Naan Ee (2012)

English Translation: I am a fly
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Story: S. S. Rajamouli, Crazy Mohan 
Cast: Nani, Samantha, Sudeep
Music: M. M. Keeravani
Time: 134 minutes
Bottom-line: Loads of fun!

Note: The film was also simultaneously released in Telugu as Eega, with the same actors. I am writing about the Tamil version.

A film that provides guaranteed entertainment, Naan Ee stars Nani, Samantha (who got her stardom because of this film) and Sudeep. The two things to look out for in the film are the visual effects, and Sudeep’s acting. These two basically carry the film all the way till the end. The story is a magical one, so obviously it cannot happen in real life. In short, what The Birds did to real birds, Naan Ee does to flies. The difference is that while the former took a horror approach, the latter takes a comic approach.

Nani as Nani (left) and Samantha as Bindu

Nani (Nani) is a person specialising in making fireworks. His neighbour and love interest is Bindu (Samantha), who is a micro artist. She also runs an NGO. She too loves Nani, but doesn’t reciprocate his love. Enter Sudeep (Sudeep) who is a multi-millionaire, and a womaniser. Bindu approaches him to ask for a donation for her NGO, and he too gives a fortune, hoping to make her love him back. But he soon realises that Bindu likes Nani, and that night, Sudeep murders Nani in a graveyard, just as Bindu messages her love to him. Nani dies, but knowing that Bindu also loves him, is reborn as a fly, destined to take revenge on Sudeep. How he does so forms the rest of the film.

Sudeep as Sudeep

The script is imaginative, no doubt. Stories have been told of a person being reborn as another human to take revenge, but to have thought differently, and created the next life of a person as a fly, is indeed unique. The story is, well, a laugh ride. The visual effects have a huge role to play. The effects used to show the close-ups of the fly are brilliant. The comedy comes mainly from Sudeep and the fly. The ways the fly tries to irritate Sudeep, and the ways he tries to shoo it away make you laugh out loud! Then, coming to another important part: until you see the film, a fly is a harmless creature. After seeing the way it tortures Sudeep and the way it makes him pay, you will feel that any fly around you is a dangerous living being.

The fly

As far as the acting is concerned, it is an all-Sudeep show. Nani comes only for a short time and Samantha’s acting wasn’t that good either (yet, this film somehow made her famous). But Sudeep, with his expressions of anger, fear, irritation and many more, is the true star. His actions make you laugh, more than the story or the effects. The scene where he goes to the spa, the scene where he explains his project to others, and the fly keeps interrupting, are some of the best scenes in the film. The character where the magician comes in, is completely useless, and I am still not sure why it was needed.

To sum up, S.S. Rajamouli’s Naan Ee is a joy ride, with an imaginative script that provides enough laughter to keep you talking about for quite some time after seeing the film. I appreciate this new attempt to create a comedy film, though it practically has no story. Watch for the special effects, and Sudeep’s scintillating performance.

My Rating: 3.5/5