Revenge never tasted this good

Naanalla is a taut crime thriller inspired by the 1996 flick Primal Fear that had Richard Gere and made Edward Norton’s career.

A hot-shot lawyer Sharat Chandra Prasad (Anant Nag) takes up the case of Siddharth (Tarun Chandra), arrested by Inspector Prathap (Rangayana Raghu) for murdering a college professor.

Sharat Chandra comes to believe in the innocence of his client till he digs deep and finds Siddharth has hidden certain facts, including the suicide of his girlfriend Bhavya (Shubha Poonja - totally wasted in a blink-n-she’s gone role).

The lawyer also discovers Shiva, Siddharth’s friend, who surfaces whenever his friend is in distress. With the help of a psychiatrist Sharat Chandra tries to prove that his client has dissociate identity disorder-a form of multiple personality disorder and that the crime was committed in this unstable mental state. A claim pooh-poohed by his estranged wife and prosecutor Gowri (Khushboo).

The prosecutor confronts Siddharth and the court gets acquainted with Shiva. The judge finds Siddharth not guilty and orders treatment for his condition.

It’s a double whammy for Sharat Chandra - his client is saved and his wife is back with him.

But is Siddharth truly what he is?

Baboo sticks to the basics and there is nary a moment that seems wasted. The background score and music are good; so is Suresh Vikram’s camerawork.

Tarun Chandra’s done a fine piece of acting; the scenes with Anant, particularly the climax, are riveting. Baboo brings another offering readymade for cable TV which would have benefited from a bit more promotion.