Majili Review: Samantha And Naga Chaitanya's Emotional Drama Hits The Right Notes

By Lekhaka

Published: Friday, April 5, 2019, 13:15 [IST]

Rating:

3.5/5

Star Cast: Samantha Akkineni. Naga Chaitanya, Divyanka Kaushik

Director: Shiva Nirvana

It is an open secret that 2018 was a pretty terrible year for young heartthrob Naga Chaitanya. The Yuva Samrat's first big release Shailaja Reddy Alludu, which hit screens on Ganesha Chaturthi, opened to a good response at the box office before crashing big time. His next release Savyasachi proved to be an even bigger embarrassment as it was a non-starter. With 2018 in the rear view, he is back with Majili which hit screens today (April 5, 2019).

The film, directed by Shiva Nirvana, marks Chay's first collaboration with wife Samantha Akkineni post marriage and this is its biggest highlight.

So, has the film lived up to expectations?

Plot

Majili revolves around an aspiring cricketer who loses the love of his life post an ugly spat with his coach. As expected, this tremendous setback wrecks his life to such an extent that he is unable to move on. The rest of the film focuses on his attempts at rediscovering his old self. All in all, Majili is a moving tale about heartbreak and self-discovery.

Performances

Naga Chaitanya does full justice to what is one of the most challenging roles of his career while highlighting the character's frustrations quite well. He impresses during the emotional sequences and the romantic ones. However, he is not that convincing in the flashback scenes.

Samantha Akkineni delivers yet another power-packed performance and proves that she is a 'lady Superstar' in the making. Her innocent expressions bring out the plight of the character quite well. Her chemistry with her hubby is quite crackling and proves that the two make a terrific on-screen pair.

Divyanka Kaushik is decent and manages to hold her own.

Screenplay And Direction

Shiva Nirvana does a good job of coming up with a compelling narrative which keeps fans hooked. The first half had the potential to be a drag, however, it ends up striking a chord as the romantic track has been treated in a realistic way. The second half is even better than the first one as it has a high emotional quotient. The solid background score ups the impact of the dramatic sequences big time.

Technical Aspects

The film features quite a few hummable tracks which add a new dimension to the romantic sequences. The BGM too is quite good. Most of the scenes do not drag and this indicates that the editing is above-average. The other technical departments too have been handled well.