Release Date : May 05, 2023
123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Starring: Allari Naresh, Mirnaa Menon, Indraja, Sharath Lohitashwa
Director: Vijay Kanakamedala
Producers: Sahu Garapati & Harish Peddi
Music Director: Sri Charan Pakala
Cinematography: Siddharth J
Editor: Chota K Prasad
Related Links : Trailer
After delivering a successful film like Naandhi, actor Allari Naresh and director Vijay Kanakamedala are back with an action thriller, Ugram. Just like Naandhi, Ugram is also based on true events. Mirnaa Menon played the female lead. The movie has hit the screens, and let’s see how it is.
Story:
Shiva Kumar (Allari Naresh), a sincere cop, falls in love with Aparna (Mirnaa Menon). They both get married, and Aparna gives birth to a girl. While Shiva Kumar is very passionate about his job, Aparna is not at all happy with her husband as he is not spending quality time with family. At the same time, many people go missing in the city of Hyderabad. Shiva Kumar’s sincerity brings problems to his family, and hence Aparna decides to leave him. With no other option left, Shiva Kumar agrees to drop Aparna at her home. During this, an accident takes place. Aparna and the kid go missing while Shiva gets severely injured. What happened to Shiva Kumar’s wife and daughter? Is there any linkage between the missing cases and his family’s disappearance? How did Shiva solve the entire mystery? This forms part of the crux of the story.
Plus Points:
Allari Naresh, the comedy king, is also a fantastic actor. Many times, he has proven his mettle with exceptional performances in a few offbeat films. In Ugram, we get to see that actor in Naresh. He amazes big time with his sincere performance. Naresh brings that intensity required for the cop role and performs with ease. He is too good in the action sequences, and the efforts put in by him are very much visible. He shoulders the film all the way from the start till the end. It was so good to see Naresh in a character-driven film.
The movie starts well, and the first half moves at a good pace. The family drama is neat, and on the other side, the character of the protagonist is well showcased. There is a brilliant scene in the first hour where Naresh punishes a few eve-teasers. This particular sequence is handled in a sensible and effective manner.
One key action sequence, which comes in the second half, is well executed. Mirnaa Menon gets a good role, and she gave a decent performance. Shatru plays one key role, and he did his job pretty well. Sri Charan’s background score elevates a few action blocks.
Minus Points:
The biggest disappointment with Ugram is the way the main point, i.e., the missing cases issue, is handled. This particular aspect takes the center stage only in the second half, and one would expect the proceedings to be racy and interesting from thereon. But the investigative angle lacks punch and is pretty ordinary.
A song comes abruptly in the second half affecting the flow. The main reason why people are kidnapped disappoints big time as it is something we have seen in multiple films. The familiar storyline outweighs the positive aspects present in the second hour. Had the director added some novel factor to the key issue, things would have been much better.
The villain’s character is poorly written, and the climax hampers the impact considerably. The protagonist suffers from a health issue, but that aspect gets ignored towards the end all of a sudden. A few dialogues sounded silly. Indraja’s character fails to make an impact.
Technical Aspects:
Music composer Sri Charan Pakala did a good job. A couple of songs are nice, and his background is solid. Siddharth’s cinematography is fair and his dark frames suit the film’s tone. The editing is just about okay. The production values are nice. Dialogues could have been better.
Coming to the director, Vijay Kanakamedala, he did an okay job with Ugram. The first half was handled in a decent manner, but when it comes to the second half, he lost the grip slightly. Though he gets the best out of Naresh, plot-wise, Ugram is not that great. The familiar medical mafia angle has let down the movie to an extent. Nevertheless, the staggering performance of Naresh and good technical values make the film a decent fare.
Verdict:
On the whole, Ugram is a decent action thriller. Allari Naresh goes all out and gives a commendable performance. A few scenes in both halves are nicely executed and all the action blocks are terrific. But the main issue is with the familiar storyline as it restricts the film to go the next level. Hence Ugram ends up being one time watch this weekend.
123telugu.com Rating: 3/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team
