Romilla Mukherjee, the director and producer of Detective Naani, in her attempt to make a film which appeals to the masses has tried a bit of everything in Detective Naani from suspense to comedy and romance and has not quite been able to pull off any of it completely. Ava Mukherjee has lived up to her reputation of being one of the finest actors in Bollywood with a very captivating performance and all the child actors have given a brilliant performance. The only set back is the predictable story and the approach to the concept of the movie that makes watching this movie a very dull experience.
The story starts off with Naani(Ava Mukherjee) a self-sufficient 75 year old returning to her house from a walk. On her way she looks up to see a little girl peeping out from the window of an apartment that belongs to a newly married childless couple. Her curiosity is spurred and she sets about investigating what she witnessed. The CID turn a deaf ear to her allegations due to lack of hard evidence and Naani refusing to sit quiet about the matter requests help from few neighbors in her task and some volunteer to help while some prove to be a threat. There are a few humorous incidents in the way she carries out her investigation but some of the jokes just turn out to be plain silly. Her team of investigators includes her dog Bruno, her 2 inquisitive grandchildren Nakul and Anjali, her divorced daughter Priya, teenagers Neeti and Rohan, and the elderly Mr.Pal who serves as Naani's binocular-toting ground floor spy. Naani’s investigation ensnares her in a racket that involves ruthless criminals who are very powerful and Naani endangers herself to get to the bottom of the mystery. Naani and team finally emerge victorious with some quick thinking and heroism displayed by Naani’s gang and a little help from the CID at last. Naani's mission to save the terrified little girl forms the emotional backbone of the film. Yet it's an adventure that touches the lives of all the homemade detectives involved. Romilla almost on a whim seems to have added a little romance in the movie towards the end and there is an overall improvement in the lives of all the people involved in Naani’s team.
Detective Naani has all the things one would look for in a movie-Suspense,romance,moral and comedy but at the end of the movie you may be left wondering if you had a little too much of everything. Due to the multiplex strike that has left us with very few options to choose from, Detective Naani would be a better pick among the lot.
Follow reviews by Sheetal
Alert me on interesting updates on Detective Naani