Nawab Cafe Movie Review: The taste is far from satisfying in this artificial film

It is hard to understand why filmmakers continue to revisit the same concepts when similar films — released in other languages and even dubbed into Telugu — already exist. That is probably why Nawab Cafe, starring Shiva Kandukuri and Teju Ashwini, turns out to be a complete disappointment. There is hardly a single scene that leaves an impression. Directed by debutant Pramod Harsha, the film fails to offer anything fresh or engaging.

The storyline is strikingly similar to Idli Kottu (Idli Kadai), which starred Dhanush and Nithya Menen. In that film, Dhanush plays a man who initially wants to sell his father’s idli shop and move abroad, but after his father’s death, he takes over the shop and follows in his footsteps. Nawab Cafe repeats the same formula, simply replacing idli with chai — and nothing more. However, when a film claims to be inspired by real-life emotions, it needs authenticity and depth, both of which are completely missing here.

Adding to the troubles, the film was earlier titled Chaiwala, but the makers were forced to change it following objections from the censor board, finally settling on Nawab Cafe.

Director: Pramod Harsha

Cast: Shiva Kandukuri, Teju Ashwini, Rajeev Kanakala, Mani Chandana, Chaitanya Krishna, Rajkumar Kasireddy, Gemini Suresh, Vadlamani Srinivas, and others

Ranganatham (Rajeev Kanakala) runs Nawab Cafe, a hotel passed down through generations for over 400 years. His son Raja (Shiva Kandukuri), after struggling to complete his engineering degree, dreams of selling the cafe and settling abroad to earn big money. Meanwhile, Ranganatham’s brother takes away the family lands and becomes wealthy, and his son Kumar (Chaitanya Krishna) enjoys a luxurious life in the real estate business.

Raja, influenced by his cousin’s lifestyle, pressures his father to sell the cafe after receiving a lucrative offer. However, Ranganatham refuses, as the cafe holds emotional value for him. After Ranganatham’s sudden death, Raja is left with the cafe documents and the freedom to decide its future. Meanwhile, Kumar plots to acquire the cafe through deceit. The rest of the story unfolds exactly the way one would expect — without any surprises.

The biggest drawback of Nawab Cafe is its complete lack of originality. Several scenes are directly lifted from Idli Kottu and Ustad Hotel, including the health department raid sequence. Despite dealing with an emotional father–son bond, director Pramod Harsha fails to bring even a single genuinely moving moment. The narration is weak, scenes feel dragged, and the entire film looks artificial.

Some characters appear completely forced, with actors struggling to emote. A glaring example is the goon character Shankar, whose presence unintentionally evokes laughter due to poor performance. Films like these demand realism, at the very least, the actors should understand how a chai shop functions and how its owner behaves. Unfortunately, there is little to no effort visible.

Just like in Dhanush’s film, Raja’s first attempt at making chai is rejected by customers for not matching his father’s taste — a sequence that feels blatantly copied. The artificial cafe set, disconnected scenes, zero chemistry between the lead pair, and amateur filmmaking are evident throughout. Even emotional moments between father and son fail to land, as the director unnecessarily inserts forced heroism and action scenes.

Shiva Kandukuri struggles with his performance, and clearly needed more preparation since his character never comes alive. Teju Ashwini has very little to do. Rajeev Kanakala’s role is routine, while Rajkumar Kasireddy’s attempts at comedy fall flat. Chaitanya Krishna looks the part but lacks emotional depth. Most supporting actors appear expressionless.

Nawab Cafe is a tedious watch and a complete dud. It feels like a pale imitation of Idli Kottu, with idli replaced by chai. Weak direction, artificial performances, poor screenplay, and a total lack of realism make it an easy film to skip, and this cafe has nothing worth tasting.