The team behind “Naandi” has created good hype for their latest film, which promises to be another intense experience. The trailer has also generated significant interest among viewers. Amid high expectations, “Ugram” has opened in theaters today.
Let’s analyze the film and see how it measures up.
Story:
Police officer Shiva Kumar (Allari Naresh) prioritizes his job over everything else, much to the dismay of his wife Aparna (Mirnaa) and their daughter. Aparna frequently complains about his lack of attention to their family due to work.
However, their lives take a drastic turn when an accident occurs, and both Aparna and their daughter go missing. Shiva Kumar is left in the dark about their whereabouts and fears that their disappearance may be connected to the other missing persons’ cases in the city.
Artistes’ Performances:
“Maharshi” and “Naandi” showcase Allari Naresh’s versatility as an actor. In this film, he portrays a courageous and principled police officer. Naresh has committed himself to the role, but some may find it to be too demanding for him.
Mirnaa’s portrayal of a stereotypical housewife is unremarkable. The child actor’s performance is passable.
Shatru delivers a strong performance. However, Indraja’s character is unconvincing and lacks depth.
Technical Excellence:
Music composer Sri Charan Pakala has done an excellent job. His background music is fantastic. The cinematography effectively conveys the film’s intense mood.
The production values are top class. The dialogue is adequate.
Highlights:
Allari Naresh’s sincere act
Decent first half
The episode of trapping Hijras
Drawback:
The climax portion
Many poorly-handled sequences
Lack of emotional connect
Analysis
“Ugram” is the second film directed by Vijay Kanakamedala, who received critical acclaim for his narrative abilities in his debut film “Naandi,” which also starred Allari Naresh. Most directors fail to live up to expectations in their second film. For this outing, Vijay Kanakamedala and his writer Toom Venkat have chosen a plot that has two different stories in one.
Vijay Kanakamedala placed his faith in Naresh’s performance and intensity, which is fine. However, the director’s mistake is in presenting the film in a more commercial manner. People don’t take things seriously when you try to tell a story in a regular commercial format with an actor like Naresh. That is the main issue with “Ugram,” despite the fact that it has a decent beginning and a sincere effort from the hero.
In “Naandi,” Naresh played an underdog, and audiences root for the underdog protagonist to triumph. In this case, Naresh plays an aggressive guy who can accomplish anything, so there is no emotional connection. Another letdown is the big reveal about the missing people, which has been used in numerous films.
Despite some promising moments, like the hero finding a secret about the Hijra gang, the second hour is let down by regular twists. Furthermore, the lengthy climax episode is awkwardly bad and illogical.
“Ugram” piques our interest right away with an accident sequence involving Naresh and his family. The film then goes into flashback mode and returns to the beginning. Except for the Naresh-Mirna love scenes, the first half of the film is fairly engaging. It gives the impression that the film is solely concerned with locating the missing people. However, the second half of the film drastically alters the plot.
When hero Naresh discovers that a lady gang or Hijra gang is responsible for the kidnappings, the film again goes into thriller mode. To discover the truth, he employs a technique that is narrated in an engaging manner. But, once the main twist is revealed, it becomes tedious to watch. The logic flips completely from here.
By the end of the film, we get the impression that certain sequences in the first half should not have been included. For example, what is the point of portraying the heroine’s father as a bad politician? It makes no sense in the context of the story. Even if the hero’s wife is not humiliated, they may have marital problems. The entire episode involving Gani makes no sense in the end.
The climax section has a major flaw, as it feels like watching a typical commercial movie.
Overall, “Ugram” starts well and holds our attention here and there, but it gives the impression of watching two different stories in one film because the later part of the story is completely different from the beginning, and the final sequences don’t connect everything.
Bottom line: Works in Parts