Director Vijay Kanakamedala on Ugram: I felt Allari Naresh would fit the bill as an angry protagonist

Allari Naresh and Vijay Kanakamedala, the Naandhi actor-director combo returns for a redemption thriller Ugram, which releases in theatres next week. Mirnaa plays the female lead in the film that revolves around a cop whose wife and child are kidnapped by traffickers. How far will he go to find answers? Ahead of its May 5 release, director Vijay Kanakamedala spoke to the media today.

The origins of Ugram

After the first schedule of Naandhi when the COVID-19 lockdown was announced, I was free for over six months and came up with the plot for Ugram. I felt it would be apt for Allari Naresh. He has acted in emotional roles but I visualised him as an angry protagonist and thought he could pull this off well. He was convinced and we researched for over six months. The project went on floors after Naresh wrapped up Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam.

The inspiration behind the film

I thought of the premise during Naandhi itself when I kept hearing about several missing cases in the city and a high court had asked the cops to come up with a report on it. While imagining the plight of the victim’s families and their trauma, the story of Ugram was born. My friend Toom Venkat wrote the story and we planned to do films together long ago. I came up with the screenplay. We understand each other very well and had worked together under Harish Shankar before.

A peek into the world of the action thriller

Ugram is massier and more emotional than Naandhi. Given it revolves around a cop, we had to go berserk with the action segments. The film is a solid action thriller and there are many novel elements in the plot. For the female lead, we needed an actress who could play both a college girl and a married woman. Mirnaa performed a crucial scene at the audition and did a fine job of it; we finalised her immediately.

On Allari Naresh’s transformation for Ugram

Naresh understood the seriousness of the plot during the narration and transformed his look, body language accordingly. He doesn’t have to be a cop with six-pack abs, he just had to do a few workouts to be fit, agile and needed to talk confidently for the part. He rehearsed well for the action sequences (largely shot during nights) and I hope audiences will appreciate our efforts.

Other nuggets about the film, upcoming projects

The film is a feast for action junkies and the sequences are backed by a strong emotion. There are three situational songs (composed by Sri Charan Pakala) in the film - a title track, a romance number and another one revolving around the family. We’re confident of living upto audience’s expectations after the terrific response to the trailer. There will be surprises for sure. I’m planning a one-of-a-kind social drama with Naga Chaitanya next.

(Ugram, starring Allari Naresh, Mirnaa, produced by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under Shine Screens, releases in theatres on May 5)