Hi Nanna
A single father begins to narrate the story of the missing mother to his child and nothing remains the same.
Working with a tight budget of $7.8M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $9.2M in global revenue (+17% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Hi Nanna (2023) reveals strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of Shouryuv's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 35 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Viraj is introduced as a devoted single father caring for his chronically ill daughter Mahi in Mumbai, showing their close bond and his protective nature.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 19 minutes when Yashna enters their lives as Mahi's new teacher, bringing warmth and curiosity, while Mahi begins asking more pointed questions about her mother.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 39 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Viraj makes the active choice to tell Mahi and Yashna the story of her mother Varsha, entering the painful world of his past through extended flashback., moving from reaction to action.
At 78 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat False defeat: The revelation that Varsha was diagnosed with a terminal illness, transforming their love story into a race against time and changing everything., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 116 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The devastating revelation that Varsha died giving birth to Mahi, sacrificing herself to save their daughter. The "whiff of death" is literal and metaphorical loss., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 124 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Viraj realizes he must honor Varsha's sacrifice by letting Mahi live fully and allowing love back into their lives, finding hope in Yashna's presence and support., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Hi Nanna's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Hi Nanna against these established plot points, we can identify how Shouryuv utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Hi Nanna within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Viraj is introduced as a devoted single father caring for his chronically ill daughter Mahi in Mumbai, showing their close bond and his protective nature.
Theme
A character tells Viraj that "the truth always finds its way out," foreshadowing the central conflict between protecting loved ones and confronting the past.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Viraj and Mahi's world in Mumbai: her illness requiring lung transplant, his overprotective parenting, their photography business, and the mystery of Mahi's absent mother.
Disruption
Yashna enters their lives as Mahi's new teacher, bringing warmth and curiosity, while Mahi begins asking more pointed questions about her mother.
Resistance
Viraj resists opening up about the past while Mahi and Yashna bond. Viraj debates whether to reveal the truth about Mahi's mother, struggling between protection and honesty.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Viraj makes the active choice to tell Mahi and Yashna the story of her mother Varsha, entering the painful world of his past through extended flashback.
Mirror World
Introduction of young Varsha in flashback, the free-spirited photographer who represents the love and life Viraj once had, mirroring Yashna's role in the present.
Premise
The promise of the premise: exploring Viraj and Varsha's beautiful love story in Kashmir, their whirlwind romance, and the joy before tragedy struck.
Midpoint
False defeat: The revelation that Varsha was diagnosed with a terminal illness, transforming their love story into a race against time and changing everything.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies in both timelines: flashback shows Varsha's declining health and pregnancy complications; present shows Mahi's worsening condition and Viraj's emotional barriers.
Collapse
The devastating revelation that Varsha died giving birth to Mahi, sacrificing herself to save their daughter. The "whiff of death" is literal and metaphorical loss.
Crisis
Emotional darkness as Viraj confronts his grief and guilt, Mahi processes her mother's sacrifice, and the weight of the past threatens to destroy the present.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Viraj realizes he must honor Varsha's sacrifice by letting Mahi live fully and allowing love back into their lives, finding hope in Yashna's presence and support.
Synthesis
The finale: Mahi's lung transplant succeeds, Viraj opens his heart to Yashna, combining past love with present healing, and the family moves forward together.
Transformation
Closing image mirrors the opening but transformed: Viraj, Mahi, and Yashna together as a family, photographing life with joy rather than fear, honoring the past while embracing the future.