Upendra’s UI – A philosophical social satire that goes wrong

Release Date : December 20, 2024

123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5

Starring : Upendra, Sunny Leone, Reeshma Nanaiah, Murali Sharma

Director : Upendra

Producers : G. Manoharan, KP Sreekanth

Music Director : B Ajaneesh Loknath

Cinematographer : H.C. Venu

Editor: Vijay Raj BG

Related Links : Trailer

Upendra has a decent following, and whenever he comes up with a film, everyone notices it right away. UI is Upendra’s new film, which has hit the screens today. Let’s review it here.

Story :

Satya (Upendra), a young man burdened with visions of a dystopian future, grapples with an inner conflict. His alter ego, Kalki (Upendra), embodies his rage against the world’s destruction. Kalki seeks to dominate, while Satya strives for redemption. Their battle for control intensifies as they encounter Vamana Rao, a corrupt politician who manipulates people for power. Satya must overcome his inner demons and find a way to use Kalki’s power for good. How he does it forms the main crux of the story.

Plus Points :

The basic theme of the film is good. In today’s times, how people are addicted to learning more about others problems, ignoring their basic rights, and are not even bothered to fight for what is true has been showcased in a very philosophical manner. The basic theme and backdrop are wacky.

As usual, Upendra is crazy in his role and gives a very good performance. His costumes, ideology, and the way he plays two different characters, Kalki and Satya, in UI are very good. But his direction leaves a lot to be desired. More on this later.

UI is set in a fantasy world and takes you on a ride that has great visuals. The production design is amazing, and the manner in which Upendra narrated the film with key points in the second half was good.

Ravi Shankar, who plays a key role, was neat in his character. Yet another plus point is the song that comes during the climax, which is hilarious and sums up the basic theme of the film in a clear manner.

Upendra has good ideas up his sleeve when it comes to elevating the basic mindset of the people. With this film, he has showcased what is good and bad in the society and has left it upon us to act accordingly.

Minus Points :

Though the basic philosophy is good, the narrative is over the top and takes a lot of time for you to understand what is going on in the first place. The proceedings are confusing, loud, and silly. Only once you get a hang of things and the basic idea will you enjoy the film and its core concepts.

There are a lot of scenes that are quite complex for a common man to understand. There is dark comedy in the film, and it will not connect with everyone. The film’s first half is filled with several loud moments that will leave you bored.

One gets a feeling that Upendra should have narrated the film in a simpler manner that everyone would understand. But that does not happen as the general entertainment and dark comedy usually seen in his films are missing in UI.

Technical Aspects :

The VFX done for the film is very good and takes you to another world altogether. Ajaneesh Loknath has composed the music, and his BGM is quite good and elevated the proceedings. The production design needs a special mention as the set work and graphics are cool.

The Telugu dubbing is very good, and so were the dialogues. The editing is bad in the first half, and at least ten minutes should have been chopped off.

Coming to the director, Upendra, he has always been showcasing the real demons of the common people. He tries to tell how the politicians are fooling us and how we should come out of it. But all this needs to be told in a very funny way, which the audience is used to with his films. But that does not happen in UI, and the film ends up being loud and lacking proper direction.

Verdict :

On the whole, UI is a philosophical social drama that deals with harsh realities of today’s world. The film is narrated in a satirical manner and is set in a fantasy world. So, the narration and proceedings are a bit over the top and might be liked only by a select few.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team 

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