It is a situation straight out of the wildest desires, or nightmares. An total village, wearing festive finery, gathers round a specifically constructed stage. There is anticipation within the air, a celebratory temper. But the grasp of ceremonies (Vishnu Oi), a man summoned from a neighbouring city, is left shocked when he learns the aim of the occasion: a fortunate draw to find out who will win slots within the village burial floor, now perilously near operating out of area.
Director Ani IV Sasi, who beforehand helmed the offbeat Telugu romance Ninnila Ninnila, returns with Uppu Kapurambu — a madcap satire that takes on the politics of death, land, and legacy. Screenwriter Vasanth Maringanti weaves in layered subtexts touching upon gender, caste, cash, and energy, exposing the absurdity of combating over land meant for one’s closing relaxation.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, this eccentric comedy will get a main increase from a forged that features Keerthy Suresh, Suhas, and veterans Babu Mohan and Talluri Rameswari.
Set within the fictional village of Chitti Jayapuram in Nineteen Nineties undivided Andhra Pradesh, the movie creates a universe that feels each outlandish and uncannily plausible. The absurdity is deliberate, however the consideration to element — be it in Sri Nagendra Tangala’s manufacturing design, Poojita Tadikonda’s pitch-perfect costumes, or Divakar Mani’s earthy cinematography — grounds the story in a very actual milieu. Sweekar Agasthi’s music, too, hits the proper notes, including whimsy with out overplaying its hand.
Uppu Kapurambu (Telugu)
Director: Ani IV Sasi
Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Suhas, Babu Mohan
Run time: 134 minutes
Story: As a village burial floor practically runs out of area triggering a struggle for slots, the brand new feminine village head has to seek out options
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
It takes a whereas to settle into the movie’s farcical, morbid tone. One early scene units the stage following the death of a village head — his burial turns into much less a solemn event and extra a social gathering, full with idle gossip, performative weeping and irreverent humour. His daughter, Apoorva (Keerthy Suresh), is reluctantly thrust into the highlight because the inheritor to the put up — a position handed down by generations.
Things spiral when Chinna (Suhas), the caretaker of the village graveyard, discovers that burial area is quickly operating out. This easy logistical subject triggers a snowballing disaster of energy, privilege, and pettiness. Apoorva, woefully inexperienced, fumbles by her newfound obligations. Her bungled makes an attempt at diplomacy are laced with biting satire, significantly in a scene the place she tries to deflect scrutiny by citing the Iran warfare and tomato costs in the identical breath.
Babu Mohan as a well-off, aged aspirant for her place, and Shatru as a fiery younger challenger, embody the absurd politicking that underpins this death-centric story. Sasi and Maringanti craft a village that thrives on absurdity over logic, however after a level, the humour turns laboured. The whimsy that begins off contemporary begins to really feel overly exaggerated and even cartoonish in tone.
Amid the chaos, it’s Chinna and his mom (performed by a grounded Talluri Rameswari) who emerge because the movie’s conscience. Years of working because the graveyard’s caretakers has given them the knowledge about death being the good equaliser, or is it? After all, the elite nonetheless handle to safe premium burial plots and ornate headstones.
As the movie sprawls into a number of subplots, Uppu Kapurambu loses a few of its sharpness. The 2-hour-14-minute runtime begins to pull, weighed down by gags and a wavering tone.
However, the narrative regains some traction in its closing act. The movie ends on a poignant notice, reflecting on how standing and delight, usually derived from energy and wealth, can show futile within the face of mortality. Apoorva’s evolution into a village chief is conceptually compelling, however her arc lacks emotional heft. Keerthy Suresh provides it her greatest, but the comedic beats written for her character not often land. It’s solely within the closing scenes, when she muses on the symbolism of the movie’s title, that she finds her footing.
Suhas, ever reliable, brings nuance and relatability to Chinna. His efficiency, understated but efficient, carries the emotional weight that the movie generally fumbles elsewhere.
Uppu Kapurambu has an intriguing premise and flashes of brilliance, however its inconsistent execution stops it from turning into a actually memorable satire.
(The movie is streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
