# Nuvvu Naaku Nachav

Nuvvu Naaku Nachav (transl. I like you) is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar who co-wrote the script with Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore under the Sri Sravanthi Movies banner, the film stars Venkatesh and Aarthi Agarwal, marking Agarwal's debut in Telugu cinema. The music was composed by Koti. The film follows Venky, a graduate from Anakapalli, who moves to Hyderabad and develops feelings for Nandini, the daughter of his father's friend, despite her being engaged, leading to a complex interplay of love and familial bonds.
Released on 6 September 2001, the film received both critical and commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of its time. Over the years, it gained recognition for its storytelling and humour, attaining a cult status. The film also marked one of the breakout roles for Sunil, along with Nuvvu Nenu (2001), helping establish him as a leading comedian in the industry.
Nuvvu Naaku Nachav won five Nandi Awards, including Best Home-viewing Feature Film. It was remade in Tamil as Vaseegara (2003) and Kannada as Gowramma (2005).

## Plot

Venkateswarlu "Venky" is an unemployed graduate from Anakapalli. He moves to Hyderabad to find a job on his father Sekharam's insistence. He arrives at his father's childhood friend, Srinivasa Moorthy's house to stay there.
Meanwhile, Moorthy's daughter Nandini "Nandu" is engaged to Prasad, a software professional from the USA. Venky helps the family in making arrangements and soon bonds with everyone. He also has petty fights with Nandu who start their relationship with hatred that later turns into a friendship. At the request of Sekharam, Murthy helps Venky in securing a job. Moorthy's sister Sujatha also arrives at their house. She shares a special bond with her niece Nandu and talks about the importance of marriage and finding a loving partner.
Soon, Nandu develops feelings for Venky and confesses her love to him. Venky, who does not want to spoil the relationship between their parents, leaves the house. However, Murthy goes to the railway station and talks to Venky. As Venky returns, Nandu stops talking to him. Later, Venky accompanies Nandu and Pinky (Nandu's cousin) to Nandu's friend Asha's wedding. After the wedding, they go to an amusement park where they meet a photographer. Following their trip, Venky also realizes his love for Nandu but does not express it, pretending not to have any feelings for her.
As Nandu's wedding approaches, Venky takes the onus of making arrangements for it. The demure Nandu is shattered and tells Sujatha about her love. Sujatha talks to Venky, asking him not to let Nandu suffer by rejecting her. Sekharam overhears the conversation that leaves him speechless. On the other hand, Prasad's family gets hold of a photo in which Venky and Nandu intimately hold their hands. They demand additional dowry of ₹1 crore from Moorthy for the marriage, alleging that his daughter has an affair with Venky. Furious Moorthy admonishes Nandu but Sujatha backs her by telling him that falling in love is not a woman's fault.
Venky goes to Prasad's family and begs them not to call off the wedding. He vouches that Nandu is not at fault but Prasad's family couldn't care less. Moorthy arrives and asks them to leave. Moorthy tells Venky that he shouldn't have kept his love hidden. Venky, however, is ready to sacrifice his love so that Moorthy and Sekharam's friendship is not spoiled. Moorthy is moved and lets Venky marry his daughter.
On their wedding day, the photographer confesses that he handed over their photo to the house servant Banthi to deliver to the bridegroom, believing that Nandu and Venky were getting married. Banthi, however, gave the photo to Prasad. The photographer is shocked to learn that the previous wedding was called off due to his photo and a new wedding is taking place.

## Cast

* Venkatesh as Venkateswarlu "Venky"
* Aarthi Agarwal as Nandini "Nandu" (voice dubbed by Savitha Reddy)
* Prithvi as Mohan, Asha's fiancé
* Asha Saini as Asha, Nandu's friend
* Suhasini as Sujatha, Nandu's aunt
* Prakash Raj as Pinnamaneni Srinivasa Murthy, Nandu's father
* Chandra Mohan as Sekharam
* Tanikella Bharani as Ashok, Prasad's father
* Brahmanandam as Photographer
* Babu Mohan as Prasad's relative
* Mallikarjuna Rao as Prasad's relative
* M. S. Narayana as Chanti, Nandu's uncle
* Shiju as Prasad, Nandu's fiancé
* Melkote as M.D.
* Sudha as Lakshmi, Nandu's mother
* Hema as Padma, Nandu's aunt and Chanti's wife
* Sudeepa as Pinky, Nandu's Cousin
* Sri Lakshmi as Asha's aunty
* Kalpana Rai as Cook
* Padma Jayanthi as Prasad's mother
* Sunil as Banthi, Nandu's househelp
* Bandla Ganesh as Mohan's friend
* Ananth as Asha's uncle
* Chitti Babu as Priest
* Giridhar as Venky's friend
* K. K. Sarma as Priest

## Production
### Development

After the success of Nuvve Kavali (2000), producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore decided to collaborate again with director K. Vijaya Bhaskar and writer Trivikram Srinivas. Impressed by their previous work, he had already given them an advance for their next film, which became Nuvvu Naaku Nachav. Vijaya Bhaskar and Trivikram were tasked with crafting a family-oriented story. They completed the script in two months, and it received unanimous approval from the team for its strong narrative.
Since much of the film is set within a single house, outdoor sequences were added to provide variety. This led to the inclusion of the Ooty episode and Asha Saini's wedding scenes. Similarly, Brahmanandam's character, which was not part of the original script, was included to add humour and variety to the second half of the film. The character was inspired by Mr. Bean's comedic style. The dinner scene in the film was influenced by a similar scene from Meet the Parents (2000).

