Hi Papa (“Hi Nanna” originally in Telugu) is a movie about parenting, a love story which is slightly different than run of the mill masala ones.
However, at a broader level, it is no different than typical Telugu rom-dramas (similar to Jersey, also ft. Nani) where you will see the male hero victimized and glorified, and the female lead being in the morally wrong territory, only to realize her mistake later and continue the sob-fest later on. It’s not as bad as Animal or Kabir Singh, but I’m yet to see a truly progressive feminist movie out of Telugu cinema. Yet, Hi Nanna is engrossing and has surprise elements throughout the screenplay to keep you glued.
p.s. At one point, a side character says my second favorite hilarious line in Indian cinema: “Bhoolne se yaad aaya, tumhari sister kaisi hai?” (You will not miss it when you see the movie)
One line review: Masala movie lekin achchhi hai, dekh lo!