Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review: Nani Levels Up Like A Boss!

Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars

Star Cast: Nani, Sai Pallavi, Krithi Shetty, Madonna Sebastian, Jisshu Sengupta, Murali Sharma

Director: Rahul Sankrityan

Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review(Photo Credit: Poster From Shyam Singha Roy)

What’s Good: Everything Nani + Sai Pallavi!

What’s Bad: The story spreads itself too thin as it fails to divide intrigue among every single act

Loo Break: Do whatever but don’t leave the flashback story!

Watch or Not?: Yes, it has flaws but not the ones which make me resist recommending this to anyone!

Language: Telugu

Available On: Netflix

Runtime: 154 Minutes

User Rating:

It starts with a scenic representation of a burning boat amid a soothing sea with a voiceover hinting at a lost soul. With the help of 11 brand products (from Amul to Anker), we are introduced to our hero Vasudev Ghanta who is an aspiring director looking for a big break. He’s cocky but smart, so decides to follow a random girl at a cafe just because he thinks she’s heroine material. After convincing her dad (because, why not?), he finally ropes her in for his short film which is his ticket to the mainstream cinema.

He struggles to the top by grabbing a three-movie deal with a renowned producer in Bollywood but is soon arrested because his only hit film is supposedly plagiarised. Vasu is accused of copying the story from the stories written by an established Bengali author (who is dead now, FYI) Shyam Singha Roy. He fights the legal system claiming these stories to be his original writing. But, how’s the possible? Yup, I know you already know that it’s the reincarnation twist. But, how it happens, is what’s the story all is about.

Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review: Script Analysis

This was supposed to be more expensively shot than it’s now but the budget was cut due to the Covid, is that visible though? Unfortunately, yes, at some places. The character transmission process from Vasudev to Shyam Singha Roy is messy. Though, once you enter the 60s of Bengal to meet this very Mantoesque fearless hero in Shyam Singha Roy, you can’t help but adore the grandiose of it. Rahul Sankrityan’s screenplay flourishes once we enter the flashback because he does a lot more than just changing the colour theme from cool to warm on shifting us to the past.

Janga Satyadev knew how to pen the story once the viewers are in Shyam Singha Roy’s world, but to get them from Vasudev’s bland life is where he struggles. Thankfully, the good outweighs the bad here and that’s why you don’t mind the flaws like a weak signature story. Once you’re done sitting for over 150 minutes, you start feeling how much Shyam Singha Roy’s world had to explore and how not-so-useful it was to deep dive into Vasu’s story. Even if you had to, why wasn’t as well polished as the interesting (more than) half of your story?

Sanu John Varghese is on fire orchestrating some beautiful sequences back to back following Fahadh Faasil’s Malik. He’s on his way to creating a niche for himself & can’t wait for more makers in the Hindi film industry to explore him like Ravi Varman.

Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review: Star Performance

Nani just pushes every bar on entering the character of Shyam Singha Roy, but how’s he as Vasu? Well, that’s the risk a writer has to take on choosing a double-role for the story’s lead. It’s a tough task (not followed) to give both characters the same importance, and that’s where Vasu remains pretty bland because of how amazing Shyam Singha Roy is.

Despite Nani’s outstanding act as Shyam Singha Roy, Sai Pallavi remains to be the soul of the film. Director Rahul Sankrityan just makes the optimum usage of her charm in building the innocence around her character. Krithi Shetty doesn’t have much to add as in the film she belongs to the world which was the film’s underwhelming aspect for me. Madonna Sebastian as the lawyer is just decent, not a single wow scene to remember her about. Jisshu Sengupta plays a pivotal role & carries a great command over the antics of his role.

Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review: Direction, Music

Rahul Sankrityan mashed up way too much than it was required. His direction comes with too many moving pieces which result in a certain imbalance. One major thing that works in his favour and he doesn’t mess up with is the flashback’s storytelling by keeping things simple & basic. Because of this, the non-linear style of storytelling won’t hurt the brains of many.

Mickey J. Meyer’s music is a magical addition to the film’s pluses. AR Rahman reportedly rejected this & to come in filling his shoes, Mickey has delivered a gem of an album. Though Sirivenella is a Telugu song the feel it evokes is universal. Doesn’t matter if you know the language, the song stays with you just as its lyric writer (Sirivennela) who’ll always stay with us. Pranavalaya, along with Sai Pallavi’s breathtaking performance, will always be remembered for its soothing composition.

Shyam Singha Roy Movie Review: The Last Word

All said and done, Nani levels up as a performer with Shyam Singha Roy. This is technically rich, a treat to the eyes, ears and a film demanding a theatrical watch.