Sandalwood superstar Upendra’s UI has hit the theatres. In the making for two years, it was made on a lavish budget.
Story:
The story is set in a surrealistic world where immorality and cynicism rule the roost. Seena (Ravi Shankar), a pick-pocket, goes on to become the ruler. He aspires to become the Central Samrat by enslaving the downtrodden. Sathya (Upendra), a philanthropist and saviour, is his arch rival. Turns out that Kalki (Upendra, again) could become a threat. A battle of wits ensures between the three characters. Will the oppressed be saved? Will Kalki have the last laugh? What is Seena’s destiny? The second half answers these questions.
Analysis:
‘UI’, standing for Universally Intelligent, is a film within a film. The story that plays out is actually a film that actor-director Upendra wants to make in real life. If you watch the movie with the awareness that he is a politician in real life, the film’s thematic elements will make more sense to you. Or, probably, you would become more sympathetic to what Upendra is trying to say.
The clash between Good and Evil is not the main point of the film. Why the Evil emerges victorious is the point. The Upendra of the 1990s was a different filmmaker altogether – he embraced controversy and brickbats as much as he loved the commercial successes. His films questioned the masses and mocked their intelligence. ‘UI’ does the same.
Since the film is set in a world of its own, the characters are quirky and caricaturish, violent and ruthless, inhuman and brutal. For example, Ravi Shankar’s character has literally reduced his slaves into dwarfs. Midgets work at his palace. These creative liberties can be justified, given that this is a surrealistic satirical drama.
The film is also a social commentary. If Pa.Ranjith’s stories are serious and artistic in nature, ‘UI’ uses entertainment to provoke the audience. The climax is experimental.
‘UI’ raises socio-political questions without resorting to melodrama and regular tropes. Even the songs don’t belong to the regular genre.
A young woman (played by Reeshma Nanaiah) pines for one of Upendra’s character. A mother is paralyzed. Ordinary masses have been deluded. People have been reduced to zombies with the help of technology. There is so much to unpack in the movie.
Achyuth Kumar plays a Kala Gnani whose predictions never go wrong. Murali Sharma plays a film critic who is asked to watch ‘UI’ on repeat so that he gets the point (haha). B Ajaneesh Loknath of Kantara fame has composed the songs and BGM.
Verdict:
‘UI’ is an experimental film that also entertains. It makes social commentary and a political statement without giving a serious treatment.
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