BOTTOM LINE
Not Intense Enough
OUR RATING
2.5/5
CENSOR
UA
What Is the Film About?
Shiva (Allari Naresh) is an honest but aggressive cop. His attitude creates more enemies, which isn’t liked by the wife leading to frequent heated exchanges. What happens when one day Shiva’s family is missing is the movie’s core plot.
Who kidnapped Shiva’s wife and daughter? Did he get them back is the main story.
Performances
Allari Naresh has changed the track in recent years. He is no longer the funny guy and is picking hard-hitting dramas offering scope to show the dramatic side as an actor.
Ugram continues Allari Naresh’s choice, but there is a significant tweak here compared to his last two outings. He has previously played meek and soft roles which change under extraordinary circumstances. In Ugram, it is different as Allari Naresh plays an aggressive devil-may-care attitude cop.
Allari Naresh has given it his hundred percent effort-wise and has come up with an intense act. But, the characterisation is such that there is relatively nothing to explore on the emotional side. Ultimately, it is a good act but not a memorable role.
Mirnaa appears mainly in the first half and goes entirely missing in the second. She lacks the appeal on the screen to register. The role is that of a typical housewife with routine drama. It further dents the perception.
Analysis
Vijay Kanakamedala of Naandhi fame directs Ugram. It is his second outing with Allari Naresh, and they have come up with another realistic and hard-hitting looking flick.
Ugram is clearly divided into two parts – the first and the second half. While this is usually the case, the effect is more pronounced here as they feel like two different fares with connecting tissue, the hero.
The first half of Ugram is a typical cop drama. There is an honest police officer who is after the bad guys. We have a typical hero-heroine romantic track (replete with a song) followed by the cliched drama related to family problems involving a sincere officer with enemies all over the town. Everything has a been-there-done-that kind of feeling, only here it’s done by Allari Naresh.
The typical commercial-style execution drowns any attempt to make Ugram look like a hard-hitting tale. The routineness of the drama involving the lead pair further mars the impression.
Still, some small moments of intrigue are sprinkled amidst the routineness, which helps one stay afloat. The interval block neatly packs it with a proper thriller vibe making one look forward to the second half.
As mentioned previously, the second half takes an entirely different form. It turns into an action thriller with an investigative angle thrown in equal measure. The core point brought here is again intriguing, but the commercial presentation and action domination don’t let the intrigue and thrill rise to the next level. They make the whole thing look like another run-of-the-mill action fare.
The action blocks themselves are well done, but sans any emotion behind them, they look pretty but empty. The loudness, too, feels overdone without a proper emotional anchor.
The whole revelations during the second half and, finally, the climax block is alright. It shows the effort from the team, but that’s about it.
Overall, Ugram is a potpourri of typical commercial cop fares and action thrillers with different core content. It works in parts but lacks a seamless narrative and emotional factor to reach the next level. Give it a try for the effort, but have expectations in check.
Performances by Others Actors
Apart from Allari Naresh and Mirnaa, the movie has hardly any worthwhile roles. Many characters appear, but they have bits and pieces roles and go missing immediately after their block is over. Neeraja has a somewhat better part among them, but even her part is half-baked and poorly written. The less said about others, the better.
Music and Other Departments?
Sri Charan Pakala provides the music. The songs are ordinary, but the background score is relatively better. It is adequate and does the job. Siddharth J’s cinematography is decent. Chota K Prasad’s editing is neat. The narrative moves smoothly, only pausing around the action block. And coming to the action choreography, it is the best part. They are well-executed and look slick on screen. The dialogues are according to the content and are fine. The production values are good for a fare of this scale.
Highlights?
Allari Naresh
Action Blocks
Interval
Drawbacks?
No Emotional Connect
Thin Plot
Not so impressive key portions
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Yes, But with reservations
Ugram Telugu Movie Review by M9News
Final Report:
Ugram’s second half reveals the main plot. There is a high action dose but sans emotional appeal. It is watchable for the effort but doesn’t go to the next level.
— The entire climax of the movie is replete with bloodshed and action-packed sequences.
First Half Report:
The first half of Ugram is intriguing in parts whenever it sticks to the core thriller-related drama. Besides it, there is a lot of regular heroic stuff which is normal. The second half is critical now to live up to the actual story.
— Ugram starts off with a serious accident scene. Stay tuned for the first half report.
Stay tuned for Ugram Review, USA Premiere Report.
Cast: Allari Naresh & Mirnaa
Screenplay & Direction: Vijay Kanakamedala
Producers: Sahu Garapati & Harish Peddi
Banner: Shine Screens
Music Director : Sri Charan Pakala
Editor: Chota K Prasad
DOP: Siddharth J
Production Designer: Brahma Kadali
Story: Toom Venkat
Dialogues: Abburi Ravi
Ugram Telugu Movie Review by M9News
