Nani turns 37: Binge Watch these 5 Romantic Comedies of the Natural Star

After working as an assistant director for a handful of Telugu films, Nani was roped in by Indraganti Mohan Krishna for the lead role in the 2008 romantic comedy ‘Ashta Chamma’ and the film turned out to be a surprise hit at the ticket counters. Thereafter, the Hyderabad-born lad struck the right chord as the protagonist with consecutive superhits and went to acquire the tag of a minimum guarantee hero in Tollywood. His boy-next-door looks, relatable personality and the gift of gab have catapulted an ordinary Nani into the Natural Star. The ‘Tuck Jagadish’ actor is celebrating her 37th birthday and on the special occasion, binge watch his 5 best romantic comedies.

Directed by sensitive filmmaker Mohan Krishna Indraganti, ‘Ashta Chamma’ announced the arrival of Nani in Telugu cinema. At the time when high-octane actioners were ruling the roost, the family entertainer came as much-needed relief and resumed the rom-com trend once again in Tollywood. Along with Swathi’s hilarious antics, Nani stole the show with his energetic screen-presence and witty one-liners. Despite being a debutante, the talented actor showed no signs of nervousness and the film went on to become a blockbuster at the box-office.

After an emotional performance in ‘Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu’, Nani returned to his forte of romcoms and excelled in the role of a confused and kind-hearted Gautham. The Nandini Reddy directorial introduced Nithya Menen to Telugu cinema and the debutante rocked the stage with her incredible performance and rocking chemistry with Nani. Both the actors looked mesmerising on the celluloid and Kalyani Malik’s soothing numbers gave the film a huge boost. Helmed on a shoe-string budget, ‘Ala Modalaindi’ managed to surprise the trade by amassing big numbers at the ticket counters.

Helmed by Maruthi, the 2015 romantic-comedy revived the protagonist career of Nani who hit the rough patch for a brief period. With his hilarious expressions and impeccable comedy-timing, the ‘Eega’ star delivered his best performance as the absent-minded Lucky who tries to hide his inherent memory-related flaws from his girlfriend. ‘Bhale Bhale Magadivoy’ also saw the phenomenal rise in Nani’s acting potential. The blockbuster film garnered a cult following over the years.

Directed by Shiva Nirvana, ‘Ninnu Kori’ is a contemporary take on modern-day relationships aided by the terrific performances of the cast. Starring Nani, Nivetha Thomas and Aadhi Pinisetty in lead roles, the romantic drama released to a positive response both from the common audience and critics. Along with the emotional sequences and the hilarious comedy, Karthik Ghattamaneni’s cinematography and Gopi Sundar’s music helped the film to hit the bull’s eye at the box-office.

In Pilla Zamindar, Nani portrayed the role of Praveen Jayaramaraju (PJ), a spoilt, rich and arrogant youngster who can inherit his grandfather’s massive wealth only if he completes his graduation in a government college as a common man without any luxuries. Besides his brilliant act, the solid performances of MS Narayana, Srinivas Avasarala and Rao Ramesh in the film have hit the bull’s eye with the masses. Starring Hariprriya as the leading lady, the rib-tickling comedy worked big time in the coming-of-age drama.