Ugramm

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.

Here's something I've never done before. I've never written a movie review. I didn't feel the need to do so, until now. My first reaction after watching Ugramm was an overwhelming desire to pick my pen up and scribble. The movie was up against a mighty torrent I'd created in my mind. Some strong elements threatened to erode it away: a language I can barely speak or understand (having seen only one other Kannada movie which severely failed to impress me), an arrogant bias towards Telugu and English cinema, a subject that doesn't necessarily catch my fancy and the strongest gust of it all in the form of humongous expectations set. And what do you know, Ugramm has not only survived the storm but stands tall and unhinged! This is my take on the movie:

If I were to comment on Ugramm in one sentence it would be this: "It felt like one big movie trailer!" It was so fast-paced it seemed as though an invisible man was lashing his whip to make the scenes bolt. But mind you, the integrity of the movie wasn't compromised for agility. The second half of it gripped me to such an extent that I uncreased my brows only when the end titles set in. Prime aspects like dialogues and portrayal of heroism were so exhaustive I was left wondering if the director had anything left in his bowl for his future movies. The movie is an amusement park for action-film lovers. The roller-coaster ride that this is, will leave anyone gasping for breath and with the thrill of an adventure.

The background score is one of the best I've witnessed in regional cinema. It's thunderous swing fits hand in glove with the gangster theme and gallantry of the hero. But the crown jewel is 'Ugramm Veeram'. It's powerful effect left it resonating in my head long after the movie. It takes all my will to resist humming it aloud lest I sound masculine.

The role of Agastya in itself deserves many laurels. Unsure if it was intended, this role seemed tailor-made for Srimurali. It's difficult to imagine another actor pull this challenging role off with the élan that he has. If I were a guy, I'd walk out of the theatre charged and with a resolve to carry myself with the same cool and suave demeanor that Agastya did. I'm unfamiliar with the Kannada cinema industry, but based on what I saw, I would say Srimurali ranks high amongst the lead actors and definitely one who is on top of his game.

Notwithstanding Srimurali's talent, the brownie points should go to the director. What Agastya is to Bala on screen, Prashanth is to Srimurali offscreen. His vision is what makes this robust character memorable. This is just one thread out of the spectacular tapestry he has woven. His creativity and technique are prodigious making it difficult to believe he's a debutant director with minimal experience in movie-making. His product could challenge even the best of this industry's veterans.

Let's talk negatives. I'm being really nit-picky here in the spirit that even the best of cinema is not perfect. Firstly, in my opinion the lead actress failed to bring the kind of quality to the table that is required of a mammoth that Ugramm is. However, in a world where only glamour sells, her bare look sans make-up is as refreshing as cold lemonade on a sweltering afternoon. The second point is what I would call a positive-negative in the form of overpowering and snappy action scenes in the second half of the movie. Don't mistake me, I'm a sucker for action flicks but I would've rather the scenes be interspersed with at least a few periods of lull. This would've made the movie much smoother and not as choppy. Thirdly, the comedy was a tad bit crass and didn't work too well for me. For an intense movie like Ugramm, provision of crafty comic relief is essential. Finally, watching the movie just once is insufficient to understand the intricacies of the plot. One has to give it two or three times before getting a complete understanding of the finer details. For a movie like this, not such a bad thing after all!

The negatives, if they are negatives at all, are trivial in comparison with the stupendous quality that Ugramm has showcased. This is the first Kannada movie that will find a place in my coveted movie collection. And it is going to be amongst the select few that will not gather dust!

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

Technically you can compare it to the Hollywood or bollywood movies. performances of every artist is notable and they have a solid future. Screenplay is awesome which goes very fast and not one second you can take your eyes off the screen. Title song remains in your tip of the tongue which choreographed and shot excellently. Murali had potential its just coming out now from a talented young director who is making debut which is really hard to believe, he's so much talented than any experienced director in Indian film industry. Haripriya has made a very cute performance which could be very hard to pull it off from other kannada actresses. It was very long ago when i watched a movie with this kind of perfection which is hard to get in kannada film industry. Every bit is well planned and executed well.

Finally must watch movie for action movie lovers