Detective Naani is debutante director Romila Mukherjee’s film having some prominent faces from the television together. It’s the story of an enterprising grandmother – Naani (Ava Mukherjee) who manages to outwit the criminals with her common sense and logic and solves a mystery case. There is an underlying message that the true heroes are always simple ordinary people like any one of us. Detective Naani movie review…
The 75 year old – Naani (Ava Mukherjee), is clever than people half her age. There are some suspicious goings-on in one of the apartments in her residential complex and she decides to investigate.
She spots a frightened child at the window who was snatched back. What aroused her suspicion was that the owners of that flat let know people that that they are a childless couple.
hen, another suspicious incident occurs and a few days later, a woman falls to her death from that flat, a murder no one seems to notice. The corpse disappears in minutes. But our smart Naani has noticed the incident and when reported to the authorities she is scoffed by the CID.
Her family and neighbors are skeptical, while the cops are bewildered at the occurrence, so she decides to turn detective and solve the mystery herself.
Her aspiring detective grandson Nakul (Zain Khan) along with his cousin Anjali (Simran Singh) give her a good company. Nakul’s mother Priya (Amrita Saluja) and the smart dog too help the grandmother in the investigations.
Also in the storyline there is romance brewing between two college-going teenagers – Rohan (Amit Varma) and Shweta Gulati. Even the CID officer (Ankur Nayyar) becomes attracted to Naani’s divorcee daughter.during the proceedings.
The energized kids Nakul and Anjali back the gutsy Naani, eventually the entire family and the residents around help our ‘Detective’ Naani with support from the cops to unravel the mystery and expose a murky racket that of child trafficking.
Where Detective Naani the film disappoints is that even though the idea is good, the script and the narration or presentation lacks the crispiness. Performance of the kids is noteworthy, however it appears that the storytelling part is lagging in this film.
Even the entertainment angle is unsatisfactory so is the thrill or comedy part. Thus it leads nowhere and falls short of expectations in spite of an above average direction. Average songs and a mix of a romantic angle further create a hodgepodge product.
Detective Naani’s plus point Worth a mention is the cinematography and background music by Shailendra Barve. We have some fine performances from the old lady Ava Mukherjee, and the children especially the natural acting from Simran. Ankur Nayyar as the cop and Amit Varma as Rohan are convincing.
As these two couples saddle their way on the marital marathon, they come across Kaya, who spices up the goings-on between Samit and Mita. Raga who gives Rishi the motivation to take the next step, and Veer who ends up for a short stint with Mita, and becomes the sole reason for Simi’s confusion.
How the quartet handles these complex, sensitive matters of the heart, and how they solve the never ending quests, with some winning the battle and some ending up with a broken heart, is supported by terrific performances by the lead actors. Detective Naani. Be careful she is watching…
Cast of Detective Naani:
Naani – Ava Mukherjee
Nakul – Zain Khan
Anjali Sinha – Simran Singh
Priya Sinha – Amrita Saluja
CID Inspector Bhatia – Ankur Nayyar
Rohan Malhotra – Amit Varma
Neeti Tipnis – Shweta Gulati
Mahesh Pal – Hemu Adhikari
Petook – Atul Parchure
Tattu – Hemant Pandey
Raj Yadav – Sanjeeva Vatsa
Madhu Pal – Shubhangi Gokhale
Goonda Pakya – Jaywant Wadkar
Goonda Choti – Sanjay Singh
Piloo Billimoria – Goolshan Mazd
Tara Yadav – Mahru Sheikh
Little Kidnapped Girl – Saili Shettye
Mohit Chouhan
Credits & Crew of Detective Naani:
Banner – Bombay Duck Films Pvt. Ltd.
Producers – Romilla Mukherjee, Jolly Mukherjee, Urmilla Chaterjee
Director – Romilla Mukherjee
Music Director – Jolly Mukherjee
Lyricist – Romilla Mukherjee
Story / Screenplay Writer – Romilla Mukherjee
Editor – Deepa Bhatia
Art Director – Mansi Druv Mehta
Production Designer – Kavita Thakur, Brian Kinny
Costume Designer – Iqbal Khan
Sound Designer – K. J. Singh
Background Sound – Shailendra Barve
Line Producer – Deb Mukherjee, Fusion Films
Choreographer – Bosco Ceaser
Detective Naani, movie review