Priyanka Arul Mohan

Nani's Gang Leader is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language comedy thriller film produced by Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Sankar and Mohan Cherukuri under banner of Mythri Movie Makers and directed by Vikram Kumar. The film stars Nani with Lakshmi, Saranya Ponvannan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Shriya Reddy, Praanya P. Rao, Kartikeya Gummakonda, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, and Vennela Kishore in pivotal roles. The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. In this film, 5 women seek the help of a crime novelist to avenge the death of their loved ones.

The film was released on 13 September 2019, after being pushed back from previously scheduled release date of 30 August 2019. Gang Leader received mostly positive reviews from the critics.

Plot

Pencil Parthasarathy (Nani) is a small time crime novel writer who watches hit English language movies and rewrites their stories as local Telugu novels. Meanwhile a great robbery takes place in the city where ₹ 300 crores are stolen by 5 individuals. As soon as the robbery is finished, the 5 are found murdered and the money stolen.

5 bereaved women (1 aged woman, 1 middle aged woman, 1 young woman, 1 teen and a small child) who lost their loved ones (the 5 dead robbers) come together and try to find someone who would help them avenge their loved ones. They approach Pencil to help them figure out the culprit. Pencil, at first, refuses to help but sensing a good (and probably his first) original story, agrees to help them.

After a few hilarious twists and turns, the rag tag group finally narrows down on their main suspect: Dev (Karthikeya Gummakonda).

Dev is a small time ambulance driver turned F1 Racer. As an ambulance driver, Dev never lost a patient due to his skilled and prompt driving of patients to the hospitals. But in order to become a successful race car driver, he needed money. In order to get the money, he joined a group of cancer patients (the original five) who were planning on a robbery to set aside money for their loved ones (the 5 women). After the robbery, Dev killed the 5 men, stole the money, and became a successful race car driver. The rest of the movie revolves around how the Gang brings Dev to justice for revenge, with Pencil as their Gang Leader.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the film is composed by Anirudh Ravichander and lyrics by Anantha Sriram and Inno Genga.

Marketing and release

The title was announced on 24 February 2019 on the occasion of Nani's birthday. The teaser of the film was released on 23 July 2019 by Mythri Movie Makers.

The film was released on 13 September 2019, after being pushed back from previously scheduled release date of 30 August 2019 to avoid clash with Saaho.

Reception

Critical reception

The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Nani's Gang Leader tries to tick all the boxes but comes across as a half-hearted attempt, They succeed — but only in parts".

Behindwoods gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Gang Leader is an inventive, wildly entertaining comedy with a great ensemble performance.".

Great Andhra gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Vikram Kumar’s flat narration has made it a dull affair. “Nani’s Gang Leader” is the weakest movie in Vikram's career so far".

Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Gang Leader has its moments, thanks to Nani's effortless presence. He keeps the scenes lively and bright. It is not a bad film but that doesn't mean it is outstanding either".