Following the events of Naal, Naal 2 follows the story of the now grown up Chaitanya as he pays a visit to his ‘actual’ family wherein he wishes to form a bond with his siblings who are oblivious of his identity. The story here is heartfelt and warm while tackling the complexities of relationships in a rather simplistic approach. As a result, the emotions which are complex, are further dissected and hence easily palatable, something which touch you along the way. The screenplay standing at 130 minutes ticks all the right boxes as far as the emotions are concerned while keeping the innocence in the drama intact. This results in a beautiful drama which would put a smile on your face while quietly allowing you to shed a tear or two. 

The drama has such a vibrant vibe to it from its very first shot that showcase the lush landscapes of Sahyadri ranges, something which is also a metaphor for the mindset of the protagonist who is visiting his ‘actual’ family after a while. The ballad that he plays out through his hands in the rain was joy in the purest form that sets the ball rolling for the drama to follow. It is clear that he has accepted his fate and is now more accepting towards the complex relationships that he finds himself in around him. Yet, the focus this time by the writers Sudhakar Reddy and Nagraj Manjule is on the exploration of relationships between the siblings through the gaze of the protagonist. 

The proceedings are simplistic in nature but address the intricacies of entangled relationships very well. There is a genuine case of warmth when Chaitanya tries to win his sister and brother over through his antics and actions. I liked how the writers used a ‘Rakhi’ as a symbol of their relationship wherein Chaitanya wishes to be tied on his wrist by his sister Chimi. This was love in its purest form represented through kids who still have a long way to go in life. Yet, the conflict of Chimi being less accepting towards Chaitanya is what forms the core of the drama. And this is represented in a moving interval block wherein each of the three siblings eat a candy but the candy changes colour on the tongues of only two of them, leaving Chaitanya as the odd one out. 

There are a couple of subplots that explore the strained relationship between the adults over a piece of land as well. But because the focus is on the children, there are certain factors that are representative of the folklore of the village by the sea, told much to the awe of the children. I also did like how the complex emotions were simplified, either through uniting through a sport, or stray objects like a bicycle that contribute towards the budding bond between the children. The events aren’t entirely seamless(like in Naal 1) and you can briefly feel the forced nature of the writing in the events leading to the final act. But, the final act so beautifully ties all the loose ends together including resolving the feud between the adults that puts a wide smile on your face while gently allowing you space to shed a tear. The feel-good nature of the drama just hits home in the final few reels thus summing up a screenplay which was a worthy followup to the already beautiful Naal 1.