Hi Nanna

Hi Nanna (transl. Hi Father) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Shouryuv, in his directoral debut, and produced by Vyra Entertainments. The film stars Nani and Mrunal Thakur in lead roles alongside Kiara Khanna, Jayaram and Priyadarshi Pulikonda. The music is composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab.

The plot follows six-year-old Mahi, a girl battling cystic fibrosis, who lives with her loving father, Viraj. Her quest to learn about her absent mother leads to a chance encounter with Yashna, a woman unknowingly connected to her past, unraveling a heartfelt story of lost memories, love, and destiny.

Hi Nanna was released on 7 December 2023, where it received highly positive reviews from audience and critics. The film was applauded for its direction, screenplay, cast performances, and music. It became a superhit at the box office.

Six-year-old Mahi lives in Mumbai with her father Viraj, grandfather, and their pet dog, Pluto. Mahi suffers from cystic fibrosis, and Viraj, a successful fashion photographer, dedicates his life to caring for her. Whenever Mahi asks about her absent mother, Viraj avoids the topic. Upset by his silence, Mahi runs away from home with Pluto. They are saved from an accident by a woman named Yashna. At Mahi’s request, Yashna invites Viraj to a restaurant, where she and Mahi convince him to tell the story of her mother, "Varsha." To make it easier for Mahi to imagine, Yashna pretends to be Varsha.

Viraj recounts how, ten years ago, he met Varsha, a woman disillusioned by her parents’ divorce, in Coonoor. Over time, Varsha overcame her fears and married Viraj despite her mother’s objections. Though they struggled financially, they were happy. When Viraj’s career took off, he wanted a child, and Varsha, initially hesitant, agreed. However, their joy turned to sorrow when their daughter, Mahi, was born with a fatal illness. Devastated, Varsha blamed Viraj and regretted their marriage. Mahi, upset by the story, asks Viraj to stop. Privately, Yashna, visibly emotional, urges him to finish. Viraj reveals that shortly after Varsha’s breakdown, they met with a car accident, and Yashna assumes Varsha to be dead.

In a twist, it’s revealed that Yashna is Varsha herself. She survived the accident but developed amnesia, forgetting her past, marriage, and child. Her mother lied to Viraj, claiming Yashna wanted a divorce, and forced him to stay away, believing he and Mahi would further traumatize her daughter. Viraj, crushed but loving, raised Mahi alone. Pluto recognizing Yashna led to their reunion. Viraj, in order to avoid allowing Yashna to recollect her past, narrated their story with certain details changed (such as replacing Yashna's sister with a brother). Meanwhile, Yashna is revealed to be engaged to Dr. Aravind, the neurosurgeon who had once treated her.

Hoping to avoid pain, Viraj takes Mahi and Pluto to Goa. However, Mahi secretly invited Yashna, and they reconnected. Yashna finds herself naturally drawn to Viraj and Mahi, even falling in love with Viraj again. On her wedding day, after learning the truth from Yashna's mother, Mahi is devastated. Viraj gets into a fight with Aravind's friends, causing Yashna's mother to tell him to leave. Later, Yashna’s estranged father makes it clear to his wife that Viraj had raised Mahi selflessly and that Viraj and Yashna are still meant to be together.

Yashna abandons her wedding due to instinctively doubting Viraj's story in which his wife asked for a divorce and rushes to the hospital where Mahi, after a sudden health crisis, is fighting for her life. Supported by Aravind and his medical team, Mahi is operated on. Before the lung surgery, Yashna promises Mahi she will stay and teach her a song and begins to bond again with Viraj. She wishes she had been the one to meet Viraj in Coonoor and the mother of Mahi, in contrast to the regret she felt before the accident. The movie ends with a flash-forward to a grown-up, healthy Mahi singing onstage the song taught to her by her mother, confirming the surgery was successful, and symbolizing the family’s reunion and the enduring power of love and destiny.