Nannaku Prematho is not for everyone. It is slow, intellectual, and melancholic. But for those who connect with it, it is unforgettable. It is Sukumar’s ode to the silent sacrifices of sons, set to the tune of A. R. Rahman’s saddest symphony.
If you haven’t seen it yet, find a quiet night, call your father (or your son), and press play. Just keep a box of tissues nearby.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Watch it for: Nani’s acting, Jagapati Babu’s villainy, A. R. Rahman’s music, and the emotional gut-punch of the climax. nannaku prematho
Have you watched Nannaku Prematho? Did you prefer the intellectual revenge or the emotional drama? Let us know in the comments below.
This role was a departure from Jr. NTR’s usual mass-commercial avatars. Nannaku Prematho is not for everyone
While the cat-and-mouse game between Nani and Jagapathi Babu is thrilling, the soul of the film lies in the title itself—Nannaku Prematho (To Father, With Love).
Sukumar, known for his psychological depth (as seen in Arya, 1: Nenokkadine, and Rangasthalam), uses the revenge plot as a Trojan horse. The actual narrative is about a son teaching his father how to die with dignity. Have you watched Nannaku Prematho
Traditionally, in Indian cinema, the father figure is the eternal teacher, and the son is the student. Nannaku Prematho flips this trope. Here, the father is broken and suicidal. The son steps up not just to recover the lost wealth, but to convince his father that his life’s philosophy—honesty—was not a mistake. Abhiram doesn't want revenge for money; he wants his father to see, before his last breath, that the villain’s success was built on lies, and lies eventually collapse.
The emotional climax is not a bloody fight but a quiet, philosophical conversation. Subrahmanyam realizes that his son’s complicated plan was simply "prematho" (with love). This inversion of the parent-child dynamic is what makes the film a cult classic.
Jagapathi Babu continued his villainous renaissance with this role. Unlike loud, mustache-twirling villains, Krishna Murthy is a sophisticated, ruthless capitalist. He respects intelligence, which is why he initially underestimates Abhiram. The cat-and-mouse psychological warfare between Nani and Jagapathi Babu is the film's backbone.