UI First Glimpse: Upendra Goes Biblical In His Grand Return As A Director

You know you are in for a wild and bizarre ride when it's an Upendra directorial. True to his brand, the first glimpse of his upcoming film UI was released earlier today amidst much fanfare. Upendra will be returning to the director’s chair after almost a decade, with his last film being the philosophical drama Uppi 2 (2015). The makers of UI released an audio teaser a few months ago, which hinted at the film being set in a post-apocalyptic world.

The teaser of UI begins with a reference to the myth of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. The visuals show two actors portraying the biblical characters as a voice-over of Upendra says, ‘This is not an AI world. This is a UI world’. We then get sweeping shots of the forests and landscapes, which slowly transition to that of a sprawling city, mostly Bengaluru. 

We are then introduced to this bizarre world of UI, showing three gangs headed by three gang leaders. One seems to be a religious cult headed by Achyuth Kumar while another seems to be a criminal gang headed by Sadhu Kokila (in clown makeup). After a few shots of a battle, we see Upendra donning the costume of a Horseman of the Apocalypse (which could be death) as he stands in front of the people in front of a spherical structure that has a star symbol. The title is then revealed, where the UI is designed in the form of a Thirupathi Nama.

UI is written and directed by Upendra, who also stars in the film. Achyuth Kumar, Murali Sharma, Reeshama Naniah, Sadhu Kokila, Sunny Leone, and Nidhi Subiah also feature in the film. It is backed by G Manoharan, Sreekanth KP, and Naveen Manoharan under the Lahari Films and Venus Entertainers banners. B Ajaneesh Loknath collaborates with Upendra for the first time as a music director. HC Venu is the cinematographer.