After the success of Little Hearts, Mouli is back with Donga Naa Koduku. The film features Sushmitha Shetty, Ali, Raghu Babu, Rajitha, Priya, Babloo, Nanda Gopal, Gundu Sudarshan, Ramana Bhargava, and others. Directed by Sreenu Kambala, the film is produced by Naveen Yerneni and Y. Ravi Shankar under the banner of Mythri Movie Makers. The film has been released today, and let’s review it here.
Story: Eeshwar (Mouli Tanuj Prashanth) belongs to a middle-class family and develops a habit of borrowing money through loan apps and spending it on cricket betting. Whenever Eeshwar needs money for betting, he uses his girlfriend’s gold jewellery to arrange funds. In the process, he ends up owing her nearly Rs. 10 lakh. With mounting debts and no easy way out, Eeshwar decides to plan a major robbery at a jewellery shop to clear his financial troubles. What kind of trouble does Eeshwar get into, and how does Eeshwar handle the unexpected gold robbery, is the rest of the story.
Performances: Mouli is undoubtedly one of the major highlights of the film. Despite the weak writing and an inconsistent narrative, he delivers a sincere performance. He appears in different get-ups and makes a decent impression with his acting, dialogue delivery, and dance moves. He also manages to bring some natural energy to a few comedy sequences.
However, the character and the situations written for him do not make proper use of his abilities. One of the biggest problems with the film is that Mouli is placed in a story that does not completely suit his strengths. His natural comic timing and screen presence worked well in Little Hearts, but the writing here fails to recreate that magic.
Sushmitha Shetty looks beautiful on screen and shows glimpses of her acting talent in a few sequences. However, her character is poorly written and offers very little scope to perform. Ali and Rajitha are adequate as Mouli’s parents, while Raghu Babu and Priya do their parts reasonably well. Babloo manages to generate a few laughs as Mouli’s friend. Gundu Sudarshan and Bhadram offer a few interesting moments.
Technical Aspects: There is not much to highlight in the technical department, as the weak writing and screenplay affect the overall impact of the film. Sury a Balaji’s cinematography is one of the better aspects, with the visuals looking neat and the scenes being captured reasonably well. The production values of Mythri Movie Makers are good, and the makers do not appear to have compromised on the budget.
Sinjith Yerramilli, who has been attracting attention with his recent musical work, delivers an average album and background score here. The music does not significantly elevate the comedy or emotional moments. The background score could have been more effective in several key sequences.
Sridhar Sompally’s editing could have been sharper, particularly in the second half, where several scenes feel unnecessarily stretched. The screenplay needed better trimming to maintain the film’s pace. The sound design and artwork are adequate but do not offer anything particularly memorable.
Analysis: The basic idea behind Donga Naa Koduku has potential. A young man addicted to betting, trapped in debt and unexpectedly getting involved in a gold robbery could have made for an entertaining crime comedy. Director Sreenu Kambala appears to have a reasonably interesting point, but the way he develops the story and designs the sequences leaves a lot to be desired.
The screenplay is one of the biggest drawbacks. Several situations appear to have been written purely to generate comedy, but they lack proper logic and fail to create the intended humour. The first half has a few entertaining moments and manages to hold the audience’s attention to some extent. However, the film begins to lose its grip as the story progresses.
The interval twist offers an interesting development, but the director fails to build on it effectively. Instead of using that point to create engaging situations, the narrative keeps stretching the same conflict, making the proceedings repetitive and tiresome. The second half, in particular, tests the patience of the audience.
Another major issue is the characterisation of the protagonist. Mouli’s strength lies in his natural performance and relatable comic timing. However, the film attempts to present him in a setup that does not entirely suit his image. The forced comedy and unnecessary commercial elements further weaken the narrative.
The film also fails to establish a consistent balance between crime, romance, and comedy. Some sequences work in isolation, but they do not come together as an engaging cinematic experience. Audiences who enjoy loud, exaggerated comedy similar to Jabardasth may find a few moments entertaining, but those expecting a well-written comedy entertainer are likely to be disappointed.
Verdict: Overall, Donga Naa Koduku has an interesting premise and a talented lead actor, but weak writing and an inconsistent screenplay spoil the overall experience. While the first half offers a few decent moments, the stretched second half and forced comedy make the film a tiring watch. Overall, it is a disappointing outing that fails to capitalise on Mouli’s popularity after Little Hearts.
Bottom Line: Just for a few laughs
Rating: 2
