The winsome Daggubatti men rescue the messy and verbally violent Rana Naidu

Cast: Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh Daggubati, Surveen Chawla, Sushant Singh, Abhishek Banerjee, Gaurav Chopra, Ashish Vidyarthi

The prospect of watching Rana Daggubati spar onscreen with his uncle Venkatesh Daggubati in an action-packed, dramatic series promises entertainment. But, in Rana Naidu, the barrage of abuse—verbal, linguistic, gendered and physical—gradually inculcates indifference in the viewers, taking away from the story. 

A star-studded ensemble cast delivers in this series, which is mounted on a cinematic scale, but staccato writing lets it down at multiple points. 

Rana Naidu is an official adaptation of the hit LA-based American show Ray Donovan. Karan Anshuman, who has been part of creating shows such as Inside Edge and Mirzapur, adapts this series in sync with the original material, spicing the storyline with dollops of sex, a lot of which feels unnecessary (à la Mirzapur).

Rana Naidu (Rana Daggubati) is the best fixer Bollywood and cricket celebrities can find. He lives and works in Mumbai and kind of reports to the leading politician O B Mahajan (Rajesh Jias), reminiscent of a suave and super popular political leader from the city. Rana’s brothers Tej (Sushant Singh), a skilled stunt master in films, and Jaffa (Abhishek Banerjee) are his trusted mates, each carrying damaging childhood wounds, which are consequences of their indifferent, cruel father.

Rana lives in steepled luxury with his wife Naina (Surveen Chawla) and two children in plush Mumbai, even as he carries on with his bullying, bludgeoning and threatening tactics with trusted associates. 

Rana is both a redeemer and a perpetrator of acts of violence. 

When Rana’s father Naga Naidu (Venkatesh Daggubati) gets out of prison early, the delicate balance of his life is overturned. Ghosts of the past come back to haunt the Naidus as they get violent or manage varying degrees of violence to stay out of jail and keep carrying on. 

In the mix are an obsessed CBI officer who goes off book to get Rana, a lustful Mumbai builder, and a rich cougar (Suchitra Pillai) who falls for Naga. 

The plot rests on past revelations of an action movie star Prince (Gaurav Chopra) and an uber villain of sorts who shows up from Hyderabad with his penchant for murders (Ashish Vidyarthi). In fact, bad guys turn up at almost every corner. There is also a scandal hungry journalist who stalks movie stars. 

Rana Naidu is backed by solid performances from the Daggubattis—capable actors who have nailed the Hyderabadi accent and the characteristics of aggressive alpha males. The best moments of the series emerge when Rana and Venkatesh confront each other, bringing to life the tense dynamics of a messy father-son duo. 

Rana is restrained, devastatingly good looking, and effectively violent, holding up a character that could have benefitted from a few layers and humane reactions. 

Venkatesh is disarmingly witty and convincing as a career criminal who was wronged by his own and wants to reform his ways. His charm sails through misogynistic dialogues and gestures, making the character believable. His years of performance experience helps him pull off the character with panache. 

Sushant Singh is very good as the physically strong, soft-hearted older brother. Abhishek Banerjee pulls off a winning performance—which that transcends the writing—as Jaffa, who is vulnerable, broken and borderline violent. 

The women of the show—Surveen Chawla, Ishita Arun and Suchitra Pillai—do what they can, for there is little room for evolution. The side track of a wannabe starlet/singer (played by Priya Banerjee) throwing herself at Rana feels totally unnecessary, almost as if it’s an afterthought to spice up the screen with some seduction. 

Rana Naidu has an impressive writing and directing team backing it (Suparn Verma, Karan Anshuman, Ananya Mody, BVS Ravi, and Vaibhav Vishal). Despite this, the script leans on verbal abuse, which is used as thought and emotion triggers throughout the series. 

While some amount of aggressive language may be acceptable in a gangster series, abusive language doesn’t add to the story’s progress. Similarly, several coital moments come into play to explore the relationships and emotions of the central characters. This too doesn’t always work. The men in the series seem to have very little connection with their women, beyond stoic sulks and aggressive lovemaking. 

This series has made a sincere and conscious attempt to address gender bias and misogyny, but the effort shows. Even as Naga makes statements such as “men and women are equal”, the effect appears parodical.  

The parallel sub plots might be mildly entertaining, but they don’t add up to a complete and convincing plot. For instance, the main grouse of Rana against his father is never quite explored in full relief. One can’t help but spot a Mirzapur hangover in the writing, although, in this context, it feels rather out of place. 

Rana Naidu succeeds in building strong characters that you root for through their convoluted journey. The Naidu men display a pull for family that rises above its messy plot, keeping one hooked till the end of the 10-episode run. 

Watch Rana Naidu for the solid performances of Rana and Venkatesh Daggubati. 

Rating: 3.5