Ugramm

Ugramm (Review) - 'Ugramm' had garnered a lot of attention mainly by its trailer and stills. Finally it has hit the screens near you. Directed by debutant Prashanth Neel, 'Ugramm' stars Sri Murali and Haripriya. This movie is a comeback of sorts for both the lead actors.

'Ugramm' though is yet another movie with the underworld theme, has a classic touch to it when it comes to the making and it is a viewer's delight as such kind of visuals are new to the Kannada audience. Srimurali plays the role of a gangster Agasthya and also a man who makes a humble living as a mechanic in parts and plays both to perfection, especially that of a gangster. Haripriya plays the character Nithya, that of an NRI and looks good on screen. Tilak plays the role of Bala, yet another gangster in the movie and even though he is introduced only in the second half, he has good weightage to his character and has done justice to it as well. 'Ugramm' begins with Nithya coming to India from Australia to visit her mother's grave and due to an age old rivalry between Nithya's father and another politician Shivarudregowda played by Avinash, she is kidnapped by the latter's men. Enter Agasthya to rescue her and the protagonist has been introduced well into the scene. Agasthya has now left all his underworld activities and working as a mechanic saves Nithya from the clutches of the kidnappers and keeps her safe in his house and various sequences surrounding this forms the first half. The second half is when the story goes in to the flashback and Agasthya the gangster is introduced who works for Bala and conquers and has the whole town of Mugor under his control. How he leads his life as a gangster and how he gets back to his life as a mechanic forms the brilliantly made second half.

The sequences in the second half ie; the fights, the title song etc.. have been picturised so well and the cinematographer Ravi Varman needs a thumbs up for the pathbreaking cinematography and taking it to the next level. The work done behind the camera in 'Ugramm' is both admirable and commendable at the same time. The narration of the story is also done well. Performance of Haripriya is neat and Tilak does a good job in his role as Bala. However, the performance of Sri Murali as Agasthya deserves special mention as he is making a comeback after a long time and has done complete justice to his character in both the shades to an extent that no one else could have pulled it off so well. Ravi Basrur has done a good job on the musical front. Ugramm veeram manages to give you goosebumps when watched along with the picturisation. Chanana Chanana and Chithhara are hummable. The album also includes Rama Rama which is just a feel good song. Director Prashanth Neel even though a debutant, has done a brilliant job in making 'Ugramm' one of the best Kannada movies in recent times with regards to the look and the make of it. The story adds to the beautiful make thereby making 'Ugramm' a worthwhile watch.

Having said it all, 'Ugramm' is one of the best movies to be made with the underworld theme in recent times and it also deserves a watch or two for its classy outlook. Sri Murali in 'Ugramm' is certainly an epitome of how to make a comeback and do it in style.... My verdict 8/10 !!!!

From the time trailer of this movie came out, I was feeling edgy to watch this movie and what an experience it gave to me. This movie made me loose all the shame I had gone through by watching mediocre Kannada movies in recent times. You might ask what it offered in the name of cinematic excellence.

Well, for starters, the cinematography. It is on par with any movie making technique known to the world. Each and every shot looks like meticulously planned and executed. The hue and shades look so vibrant that you might pinch your arms to assure that you are watching a Kannada movie. Kudos to Ravi Varman for bringing different format of cinematography to Kannada.

The action is pulsating. We all know how talented our own stunt master Ravi Verma is, but he has taken action to another level in Ugramm. The final action sequence is breathtaking and you feel the blood boiling in your veins as you watch the sequence unfold on the screen.

The dialogues are swift and brusque. Even in hard core sentiment scenes of mother and son you won't hear long speeches and tear jerking lines. It's all about less is more in case of dialogues.

Though music is bit loud, it compliments the story line and has unforgettable background score in few places. Songs are hummable and shot beautifully. Ravi Basrur you have begun well.

The acting has power house performances. Leading the contingent is obviously Srimurali. He justifies every bit of the title and carries it through out the movie. Haripriya looks entirely different from movies she has done before and has given refreshing performance. Tilak grabs eyeballs for his gutsy portrayal. Atul Kulakarni, Avinash and Padmaja Rao have shown that they belong to elite class of artistes. Even the characters which occupy less than a second of screen time, performed like pros.

And whom do you give credit for all this hard work, yes, you guessed it right, the director, Prashant Neel. Where were you all these days man?! I will just say one thing about you; I will be the first person to line up for your next movie.

I noticed a critic, who voiced his opinion after watching 50 minutes of the movie. I believe he does nt deserve to be one, when he hasn't showcased the patience to watch the movie in its entirety.

While the first half sets the pace, and has its own flaws, the movie entirely transforms in the second-half, to pleasantly surprise and stun the audience for the mesmerising quality, imagery, visuals and thought process of a fictitious place called Mughor, being conceptualized and delivered.

The acting is brilliant, the best performance by Srimurali till date. Haripriya and Thilak have done their bit well. Cinematography is par excellence. The revelation has been the director Prashanth Neel. His visualisation, pain, toil and magnanimous effort to create this piece of art is clearly visible.

While the movie does have it's set of flaws, like the Background noise being loud at certain places and actors like Atul Kulkarni being under-utilised, it does'nt take away the soul of this honest piece of film making. Best of luck to the Entire Team and God Bless.

My Rating-3.5 for the movie+0.5 for setting new standards in the kannada industry=4/5

This movie certainly gives me goosebumps. After om only kannada film to reach its level. Its worth watching. Thank you

'Ugramm' though is yet another movie with the underworld theme, has a classic touch to it when it comes to the making and it is a viewer's delight as such kind of visuals are new to the Kannada audience.