BOTTOM LINE
An Emotional Love Story With Knock Out End
OUR RATING
2.75/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2h 28m
What Is the Film About?
Aasi is a fisherman boy, and Sangeetha aka Bebamma is the daughter of a landlord. How do they fall in love? What happens when the expected resistance is shown by the family with power is what the movie is all about?
How Is Vaishnav Tej’s Performance?
Panjaa Vaissnav Tej makes his debut as hero with Uppena. It is a bold choice considering the ending. But, other than that, everything else is on the expected lines. As in, there is no heavy-duty performance required for the part, and it deals with simple emotions involving romance and fun.
The other vital aspect to consider is the de-glam look. It, however, works superbly for the film. Vaisshnav Tej blends neatly into the film, and we only see a character rather than some wannabe star debut vehicle.
For a debutant, Vaisshnav Tej is decent. There is a lot of scope to improve and that needs to be taken care in the upcoming movies.
Direction by Bucchi Babu Sana?
Bucchi Babu Sana makes his directorial debut with Uppena. He previously worked as an assistant to Sukumar. One can see a ‘visual’ imprint of the master on the student.
Uppena is a love story, and it is as predictable as it comes. One look at the teaser, and it would be enough to guess everything that happens. So, what makes the movie tick? Well, it is the execution. Uppena has been remarkably mounted.
The visuals, the music, the background score, and the rustic yet lively locations make one interested in the proceedings. They, along with the lead pair, bring freshness. Even though nothing new is happening, we are connected to the proceedings, the lovers’ journey. It is like Titanic, where the ‘Titanic’ is the new element that elevates a routine ‘rich girl-poor boy’ trope.
Another masterstroke is the casting of Vijay Sethupathi in the crucial role of the father of the heroine. Anyone else in his place would have brought down the whole impact.
Not that Vijay Sethupathi does anything exceptional, but here mere presence work. One knows at the back of their minds that there is Vijay Sethupathi ready to unleash mayhem. It is this ‘feeling’ that works well and brings gripping quality to predictable proceedings.
The making, lead pair casting and Vijay Sethupathi’s presence dwarf the routineness in the first half. But is that enough?
We have an answer in the second half, and it is not a pleasant one. With a change in location, and change in ‘dream’ setting, the ‘fantasy’ world comes crashing down literally. It is not just the lovers in fear, but the whole movie develops it as one could see it falling apart slowly.
The predictable becomes utter predictable. The routine turn’s utter routine makes one uncomfortable. The songs, music go about their way, but it doesn’t work.
Just when it looks like it is all over, the climax turns the tide in movie’s favour again. It is superbly conceived and executed. The whole ‘love versus manliness’ angle is well explored with hard-hitting and impactful dialogues. It changes the entire feeling on the movie, at the very end and it is all we carry with us once we leave the cinemas.
Overall, Uppena is a familiar love story with an honour killing backdrop. It offers a fab immersive world in the first half and a good climax. It is a decent one-time watch for these elements, and if you love stories, as a genre.
Krithi Shetty and Others?
Krithi Shetty gets a superb role in her debut. It sure leaves an impact in the romantic portions. What’s more, there is a whole ‘crucial’ block dedicated to her, which requires her to perform at the optimum. She has done a fair job for a first-timer there.
Vijay Sethupathi, as mentioned above, is a critical presence. When we say ‘presence’ that is what matters here. The psychological aspect of it works rather than his actual work, which is on expected lines.
The rest of the cast doesn’t stand out or are noticeable as the focus is more on these three critical characters.
Music and Other Departments?
Devi Sri Prasad’s music is the lifeline of the movie. Be it the songs or the background score it feels as if he has put his blood into the project. The impact is felt resoundingly. The cinematography is terrific, and so is the artwork. The editing could have been better, especially in the second half. The writing is spot-on, especially for the most part. The climax, of course, stands out.
Highlights?
Music And BGM
Visuals
Lead Pair
Artwork
Climax
Drawbacks?
Predictable Story
Extra Routine Second Half
Drag In Parts
Alternative Take
A fresh element in the second half not reminiscent of the past movies would have elevated the whole movie to the next level with the same climax intact.
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
Uppena Movie Review by Siddartha
– Uppena ends on some hard hitting and well written dialogues. M9News review coming shortly. Stay tuned.
– Bebamma and Aasi are experiencing the typical love life struggles. The story is moving slow.
– Uppena second half started. Raayanam (Vijay Sethupathi) started to worry about his family legacy and caste reputation.
First Half Report:
Uppena has a decent first half with superb music, bgm, locales, cinematography etc. The lead pair is fresh and gives positive vibes. The story is predictable, on the other hand.
– The love story reaches Raayanam (Vijay Sethupathi) and the story is taking a serious turn. Interval.
– Bebamma (Krithi Shetty) started liking Aasi (Vaishnav Tej). The love story is ready to take off.
– Uppena begins on Raayanam (Vijay Sethupathi) intro, followed by fisher boy Aasi (Vaishnav Tej) intro at the seashore.
– Uppena show started with a special tribute to SPB.
– Uppena is about to begin. Stay tuned to our updates and unbiased review.
Uppena Peview
‘Uppena‘ is ready for the first show and the opening talk on the movie will be out in a couple of hours and so, movie-lovers, especially, mega fans must be pretty excited to see how Vaishnav Tej’s maiden venture scores at the box-office.
The hero is quite a fortunate guy to have got this kind of terrific buzz on his debut flick and no doubt, a part of that fame goes to his background as a mega hero. However, his good looks and decent appearance also have added up.
Given the credit for the hero, the heroine Krithi Shetty also started hogging the limelight for being one of the Mumbai heroines who learnt to speak Telugu within no time and is very humble during the promotions. Her screen presence in the trailer is so promising that she might end up being the next heartthrob of the young boys in the Telugu States.
The major part of the pre-release buzz goes to Devi Sri Prasad and his music. The three chartbusters he delivered for the music album put ‘Uppena’ in a position enviable for many young heroes. Of course, the trailer of the movie was neatly cut to add to the already decent buzz.
The last one but not least was the director Buchi Babu. Looks like, he has got everything he planned for going in the right direction. He could hold up the excitement till now and hope, his movie would continue that once in the theatres.
Let’s not forget, Vijay Sethupathy, a big asset to this film who plays the heroine’s father and the main antagonist of the movie. His Telugu fans must be dying to see his giftedness as an actor as we know how choosy he has been regarding his scripts.
So, all set for ‘Uppena’ and we’ll be back with the movie’s review wasting no time to quench your curiosity. Stay tuned, folks!
