Uma Maheshwara Ugrarupasya is a much-anticipated film for several reasons, because it’s the second film of a director (Venkatesh Maha) who had delivered a quality film with a bunch of new faces in C/O Kancharapalem and also owing to the growing popularity of Satyadev as a performer. The film, the official remake of Fahadh Faasil’s Maheshinte Prathikaram, is bankrolled by Praveena Paruchuri and Shobu Yarlaggada. Though the film was set to stream on Netflix on July 15, it got postponed for reasons unknown to many.
Maheshinte Prathikaram was a subtle rural comedy, which was largely benefited by sparkling dialogue, contributions from its technical team and performances by its lead cast. However, when an acclaimed director like Priyadarshan tried to replicate the same in the Tamil version titled Nimir, the remake didn’t create the desired impact on the audiences. From sources close to the team of the Telugu remake, Uma Maheshwara…, the director has more or less remained faithful to the original frame by frame. No questions asked, but one wonders if the similar sensibilities, including the conversational style, subtle humour would work with the Telugu audiences.
Though several people close to Uma Maheshwara…believe that they have delivered well on the technical front and come up with a decent product, its box office prospects, had it released in the theatres may have been limited. Filmmakers should increasingly be reminded of the fact that a successful film is a result of many factors. Though there’s no denying that Maheshinte Prathikaram is a quality product, but not all Malayalam films can work in a Telugu context. Many feel that the Uma Maheshwara.. team got it lucky by opting for an OTT release on Netflix. Audiences have been slightly kinder to the films that arrive on digital space than in theatres, so don’t be surprised if it is received with much optimism.
