Dev stood by the counter, staring at a handwritten note smudged with turmeric. "Add a pinch of patience. Stir slowly. Taste with your eyes closed."
What makes Ninnila Ninnila stand out from other Telugu romantic films is its mature handling of love. This is not a film about running around trees or family drama. It is a film about —where love is often messy, unspoken, and entangled with trauma.
Furthermore, the film marked an important shift in how OTT platforms were viewed in Tollywood. At the time, releasing a film starring Ashok Selvan (lesser-known in Telugu) and Ritu Varma directly on streaming was a risk. The success of Ninnila Ninnila encouraged other filmmakers to bypass traditional theatrical pressures and experiment with new-age content. Ninnila Ninnila -2021-
Many critics and viewers noted that the treatment of the story—gentle, aesthetic, and emotional—felt similar to South Korean romantic dramas, making it a fresh addition to South Indian cinema.
★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Warm, comforting, and bittersweet. Dev stood by the counter, staring at a
from critics and audiences, who praised its aesthetic visuals, soulful music, and heartwarming story. Key Highlights of the Report Plot & Setting
Divakar Mani captured the film's "love on a platter" aesthetic with warm, evocative visuals of London and gourmet cuisine. Taste with your eyes closed
is a tender, heartwarming Telugu-language romantic comedy-drama that weaves together the themes of love, grief, and emotional healing through the universal medium of food. Directed by debutant Ani I. V. Sasi and produced by B. V. S. N. Prasad under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra, the film offers a refreshing deviation from mainstream, high-octane commercial cinema. Released on February 26, 2021 , via the premium video-on-demand platform Zee Plex (alongside a Tamil dubbed version titled Theeni ), the movie presents a visual and emotional feast that treats cooking not just as a profession, but as a path to psychological recovery. 🎬 Production and Cast Overview