Review: Ramba Oorvasi Menaka: Puttinchaledu Navvula Keka

 

Movie: Ramba Oorvasi Menaka
Rating: 2.25/5

Cast: Allari Naresh, Naresh, Raashi Singh, Vishnupriya, Prisha Singh and Surabhi, Vennela Kishore and others

Director: Chandramohan Chintada 

Produced By: Hasya Movies, Annapurna Studios

Release Date: 04-09-2026

Story:

Manthena Surya Narayana, fondly called Suri (Allari Naresh), dreams of becoming a film hero from a young age. He starts a drama company named Ramba Oorvasi Menaka, but never actually performs on stage. Instead, he strongly believes in a magical book inherited by his family.

Suri believes that if he draws a muggu (traditional rangoli) on the magical book, the celestial apsaras Ramba, Urvasi and Menaka will appear before him and grant his wishes, helping him fulfil his dreams.

Along with his uncle (VK Naresh) and friend (Srinivasa Reddy), Suri leads a carefree life and eventually falls into heavy debt. While creditors chase him, he continues his attempts to activate the magical book.

Things take a serious turn when Suri's mother falls critically ill. During this difficult phase, Suri once again draws a muggu on the magical book; and this time, it actually works. Ramba (Raashi Singh), Urvasi (Prisha Singh) and Menaka (Vishnupriya) appear before him.

Do the three apsaras grant Suri the wishes he seeks? How does their arrival change his life? That forms the rest of the story.

Performances:

Allari Naresh delivers a decent performance, but his characterisation and the way the comedy is written and executed feel outdated. The film often gives the impression of watching a comedy from another era, while today's audience has moved on to a very different style of humour.

Senior actor Naresh manages to evoke a few laughs in some scenes, but his character doesn't have enough material to make a strong impact.

Raashi Singh, Vishnupriya, Prisha Singh and Surabhi have very limited scope to perform. Their characters are largely reduced to glamour, leaving little room for either performance or character development.

Vennela Kishore, who plays Indra, fails to make much of an impact due to weak characterisation and underwritten scenes.

What Works:

Director Chandramohan Chintada's basic storyline is not entirely new. Films have often explored the idea of a protagonist who dreams of achieving success without putting in the required effort, relying instead on astrology, blind faith or divine intervention, before eventually understanding the true meaning of life.

However, replacing the usual gods with apsaras like Ramba, Urvasi and Menaka is an interesting idea. The interval episode built around this concept works reasonably well and provides some entertainment.

There are also a few moments where Allari Naresh manages to generate laughs.

What Doesn't Work:

A familiar story can still work if the screenplay and scenes are engaging. Unfortunately, Ramba Oorvasi Menaka struggles badly in this department.

The film is filled with dull, repetitive and uninteresting sequences, with very little freshness in the writing. The humour often feels forced and outdated, making the proceedings test the audience's patience.

The problem becomes more evident in the second half, where scenes appear to come and go without a strong narrative flow or purpose.

The mother sentiment is another major disappointment. It is handled in a highly formulaic and cinematic manner instead of creating genuine emotional impact.

The film also had an opportunity to build some entertaining fantasy-comedy moments between Indra and the protagonist. Unfortunately, the director handles this angle rather poorly, wasting what could have been one of the film's major strengths.

Ramba Oorvasi Menaka Review And Verdict:

Ramba Oorvasi Menaka has an interesting premise and manages to deliver a few laughs here and there, but the outdated humour, weak screenplay and dull second half make it a largely boring watch.