The last time Allari Naresh collaborated with director Vijay Kanakamedala in Naandhi, they took on the issue of custodial violence, and how a common man’s fight for justice faces insurmountable odds. Curiously, in their second collaboration, Naresh plays super cop Shiva Kumar, who does extra-judicial killings at the drop of a hat and doesn’t shy away from using custodial torture to extract information. While it is understandable that each film should be seen on its own merit, they have come in such close proximity that it is impossible not to draw parallels. But even if we sidestep the elephant in the room, Ugram, unfortunately, fails on multiple counts despite having an impassioned Naresh at the centre of it all.
Director: Vijay Kanakamedala
Cast: Allari Naresh, Mirnaa, Indraja, Shatru
Ugram begins with a car accident, and Shiva, who was driving the vehicle, finds himself waiting in a hospital to know what happened to the co-passengers, his wife Aparna (Mirnaa), and daughter Lucky. With the hospital arguing that there are no patients named Aparna and Lucky, we think it could be a case of hospital mismanagement. This angle is further cemented when people queuing up to pay the fees bring out various issues in this money-minded corporate healthcare system. But we realise a blunt force trauma has worsened the mental capacity of Shiva, who is frantically searching for his missing family. Inexplicably, we are thrown right in the middle of a romantic track that is wrong on multiple levels. It is not just your garden variety stalking but is also woefully archaic. The randomness of song placements and the problems between the couple would have felt out of place even 20 years back.
Just like how the vilification of the hospital was just a smokescreen for something more nefarious, there is a women empowerment angle that is shoehorned into the film. Shiva decides to teach lecherous drug-addled youngsters a lesson they would never forget. These portions do aid the overall narrative and are effective enough, but the way these scenes are shot left a lot to be desired. But to give credit where it is due, it is Naresh’s utmost earnestness that keeps things afloat when the film shifts focus from the investigation process.
As long as the film stays true to the investigation angle, Ugram just about manages to keep us invested. Even if we don’t really buy into the easy coincidences, Naresh finds a way to push things forward. But a lot of things that are written around these scenes are disappointing. While one can argue about the logic of a police officer, placed under house arrest, roaming freely to search his missing family, why is there no sense of urgency? Why is he sporting stylish sunglasses, and witnessing custodial violence with pizzazz taking centrestage? And why are there so many red herrings that end up taking the zing out of the final reveal, which hits us smack out of nowhere?
The last act acts as a dampener because of how randomly inserted it is. While it does give Naresh enough opportunities to flex his muscles and prove that he is more than just an actor with impeccable comic timing, Ugram doesn’t do enough to sell us on the sentimentality. It only acts as a platform for Naresh to establish his serious actor credentials. However, all of it feels rather half-hearted and unfortunately, half-baked. Take, for instance, the final monologue where Shiva stands up for a misrepresented marginalised community. What he says is topical, empathetic, and has all the right words, but there is a genuine lack of honesty in these portions.
What really stands out in Ugram is the action sequences where Naresh is rock solid. While there is definitely one action scene too many, and a number of these sequences do extend their welcome, it is the earnestness that rings through the film. Naresh’s guttural cries, his intense punches, his staid demeanour, and an overall sense of daringness salvage the film that needed some more ferociousness, a little more fervour, and definitely, a lot more focus.
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