The Paradise review: Nani ki phikki biryani, ‘KCR’ steals show

While the film has scale, violence and some ambitious ideas, it struggles to offer the emotional connect that usually makes a Nani film work

The Paradise movie rating: ⭐⭐

Too much is too bad. Nani’s latest release, The Paradise, proves just that.

It was a packed theatre as Tollywood’s much-awaited film starring Nani arrived on screens today, September 24. Inside, the audience looked like a bunch of honest Nani fans who had walked in with high hopes of seeing their favourite star in a new avatar. But as the curtains fell, the expressions slowly turned from excitement to confusion and eventually, disappointment.

So, what went wrong?

Nani, the Natural Star and one of Telugu cinema’s most relatable heroes, has been steadily moving towards more intense and action-heavy films. With The Paradise, he takes that shift several notches higher, reuniting with director Srikanth Odela after their successful collaboration Dasara. But while the film has scale, violence and some ambitious ideas, it struggles to offer the emotional connect that usually makes a Nani film work.

The Paradise story

Set in post-Independence Secunderabad, The Paradise follows Jadal (Nani) and his mother Sammakka (Sonali Kulkarni), who belong to a marginalised community living under the brutal rule of Malik (Mohan Babu).

Despite India gaining independence, freedom remains a distant dream for Jadal and his people. The community is stripped of its identity and forced to survive amid poverty, exploitation and violence.

Jadal is eventually seen as the person who could rise against Malik and bring justice to his people. What leads him to that point and how he takes on the powerful oppressor forms the crux of the story.

And yes, biryani is not just food in this film. It is the point from where much of the story begins and remains an important element throughout.

Nani carries the weight, but sometimes too much

The biggest strength of The Paradise is undoubtedly Nani. As Jadal, he goes all out with his physical transformation, rugged appearance, braids, beard and lean physique.

He largely relies on silence, body language and screen presence rather than conventional melodrama. There are moments where his controlled performance works beautifully.

But there are also points where it feels like too much Nani, too much intensity and too much effort to make Jadal larger than life.

That is perhaps where the film loses the relatability that has always been Nani’s biggest strength.

Mohan Babu steals the show

Mohan Babu as Malik gets a character that could have been far more impactful. His screen presence, however, remains terrific.

Even in his 70s, the veteran actor commands attention whenever he appears. The bigger problem is not Mohan Babu’s performance but the way his character is written and eventually sidelined.

Raghav Juyal’s appearance and character fail to make the intended impact, while Sonali Kulkarni leans heavily into the emotional mother sentiment. Kayadu Lohar brings some freshness, but her character too gets lost in the film’s overwhelmingly heavy narrative.

One performance that genuinely stands out is Priyadarshi as MLA Shankar, a character inspired by KCR (Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, former Telangana CM). His portions provide one of the film’s more interesting and memorable elements.

Too much violence, too little impact

This is where The Paradise goes overboard. The film keeps trying to make every action sequence bigger, bloodier and more brutal than the previous one. Flying heads, severed limbs, graphic violence and gravity-defying stunts are everywhere.

The A certificate hardly comes as a surprise.

But the problem isn’t simply the violence. It is the sheer excess of it. After a point, the brutality stops shocking and starts feeling repetitive.

Nani has built his career on making commercial cinema feel grounded and believable. The Paradise moves in the opposite direction, with its action often completely defying logic.

Biryani without the masala

Being a Hyderabadi, you know what a proper biryani is supposed to be, masaledaar, spicy, aromatic and full of flavour.

The Paradise has all the ingredients on paper, but somehow the final dish turns out surprisingly phikki.

There is oppression, suppression and depression everywhere. There is violence, revenge, action and a larger-than-life protagonist. There are some crazy conceptual ideas too. But the execution fails to bring all these elements together into something satisfying.

Even Anirudh Ravichander’s music and background score, which should have elevated the film’s intense moments, often feel too loud rather than truly effective.

Verdict

Nani’s fans had every reason to be excited. The expectations were high, perhaps too high.

Nani pulls his weight. Mohan Babu brings presence. Priyadarshi delivers a memorable surprise. But the film around them struggles to hold together.

The Paradise wants to be gritty, violent, emotional and larger-than-life all at once. In trying to do too much, it ends up losing the flavour it needed most – the emotional and relatable connect.

Like I said, too much is too bad.