### Casting

Initially, there were discussions about casting actor Tarun in the lead role, but due to the requirement for strong comedic timing and emotional depth, the team decided to opt for a different actor. At this point, producer Suresh Babu informed Sravanthi Ravi Kishore about the availability of actor Venkatesh’s dates. Vijaya Bhaskar and Trivikram then presented the story to Venkatesh, who expressed interest, and the film went into production.
For the female lead, actresses such as Trisha and Gajala were initially considered, but ultimately, Aarthi Agarwal, who had previously acted in a Hindi film, was chosen. Nuvvu Naaku Nachav marked her Telugu debut.
For the role of the heroine's father, director Vijaya Bhaskar suggested Nassar, but producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore insisted on casting Prakash Raj. Due to a ban on Prakash Raj by the Movie Artists Association (MAA), scenes without his character were filmed first. Once the ban was lifted, Prakash Raj joined the shoot and completed his scenes in 17 days.

### Filming

A house set, designed by art director Peketi Ranga, was constructed at Ramanaidu Studios in Nanakramguda, costing around ₹60 lakh. This set became a key location in the film. The song "Naa Choope Ninu" was described by Vijaya Bhaskar as a "haunting tune," which led the team to shoot it abroad. Filmed in New Zealand for its vibrant and picturesque landscapes, the cold weather presented challenges, especially for Venkatesh, who had to wear light costumes.
Filming was completed in just 64 days. The total production cost of Nuvvu Naaku Nachav was ₹4.5 crore, excluding Venkatesh's fee of ₹2.5 crore.

### Post-production

After filming concluded, re-recording began with composer Koti. Initially, the result did not meet producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore's expectations. However, after revising the work, Koti delivered a version that satisfied Ravi Kishore. Koti completed the re-recording in 25 days.
The film was released with a runtime of over three hours. Concerns were raised regarding its length, particularly about the episode featuring Suhasini, which was suggested for removal. However, Sravanthi Ravi Kishore insisted on retaining every scene, ensuring that not a single scene was cut.

## Music

The soundtrack for Nuvvu Naaku Nachav was composed by Koti and released by Aditya Music. It quickly achieved triple platinum disc status upon its release.
"Okkasari Cheppaleva" is based on the Robert Miles' song "Fable". For the same song, lyricist Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry penned 60 different versions of the pallavi. Ultimately, the first version was finalised for the film.
"Naa Choope Ninu" was sung by Sriram Prabhu, marking his playback debut for Venkatesh. An alternate version was recorded with a North Indian singer, but the team ultimately chose Sriram Prabhu’s rendition as it was deemed more suitable.

## Release

Nuvvu Naaku Nachav was released on 6 September 2001, with the date announced three months in advance. Producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore adopted a transparent approach by allowing distributors to preview the film's rushes and arrange screenings upon request. The film had a wide release with 113 prints across 147 centres, marking the largest release of Venkatesh's career at the time.

## Reception
### Box office

The film had a theatrical business of ₹7.24 crore and earned a distributors' share of ₹2.63 crore in its opening week. It eventually collected a total distributors' share of ₹18 crore during its entire theatrical run, emerging as one of the top ten highest-grossing Telugu films at the time.
The film had a 50-day run in 93 centres and a 100-day run in 57 centres. It also celebrated a 175-day run in three centres.

### Critical reception

Idlebrain.com rated the film 4/5, and was in praise of the performances of the lead cast and the screenplay. "The strength of the film is Venky, Aarti, the comedy dialogues and sensible direction," the reviewer added. Sify which rated 3 stars out of 5, criticised the film for "lack of freshness", and "weak screenplay," and opined that the film resembles a "wedding album."

## Legacy

Nuvvu Naaku Nachav is considered one of the most celebrated comedies in Venkatesh's career and is regarded as a classic of early 2000s Telugu cinema. The character of Banthi, portrayed by Sunil, became particularly popular, contributing to his rise as one of the leading comedians in the industry.
The film's dialogues and comedy scenes have become iconic, and it continues to garner high ratings during frequent television broadcasts.

## Remakes

The film was remade in Tamil as Vaseegara (2003) and in Kannada as Gowramma (2005).

## Awards
### Nandi Awards

* Best Home-viewing Feature Film - Sravanthi Ravi Kishore
* Best Supporting Actress - Suhasini
* Best Female Dubbing Artist - Savitha Reddy
* Best Dialogue Writer - Trivikram Srinivas
* Best Choreographer - Suchitra