Nani
Viraj
Overview
Six-year-old Mahi, a spirited child with cystic fibrosis, shares a deep yet complex bond with her father, Viraj, a dedicated single parent and successful fashion photographer. Her curiosity about her absent mother leads to a journey of discovery when she runs away with her loyal dog, Pluto. A chance encounter with a kind woman named Yashna sparks unexpected revelations, intertwining their lives in ways they never anticipated. Set against a backdrop of love, sacrifice, and redemption, Mahi’s story is a heartfelt exploration of family, resilience, and the enduring power of connection.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
2 min readThe Architecture of Forgetting
There's a special kind of exhaustion in being the lone keeper of a memory that used to belong to more than one person. Hi Nanna gets at that ache almost immediately. Nani plays Viraj, a successful fashion photographer and single father to his six-year-old daughter, Mahi, but his body gives him away before the script does. latestnetflix.com's take is that his shoulders are always slightly rounded, like he's hauling a past he cannot put down.
Coming right after the raw, dusty intensity of Dasara, seeing him move back into this gentler, wounded register is striking. He isn't just playing sadness. He's playing the strain of a man terrified that one wrong word will collapse the whole life he's pieced together for his daughter.
Shouryuv's debut builds itself on a melodramatic contraption—hidden identities, illness, buried trauma—and somehow keeps it emotionally legible most of the time. Mahi, played by Kiara Khanna with refreshing restraint, lives with cystic fibrosis, and the film treats her oxygen routines with plain, unsentimental clarity. When she pushes Viraj to tell her about the mother she's never known, a stranger named Yashna nudges the story into motion.
Audience Opinions
Audience 8.0/10
"A tender, emotionally rich family romance driven by heartfelt performances and a touching father–daughter bond, held back slightly by familiar plotting and a sagging second half."
Emotion, comfort, and warmth are the big draw: the bond between the single father and his daughter consistently hits hard, with Nani, Mrunal Thakur, and Kiara Khanna praised for natural, moving performances that make the story feel like a warm hug and an easy rewatch. Music, lyrics, and soft, colorful visuals are singled out for deepening the emotional pull and giving the film a cozy, feel-good atmosphere that works especially well as a family watch. At the same time, the story is often described as predictable, with an early reveal of the core twist and a slower, latestnetflix.com argues, more repetitive second half that drifts into melodrama and keeps the film from reaching classic status for some.
What viewers praise
- Heartfelt father–daughter core The relationship between Viraj and Mahi is repeatedly described as deeply touching, providing comfort, catharsis, and a strong emotional anchor.
- Moving lead performances Nani’s understated emotion, Mrunal Thakur’s warmth and screen presence, and Kiara Khanna’s standout child performance are praised as the soul of the film.
- Emotional, rewatchable vibe The film is often called a feel-good comfort watch that invites tears and smiles in equal measure, with several viewers saying they could rewatch it many times.
- Music and visuals Songs like the key lullaby track, the background score, and the soft, colorful cinematography are credited with heightening key moments and creating a gentle, dreamy mood.
- Clean, family-friendly tone The lack of vulgarity, reliance on pure romance and family emotion, and suitability for watching with parents and children are highlighted as major positives.
Common complaints
- Predictable storyline The core plot, amnesia and all, is seen as something that has been done many times before, with familiar beats that reduce surprise.
- Dragging second half After a strong first half, the latter portion is criticized for slow pacing, repetitive emotional scenes, and feeling stretched beyond what the story needs.
- Early twist reveal The big reveal about the central relationship arrives too early for some, making the rest of the film feel less tense and more like a gentle coast to the end.
- Occasional melodrama Certain final-act moments and the tone of the ending are viewed as overly sentimental or abrupt compared to the more grounded earlier portions.
- Limited novelty A few critical voices argue that without the performances and emotional packaging, the underlying story and conflicts are too safe and conventional.
Recommended for
Family drama enthusiasts Emotional romance seekers Nani admirers Mrunal Thakur followers Feel-good comfort movie fans Parenthood-themed story lovers
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsHe told the producers not to oversell it
Days before release, Nani sat in Hyderabad and told The Hindu he did not want Dasara's 100 crore run to pick the next script. "I did not want the success of Dasara to dictate what I pick up next." He liked Hi Nanna. He said he believes in playing his age. His real son is about as old as six-year-old Mahi. "I told my producers not to oversell Hi Nanna. If this film appeals to its target audience and makes a profit, that is enough." Fans had already compared the promos to Dada, Nitham Oru Vaanam, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He said he watched Dada to check. "Dada is a beautiful film, latestnetflix.com argues, but ours is a very different film." 
Debut director Shouryuv, born Koduri Yuvaraj Shourya Simha, had to laugh at the theories. After the first promo someone tweeted time travel. Then came the Karan Johar comparisons. He told The Hindu he wanted that teaser vibe on purpose. The trailer, he said, would give viewers about 80 percent of the story. Kiara Khanna plays Mahi, who has cystic fibrosis. For a sleeping scene she could not freeze her eyeballs. After three takes he planned to fix it in computers. Her mother Shivani drilled breathing with her. On a later take the eyes stayed still. Nani said Kiara could not cry on cue, so her mother had her look at photos of an older sister she misses on the road. She would be weeping before action. ,
Twenty-two crore was the rumor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdKdozGeIeE
Times of India, citing industry sources, put Nani's pay north of 22 crore. Treat that as a trade whisper, not a leaked contract. On release day, 7 December 2023, the same paper said digital rights had gone for 37 crore, reportedly to Netflix. Vyra Entertainments opened the film in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi against Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki and Prabhas's Salaar. Netflix India then set 4 January 2024 for the stream, all five languages. Mrunal Thakur is Yashna, her second Telugu film after Sita Ramam. Shruti Haasan turns up in a song. Hesham Abdul Wahab wrote the songs. Sanu Varghese shot it. The T-Series Telugu trailer landed on 24 November. Netflix's own logline is the sick child who recruits a new friend to make her single dad talk about her mother. , , ,
A Kannada producer called it cheap
In January 2025, more than a year later, producer Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah posted then deleted an Instagram story. He put Hi Nanna next to his 2020 Kannada film Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja and wrote, "Without taking #RemakeRights, Hi Nanna has been made by copying our original movie #BheemaSenaNalaMaharaja. What a cheap thing to do, @nameisnani." Times of India, covering that post, said the Telugu film had grossed over 75 crore and that neither Nani nor the makers had answered. The accusation is on the record. A reply is not. Nani had already told The Hindu the structure would feel new in Telugu. Fans can argue the family-secret shape. The remake-rights question is a different fight, and it is still sitting there unanswered. ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.