Series: Rana Naidu

Cast: Venkatesh Daggubati, Rana Daggubati, Surveen Chawla, Abhishek Banerjee & Sushant Singh

Director: Karan Anshuman and Suparn S Varma

Rating: 3 Moons

OTT: Netflix

(Review based on the first 2 episodes of the series) 

Rana Naidu can solve any problem in Bollywood; however, when his father is released from prison, the one mess he can't handle may be his own. That's what Netflix's latest offering Rana Naidu is all about. Directed by Karan Anshuman and Suparn S Varma, the action-thriller is based on a father-son duo Naga and Rana, almost perfectly played with real-life uncle-nephew duo Venkatesh Daggubati and Rana Daggubati. No matter the risks, there is no scandal that Rana Naidu can’t fix. It's a story of a son who can fix everything but his relationship with his father. 

The series begins with Bollywood's favourite problem solver Rana Naidu (Rana Daggubati) taking a famous cricketer out of trouble. Well-settled with his wife Naina Naidu (Surveen Chawla) and two kids, Rana can solve any problem - big & small - until it comes to his estranged father Naga Naidu (Venkatesh Daggubati). That's one person Rana cannot stand - his own father. Rana tries his best to keep his wife, kids and 2 brothers (Abhishek Banerjee and Sushant Singh) away from Naga but all his efforts go in vain. 

The thrilling face-off between Rana and Naga is the crux of the story of Rana Naidu. It's something never seen before in an action-thriller, an enmity so strong between a father-son duo that they refuse to stay in the same room without getting violent first. The series starts off on a gripping note but soon begins to become puzzling due to several entangles storylines. The first two episodes are thrilling, without a doubt, but not without moments of boredom. 

The performances are A1 though. Who would have thought that a real-life uncle-nephew duo, that shares an incredible bond, would turn into enemies so convincingly in Rana Naidu? Rana is the man of the series. The way he does action, puts forward his rage & handles every trouble with so much ease, is incredible. To match his talent is none other than Venkatesh. His screen presence is so strong, you can actually feel it in the room. It's the face-off between Rana and Venkatesh that keeps us at the edge of our seats. The supporting cast including Surveen Chawla, Abhishek Banerjee, Sushant Singh, Gaurav Chopra and Priya Banerjee, keeps us hooked as well. 

Karan Anshuman and Suparn S Varma do a decent job at directing the Netflix show. However, it could have been a little more fast-paced. But full credit to the director-duo for translating the energy of hatred between a father-son duo - Rana and Naga - without making the audience too uncomfortable. Vaibhav Vishal manages to write bold and heavy dialogues without making them sound crass. B. V. S. Ravi's screenplay is uncluttered. Sangeet-Siddharth's music adds the correct tone to the essence of the story.

Watch Rana Naidu to witness the never-seen-before face-off between Rana and Venkatesh Daggubati!

PeepingMoon gives Rana Naidu 3 Moons!