Cast: Naga Shourya, Niharika, Rao Ramesh, Avasarala and Pragathi
Director: Rama Raju
Oka Manasu is a small film, but it created lot of buzz because of Chiranjeevi’s niece Niharika, who debuted with the film. Sandhya (Niharika) is a doctor at a government hospital in Vizianagaram who falls in love with Surya (Naga Shourya), an aspiring politician. He is the son of a politician (Rao Ramesh) and his father wants to see him as an MLA in the upcoming elections. Surya lands in prison after thrashing someone, and once he is out, Sandhya asks him to mend his ways. But Surya says that he can’t, because of his father and his political dreams for Surya.
At this juncture his father comes up with an offer, which entails him leaving Sandhya. The story continues from there. Oka Manasu is director Rama Raju’s second film after the critically acclaimed Mallela Theeramlo. While the subject is good and has a lot of potential, Rama Raju missed out with the slow narration. Even an hour into the film, nothing much happens. The director wants to show how everything is politicised these days, even the love of a young couple. But he manages to make the point only in the climax, not before.
When it comes to performances, Naga Shourya steals the show with his expressions and some great acting. Debutant Niharika is confident and the film is a good launch-pad for her to showcase her performance. The chemistry between the two are palpable. Rao Ramesh once again comes up with superb performance, but his role is limited.
Sunil Kashyap’s music is actually the highlight of the film. Though the narration is slow, the music makes the film interesting. The other highlight is the cinematography of Ram Reddy, especially the beautiful locations of Araku and Visakhapatnam. One wonders why our filmmakers go abroad when there are such great locations right here. Rama Raju’s dialogues are thought-provoking. To sum up, while Rama Raju has tried to show an intensive love story with a political backdrop, it fails to connect emotionally.
