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Hi Nanna (2023) movie poster

Plot Summary

Hi Nanna (2023) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2023 · 155 mins · Telugu
Echo score 90
Directed by
Shouryuv
Starring
Mrunal Thakur, Angad Bedi, Jayaram, Neha Sharma, Shruti Haasan, Nassar
Budget
$7.8M

Six-year-old Mahi, who has cystic fibrosis, shares a close and complicated relationship with her father, Viraj, a single parent and fashion photographer. Driven by curiosity about her mother, Mahi embarks on a journey of discovery, running away with her dog, Pluto. Along the way, she meets Yashna, and their encounter leads to surprising revelations and connects their lives in unforeseen ways. The story explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the importance of family, showcasing a young girl's resilience and the enduring power of connection.

On this page (4)
  1. 1 What happens: full plot
  2. 2 Plot questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Hi Nanna: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Hi Nanna (2023) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

Six-year-old Mahi (Baby Kiara Khanna) lives in Mumbai with her father Viraj, their grandfather Jayaram, and their loyal dog Pluto. Mahi suffers from cystic fibrosis, and Viraj, a successful fashion photographer, devotes himself to caring for her. Whenever Mahi asks about her absent mother, Viraj avoids the topic, and the quiet tension between them grows. Upset by his silence, Mahi runs away from home with Pluto, hoping to find answers or at least a little peace.

They are saved from an accident by Yashna (Mrunal Thakur), a kind woman who seems to understand their longing. At Mahi’s request, Yashna invites Viraj to a restaurant, where she and Mahi coax him into telling the story of her mother, Varsha. To help Mahi imagine Varsha more clearly, Yashna steps into that memory herself, playing Varsha for the moment and guiding the retelling with care and tenderness.

Viraj’s recounting reveals a ten-year-old memory, tracing how he met Varsha in Coonoor, a woman who had been unsettled by her parents’ divorce but who eventually found the courage to marry him despite her mother’s objections. They endure financial hardships, yet their little family feels whole. When Viraj’s career begins to soar, he longs for a child, and Varsha, initially hesitant, finally agrees. Their happiness is heartbreakingly short-lived: their daughter Mahi is born with a fatal illness, and Varsha blames Viraj while she grapples with regrets about their marriage.

Mahi, listening to the story, grows visibly affected and asks Viraj to stop. Privately, Yashna—still emotionally connected to Varsha’s past—urges him to finish, and Viraj reveals a further tragedy: shortly after Varsha’s breakdown, the couple is involved in a car accident. A twist soon follows: Yashna is Varsha herself, who survived the crash but woke with amnesia, forgetting her past, her marriage, and her child. Her mother had lied to Viraj, claiming Yashna wanted a divorce, and forced Viraj to stay away. Crushed yet loving, Viraj raised Mahi alone, and Pluto’s recognition of Yashna helps reunite the family, even as memories remain fractured.

To prevent further pain, Viraj narrates their story with certain details altered, keeping Yashna from fully recalling her past. Meanwhile, Yashna learns she is engaged to Dr. Aravind, a neurosurgeon who once treated her—Angad Bedi appears as the devoted physician in the background of these revelations. The trio escapes to Goa, hoping for distance and healing, but Mahi secretly invites Yashna to join them, and the bond between them deepens again. Yashna finds herself drawn to both Viraj and Mahi, and love begins to reawaken, even as the truth about their past shadows their days.

On the wedding day, Yashna’s mother’s revelations hit hard, and Mahi is left devastated by the tangled history. Yet another layer surfaces when Yashna’s estranged father shares that Viraj had raised Mahi with boundless care and selfless love, suggesting that destiny may still be on their side. In a moment of crisis, Yashna abandons the wedding and races to the hospital, where Mahi experiences a sudden health scare that requires urgent care. With Aravind and his medical team by their side, Mahi undergoes a life-saving operation, a sequence that tests every member of the family.

Before the surgery, Yashna promises Mahi that she will stay and teach her a song—a simple vow that carries the weight of their renewed bond. The film closes on a hopeful note: a grown-up, healthy Mahi takes the stage and sings the song taught by her mother, a tender testament to a family rebuilt by love, memory, and the belief that destiny can lead loved ones back to each other.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:23

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Plot questions answered

Hi Nanna Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Hi Nanna (2023): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why does Viraj avoid talking about Mahi's mother?

