Donga Naa Koduku review: Tollywood’s comedy drought gets worse

There were plenty of expectations from Tollywood YouTuber-turned-actor Mouli Tanuj Prasanth's second film, Donga Naa Koduku (DNK), especially after the success of his debut film Little Hearts

Ratings: ⭐⭐½

Tollywood audiences are clearly waiting for some light-hearted entertainers. No unnecessary VFX, no fights, no bloodshed or intense thrillers. Just simple comedy films that make people laugh. This was evident when I entered a packed screen at Allu Cinemas today, with audiences eagerly waiting for a much-needed breather.

There were plenty of expectations from Tollywood YouTuber-turned-actor Mouli Tanuj Prasanth’s second film, Donga Naa Koduku (DNK), especially after the success of his debut film Little Hearts. The trailer also managed to create decent curiosity. But does DNK deliver the laughter audiences came looking for? Unfortunately, not quite.

Donga Naa Koduku story

Eshwar (Mouli) is a youngster from Visakhapatnam who is addicted to betting and constantly borrows money in the hope of making quick profits. He even takes his girlfriend Deepu’s (Sushmitha Shetty) gold rings to fund his betting habit. With debts piling up and his reputation taking a hit, he decides to pull off a big robbery with the help of his friend (Babloo) to clear his dues. What follows forms the story.

Movie analysis

The basic idea of combining crime and comedy has potential. However, director Sreenu Kambala struggles to balance the two. While a few scenes in the first half manage to generate laughs, the film gradually turns into a confusing affair.

The biggest problem is the writing. In an attempt to surprise audiences, the director keeps introducing twists, but most of them fail to create the desired impact. Several scenes are unnecessarily stretched, making even simple sequences feel tiring. The crude and double-meaning jokes, along with overused social media memes, do little to help the comedy. The track involving the gay character is particularly uncomfortable and tests the audience’s patience.

Mouli has decent comic timing, but the innocence that worked in his favour in Little Hearts is missing here. He makes an effort to carry the film, although the writing and dialogue choices let him down. Babloo is decent as his friend, while Ali, Gundu Sudarshan and Rajitha do what their roles demand. Sushmitha Shetty, however, has limited scope.

Technically, the film is just about adequate. Sinjith Yerramilli’s loud background score is one of the major disappointments, and none of the songs leave an impression. Suriya Balaji’s cinematography is functional, while the editing could have been much sharper, particularly in the second half.

DNK verdict

There are a couple of interesting twists and the opening and payoff involving the laughing Buddha work to an extent. However, these positives are not enough to save the film. The needless slow-motion shots, over-the-top performances, loud background score and weak writing make it a rather underwhelming watch.

Mouli has potential and proved that with Little Hearts. Hopefully, he learns from the mistakes here and returns with a film that makes better use of his comic timing.

Tollywood, please bring back the simple, genuinely funny comedy films that audiences loved and enjoyed for years. We really need them!