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Radhika Rajamani says Naa Ishtam is far too much of a formula film to engage audiences.
Prakash Toleti's Telugu film Naa Ishtam gives Rana Daggubati an opportunity for the first time to indulge in dancing and action besides, of course, some romance The film begins well but soon loses momentum and the audience's interest.
Ganesh (Rana Dagubatti) is a selfish guy who believes money is supremely important. He lives in Kuala Lumpur with his gang of friends. Then he meets Krishnaveni (Genelia D'Souza) at a temple where she is waiting for her bridegroom Kishore (Harshvardhan Rane) to show up. He doesn't, and so at night Krishnaveni haunts the red light area. Ganesh rescues her from there and from a bunch of goondas of the Salim (Shawar Ali) gang.
He takes her back to India and her village where they find that her marriage to a much older man has been arranged. So back they flee to Kuala Lumpur. Predictably Ganesh falls in love with Krishnaveni and what follows is even more predictable.
The screenplay is run-of-the-mill, with several loopholes in the script, and the plot smells of moth-balls. There are more yawn-times than exciting ones!
Rana does his best in his first commercial film. Genelia does one more runaway bride role but this time, she's more mature and sober and one misses the joie de vivre she usually exudes on screen.
Harshvardhan Rane provided good competition to Rana as Kishore. The ensemble cast of friends did a decent job. Seasoned artistes Nazar, Brahmanandam, Ali, Raghubabu, Subbaraju, Shawar Ali, Ahuti Prasad are all present and give the kind of performances expected of them.
On the technical front, the film does well. It's the story and screenplay that falter.
Rediff Rating: 