Viraj avoids discussing Mahi's mother because he made a painful promise to protect Yashna (who is actually Varsha with amnesia) from the traumatic memories of their past. After the car accident that caused Varsha to lose her memory, her mother lied to Viraj, claiming Varsha wanted a divorce. Devastated but still loving, Viraj chose to raise Mahi alone while keeping the painful truth hidden to prevent further emotional damage to everyone involved.

  • viraj
  • mahi mother
  • varsha
  • amnesia
  • secret past
Q2

How is Yashna connected to Mahi?

Yashna is actually Mahi's biological mother, Varsha. Ten years earlier, Varsha was in a car accident with Viraj that caused her to develop amnesia. She forgot her marriage, her husband, and her child. Varsha's mother lied to Viraj, telling him Varsha wanted a divorce, which forced Viraj to raise Mahi alone while Varsha lived under the new identity of Yashna.

Foreshadowing: Pluto's recognition of Yashna earlier hints at their true connection, as dogs can sense familiar people despite memory loss.

  • yashna
  • varsha
  • mahi
  • identity reveal
  • amnesia
  • mother
Q3

What happened to Varsha after the car accident?

After Varsha experienced a breakdown following Mahi's birth and cystic fibrosis diagnosis, she and Viraj were involved in a car accident. Varsha survived but woke up with complete amnesia, forgetting her marriage to Viraj and that she had a daughter. Her mother used this opportunity to lie to Viraj, claiming Varsha wanted a divorce, effectively separating the family.

  • varsha
  • car accident
  • amnesia
  • memory loss
  • separation
Q4

Why did Varsha's mother lie to Viraj about the divorce?

Varsha's mother lied to Viraj claiming that Yashna (Varsha) wanted a divorce because she wanted to protect her daughter from the painful memories of their troubled marriage and Mahi's devastating diagnosis. After Varsha's breakdown and the accident, her mother believed it would be better for Varsha to start fresh without the burden of her past, even if it meant separating her from her family.

  • varsha mother
  • lie
  • divorce
  • protection
  • family secret
Q5

Why does Pluto recognize Yashna?

Pluto recognizes Yashna because he is the same family dog who lived with Varsha and Viraj before the accident. Dogs have strong scent memory, so even though Varsha now goes by Yashna and has amnesia, Pluto senses her true identity. This recognition becomes a key moment that helps bridge the gap between Yashna and her family.

Foreshadowing: The dog's persistent behavior toward Yashna foreshadows their biological connection before the reveal.

  • pluto
  • dog
  • yashna
  • recognition
  • scent memory
  • familiar
Q6

Why did Varsha have a breakdown after Mahi's birth?

Varsha experienced a breakdown after learning that her newborn daughter Mahi had cystic fibrosis, a fatal illness. She blamed Viraj for their misfortune and deeply regretted their marriage, believing that having a child had doomed their family. The emotional weight of having a chronically ill child, combined with her pre-existing fears about marriage (stemming from her parents' divorce), overwhelmed her.

  • varsha
  • breakdown
  • cystic fibrosis
  • mahi
  • birth
  • blame
Q7

Why did Viraj raise Mahi alone without fighting for Varsha?

Viraj raised Mahi alone because Varsha's mother told him that Varsha wanted a divorce after the accident. Believing this was Varsha's true wish, Viraj respected her supposed decision out of love. He focused on caring for Mahi, who needed constant attention due to her cystic fibrosis, while carrying the pain of losing his wife without knowing she was actually alive but had forgotten him.

  • viraj
  • mahi
  • alone
  • raise
  • divorce
  • varsha mother
Q8

What triggered Mahi's health crisis at the wedding?

Mahi experienced a sudden health crisis due to her cystic fibrosis, which required emergency surgery. On Yashna's wedding day, the emotional turmoil of learning the truth about her family history combined with the stress of the situation triggered a medical emergency. Dr. Aravind and his medical team performed a life-saving operation, and Yashna promised to stay and teach her the song she had been waiting to learn.

