Movie: Nawab Cafe
Cast: Shiva Kandukuri, Rajeev Kanakala, Teju Ashwini, Chaitanya Krishna
Produced by: Radha V Papudippu
Director: Pramod Harsha
Editing: Pawan
Music: Prashanth Vihari
Camera: Kranthi
Length: 2 hours 17 minutes
Release date: February 20, 2026
Rating 2/5
Nawab Cafe Movie Review: Nawab Cafe is owned by Ranganatham, who inherited it from his grandparents. His son Raja, however, is uninterested in running the family business, dreaming instead of a life and wealth in America. Meanwhile, Raja’s maternal grandfather’s son, businessman KuMar, plots to acquire the cafe and replace it with a grand shopping complex. Although the cafe is offered a favourable deal, Ranganatham refuses to sell, sparking a heated conflict between him and Raja. What follows? Does Raja fall into Kumar’s trap? Does Raja’s love with Sakhi end happily? These answers await on the big screen (Nawab Cafe Review).
Many films have been made on the theme of father-son emotions. At a time like this, when touching on this genre once again, the director should try something new. At least in the taking and screenplay. But there is nothing new in this. The story of the film ‘Nawabu Cafe’ is a simple emotional drama between a father and son. The film is very full of comedy and the love story of the hero. With the hero’s father’s death during the interval, the film takes a slightly emotional turn. Even from here, the director should have been a little careful. But he did not do that. The story of this film proceeds with a routine climax, with predictable scenes and a story that is not new. Especially, it is like watching Dhanush’s film ‘Idlikottu’ again. The audience can also remember Keerthy Suresh’s ‘Miss India’ Film and the Malayalam film ‘Ustad Hotel’.
Sivakandukuri acted well as Raja. Teju’s role did not have the right impact in the story. Rajeev Kanakala acted well with his experience acting. He especially showed his mark in the emotional scenes. As long as Chaitanya was there as Kumar, he acted as if he were okay. Kasireddy’s comedy was only good in a few places. The songs are average. RR too. The editing could have been cut a little more. There is scope for this in the first half. The director was not completely successful in showing the chosen point to the audience in a new way. The production values are not good.
Overall, Nawab Cafe delivers a familiar story that does not offer many surprises. While there are some good moments in the performances, especially by Rajeev Kanakala, and a few comedic elements, the film struggles to stand out due to predictable writing and average technical values. The director misses the chance to bring freshness to the narrative, resulting in a film that may not leave a lasting impression. For those looking for something new, this film may fall short of expectations.
