Mumbai, then known as Bombay, was frequently depicted as a hotbed for ‘underground’ activities in the 1990s. Mumbai has redeemed itself through the years to become India’s economic capital. Nonetheless, Bollywood and scandals remain synonymous.
Details about The lone saving grace, as seen on its first impression, is Rana and Venkatesh Daggubati’s crackling tension
Rana Naidu is Netflix’s attempt to add to the already crowded news gossip segment. It includes everything you’ve heard about the film industry from afar: celebrities, money, scandals, sexual innuendos, crude language, and gang battles. But does this tired narrative hold up?
Meet Rana Naidu (Rana Daggubati), a fixer who is known for saving practically every star from trouble. Rana begins the first episode by protecting a flashy ‘cricketer’ who is ‘blowing’ his money in a hotel room. Rana and his employer ‘OB’ gain a new client after saving them from a scandal. That’s exactly what Rana does. We’re heard he solves difficulties!
The show reveals the core plot, which is really a family drama among all of this craziness, after a brutally illustrious first episode. Meet Venkatesh Daggubati as Naga Naidu, a former prisoner who is released early. He is also Rana’s father, whom he despises. Their opposing personalities and father-son rivalry are what pique your interest in this novel.
The real-life uncle-nephew duo of Rana and Venkatesh are fantastic as a reel father-son duo. The ease with which they perform their separate parts onscreen is incredible. This is the first time the duo has performed together. Previously, Venky appeared in Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum (2012), which starred Rana in the lead role. Yet, this is the first time they appear in full-arch character roles together.
Plus, seeing Rana in the series fitting after his ‘heavy’ Bhalladev performance in Baahubali is a breath of fresh air. We’d like to see more of them together in the future.
There are a number of supporting characters, including those played by Abhishek Banerjee and Sushant Singh as Rana’s brothers. Both brothers have a parallel story going on as well. Surveen Chawla portrays Naina, Rana’s wife, who is a strong-willed woman with a mysterious aura. They are all excellent choices for their roles.
What happens when all of these worlds collide, bringing deception and drama to the forefront? Well, the 10-part series goes into that.
Suparn Verma (recognised with the success of The Family Man) and Karan Anshuman directed the show. After two episodes, it’s clear that the show is depending entirely on its actors’ abilities to keep underdeveloped characters alive. Rana and Ventakesh play separated father and son convincingly. Venkatesh imparts an air of purity to Naga, who appears to be a guy with many secrets.
Rana is compelling enough that you should let him be your problem solver if one occurs. But that’s all there is to it! The background music or storyline becomes tedious. The first episode contains an excessive amount of everything, including nasty language. The show succumbs to stereotypical Bollywood representation. The conversations aren’t worth remembering.
Rana Naidu mainly relies on the crime thriller/revenge plot pattern, which does not function as well as one may think. The show is a 10-episode official adaptation of Ray Donovan.
Watch it for Rana’s attractiveness and performance, as well as Venkatesh’s commanding screen presence! Now available on Netflix.