  • mahi
  • health crisis
  • surgery
  • cystic fibrosis
  • emergency
  • wedding
Q9

Why did Yashna leave her wedding to Aravind?

Yashna left her wedding to Aravind when she learned about Mahi's health crisis. The emotional revelations about her past, her mother's lies, Viraj's selfless love for Mahi, and her own connection to the family, made her realize where she truly belonged. She chose to abandon the wedding and rush to the hospital, honoring her promise to stay with Mahi and embrace her true family.

  • yashna
  • wedding
  • aravind
  • leave
  • hospital
  • mahi
Q10

What is the significance of the song in the ending?

The song represents the bond between mother and daughter that transcended memory loss. Before the surgery, Yashna promised Mahi that she would stay and teach her a song. Years later, a healthy grown-up Mahi performs that very song on stage, symbolizing that their family was reunited through love, memory, and destiny. The song becomes a metaphor for the enduring connection between Varsha/Yashna and Mahi.

Foreshadowing: Yashna's promise to teach Mahi a song before the surgery plants the emotional seed for the closing scene.

  • song
  • ending
  • mahi
  • yashna
  • performance
  • destiny
  • bond
Q11

Why did Varsha blame Viraj for Mahi's illness?

Varsha blamed Viraj for Mahi's cystic fibrosis because she was already emotionally fragile from her parents' divorce and had fears about starting a family. When Mahi was born with a fatal illness, Varsha projected her grief and regret onto Viraj, believing that agreeing to have a child had destroyed their happiness. This blame, combined with the overwhelming stress of caring for a chronically ill infant, contributed to her breakdown.

  • varsha
  • viraj
  • blame
  • cystic fibrosis
  • regret
  • marriage
Q12

Who is Yashna engaged to before the reunion?

Yashna is engaged to Dr. Aravind, a neurosurgeon who treated her after her accident. Aravind appears as a kind and devoted physician who cared for Yashna during her recovery from amnesia. However, when Yashna's memories and true identity return, she realizes her heart belongs with Viraj and Mahi, leading her to leave Aravind at the altar.

  • yashna
  • aravind
  • engagement
  • neurosurgeon
  • wedding
  • doctor

Movie threads

More Movies Like Hi Nanna, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Hi Nanna tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies with emotional family revelations like Hi Nanna

Family secrets slowly unveiled lead to healing and reconciliation. If you liked the way Hi Nanna unveils family secrets to heal old wounds, you'll enjoy these movies. They feature similar journeys of discovery, reconciliation, and emotional healing, offering heartfelt stories about the power of truth and love to mend families.

  • heartfelt
  • melancholic
  • uplifting
  • tender
  • family-oriented
  • emotional
  • Tone: hopeful, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives often use a mystery from the past—such as an accident, a disappearance, or amnesia—that is methodically uncovered, frequently through the perspective of a child or a new connection. The revelation process is central to the plot, driving character growth and leading to a cathartic, happy resolution.

Why they belong together: They are grouped by their shared focus on unraveling a poignant family mystery as a catalyst for emotional healing. The tone balances melancholic themes with hopeful perseverance, and the pacing is steady, allowing the emotional weight of the revelations to land effectively.

Movies with second-chance romance and family drama like Hi Nanna

Lost love rekindled through the catalyst of family bonds and unexpected circumstances. Fans of Hi Nanna's blend of rekindled love and family bonds will find more to love here. These movies feature romantic leads separated by past events who find their way back to each other, with the story often centered around children and familial reconciliation.

  • romantic
  • heartfelt
  • hopeful
  • tender
  • family-oriented
  • uplifting
  • Tone: hopeful, romantic, tender
  • Pacing: steady, thoughtful
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a couple separated by a past misunderstanding or tragedy. Their paths cross again, frequently due to the actions of a child or an external family crisis. The story explores their history while building a new future, emphasizing that their love was not lost but dormant.

Why they belong together: They share a core structure where a romantic arc is inseparable from a family drama. The mood is a specific mix of heartfelt romance and tender family moments, with a steady pace that allows the emotional connections to develop authentically, leading to a satisfying, happy conclusion.

Every angle

Hi Nanna (2023) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Hi Nanna in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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