Ante Sundaraniki Movie Review: Nani and Nazriya offer good laughs and entertainment in this rom-com
India Today
Director Vivek Athreya’s Ante Sundariniki starring Nani and Nazriya Nazim is a romantic comedy that touches upon interfaith marriages, fertility issues and pre-marital pregnancy. The film is an absolute entertainer despite its long duration.
What if a director, hero and heroine, who are in their prime form, join hands for a film? The result will be a full-fledged entertainer. And that is what Ante Sundaraniki is. Director Vivek Athreya, Nani and Nazriya Nazim, for three straight hours, offer good laughs, along with a few moments (or rather issues) to ponder about.
Ante Sundaraniki begins with Sundar Prasad’s (Nani) childhood, where he gets cheated by a fraudulent co-director. His aim of being cast in Chiranjeevi-blockbuster crashes. He lives his life on his dad’s (Naresh) terms and his mother (Rohini), just like him, doesn’t really have a say. After his dreams of becoming a hero crash, he aims to go to the US. Hailing from a staunch Brahmin family, Sundar isn’t allowed to fly over the seas.
On the other hand, we have Leela Thomas (Nazriya), who craves an identity. She finds her dream job in photography. The two characters, who study in the same school, fall in love as adults. But, religion plays a spoilsport in their love. Leela and Sundar spin lie after lie to get their parents to agree to their union. Do they achieve it?
Ante Sundaraniki is a laughter riot with ample situations that will make you laugh out loud. At the same time, it is not a mindless comedy. Though the film addresses taboo topics such as pre-marital pregnancy, fertility issues and interfaith marriages, it also has comedy that doesn’t make fun of them. It is intelligent of Vivek Athreya to create comedy that doesn’t desensitise topics such as these.
The film takes a non-linear approach and, with a three-hour-long screenplay, it does get boring at times. But, Vivek Athreya packs Ante Sundaraniki with solid moments to keep the film interesting. The final act does get a bit serious and might make you question the logic. But, the message conveyed through the film is much needed and relevant in today’s times.
Here's the trailer of Ante Sundaraniki:
Comedy is Nani’s forte and Ante Sundaraniki is a cakewalk for him. He scores in comedy and emotional moments equally. Nazriya, who is making her debut in Telugu with this film, has once again impressed everyone with her ultimate cuteness. You could see Leela in her and she has done total justice to her character. Apart from these two stars, it is Naresh who scores a century. As a strict father from a Brahmin family, he is just phenomenal. So are Rohini, Azhagam Perumal and Rohini.
