most of the second half could have been better.

What is bad: The basic concept of the story is indeed borrowed heavily from I Am Sam, but that is hardly an issue. Questions like how a ‘childlike’ man gets married and has a baby with his wife are almost left untouched in the first half. Most of the second half runs on the premise that Anu should somehow manage to keep Krishna away from the court, while the highly experienced defence lawyer has many loose ends in his own case to begin with. As a result the screenplay gives way for too many conveniences, including a very clichéd pre-climax. But the final court drama, which is more emotional than legal, and an extremely moving climax should make up for any kind of boredom you must have felt.

Technical Departments : Most of the first half of the movie is shot in an extremely picturesque locale, and poetic sets. This allows the cinematographer to capture light in its glory, aided by extremely natural colours. The camera work is consistent throughout the film, and even more poetic in the super slow motion song, made mostly to highlight Anushka’s beauty. Ditto with another song, though this is done to showcase Vikram as a handsome king of vfx filled wonderland possible only in a child’s imagination. The visual effects are up there with the best we have seen in Indian cinema! Music by Prakash is heart warming too, as most often he sticks to slow tunes, and allows the innocent emotions to travel through to the audiences. Director Vijay, in spite of the shortcomings in the story, manages to create an aura of warmth and love in the proceedings, and hence is successful in narrating it. He ensures that the dialogues, especially of Vikram and Sara, never sound cinematic, and that is probably the reason why the movie becomes endearing.

Bottomline : Nanna is not made to be a tearjerker, but it does make your eyes swell; it is no great movie, but it gives a lot of satisfaction for the time spent on it. Watch it, with your families.