Rana Daggubati has backed many films in his career. Next in line is 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu. The film features Nivetha Thomas in a lead role and was directed by Nanda Kishore Emani. Gautami, Vishwdev Rachakonda, and Priyadarshi play key roles in this film which has been released today. Let’s review the film and see if it lives up to all the hype or not.
Story: 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu is set in Tirupathi amidst a lower middle-class Brahmi family. Saraswati(Nivetha Thomas) lives with her husband Prasad(Vishwadev Rachakonda) and two sons. The elder one, Arun is very dull in math and always gets zero marks. Things become so bad for him that his school teacher Chanakya(Priyadarshi) demotes Arun to a lower class. This upsets Saraswati who takes the mantle in her hand and makes sure that her son at least gets 35 pass marks in math and proves everyone wrong. But the sad part is that she is also a tenth-fail candidate and a big zero in math. How such a housewife supports her son to overcome his fears is the story of the film.
Performances: There is no denying the fact that Nivetha Thomas is a superb actress and she shows what she is capable of in 35. She as a pakka Telugu Brahmin housewife is amazing in the film. Nivetha conveys everything with her eyes and the emotions that she goes through in the film are showcased so well by the actress. Vishwadev Rachakonda who plays the husband’s role is also quite good. His settled performance in the film is one of the positive points. Priyadarshi, in the role of a teacher, is very good. He does not do much but the way he showcases slightly negative shades in his role is superb. Bhagyaraj plays the principal and he is okay. Gautami did her bit and brought depth to the film. The kid who played the role of Arun was amazing.
Technical Aspects: Vivek Sagar has composed the music and it is very good. But it is his BGM that elevates the emotions to another level. The production design and set work depicting the lower middle-class setup is quite good. The dialogue is amazing and those written featuring the lead pair were just amazing. The editing could have been a lot better as the film is quite slow and takes a lot of time to get to its main conflict point. Nanda Kishore has written the second half and climax impressively. The coming of age has a predictable story but the way it is ended is good.
Analysis: 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu is a feel-good family drama that showcases the issues faced by a kid when it comes to understanding math. Director Nanda Kishore has weaved an entire story around this aspect and set up the story in a lower-middle-class family who have issues with money, compromise in life, and have not many big dreams.
The kids’ aspect is dealt with beautifully. The entire story is woven around the story of Arun and, boy, the kid has performed so well in his role. The school comedy, the way Arun interacts with his friends, and how the school kids make fun of him are showcased superbly. The first half showcases the issues faced by the kid and the actual drama starts in the second half.
Things change track as even Nivetha Thomas’s character is put to the test and the emotions that she goes through are showcased beautifully. The best part of 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu is that it is not melodramatic. There are no poverty-stricken scenes and the mood of the film is kept light.
The stroke of emotions in the last ten minutes and how the family reunites are showcased impressively. There is also a subtle message in the film which has been handled in a very good manner. 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu has a neat screenplay and is slow at times. But once it picks up, it gives you a feeling of watching something good.
Verdict: Overall, 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu is a decent family drama that has a stellar performance by Nivetha Thomas. The emotions are done right and the comedy is subtle. Barring the slow pace, this film ends as a feel-good drama that can be watched with the entire family.
Bottom Line – A decent coming-of-age family drama
Rating: 3/5
