Allari Naresh and Naandhi director Vijay Kanakamedala joined hands again for the action-thriller Ugram. The film will arrive in theatres on May 5, 2023. Mirnaa Menon played the leading lady. Sricharan Pakala composed the music. The film is produced by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under the banner of Shine Screens. Ahead of the release, we had a brief interaction with Allari Naresh, and here is the transcript.

It is easy to do a comedy role. How challenging was it to pull off the Police officer role in Ugram?

To be frank, it is very tough to do comedy roles. One who is good at comedy can do any sort of role. For example, recently, Brahmanandam Garu’s role in Rangamarthanda is very different. Even Soori did a serious role in Vetrimaaran’s Viduthalai, which is a welcome change.

What made you choose different scripts off late?

There are two reasons for it. Firstly, the number of people who create comedy content has come down. A few are coming up with comedy stories, but they don’t suit the requirements of a feature film. After the rise of OTT, filmmakers are tending to make dark content.

What differences did you find in the director during Ugram and Naandhi?

Vijay is very subtle, and he is not someone who gets tensed. He will be very confident and cool. Vijay knows his craft very well, and the best thing about him is that he respects the work and contribution of one and all. Producer gave Vijay a free hand for Ugram.

Recently there is a criticism that the love portions have become a distraction in thrillers. How organic would those portions be in Ugram?

The film completely revolves around missing people, and we have told the story in advance through the trailer. If someone gets a problem, they will approach the Police. But what if a Policeman gets a problem? Will he treat that as a professional one or a personal issue? The audience will get hooked to the characters.

There is a talk that the film’s budget increased immensely. Could you talk about it?

There are six major action sequences in Ugram. It takes more time to complete the action part, and hence there was a delay. It didn’t happen because of negligence. The producers saw the output after the completion of the first schedule, and they were very pleased with it.

Do you have any intention to produce a film under the EVV banner?

If I need to make a movie under the EVV banner, it must definitely be a comedy film. EVV Cinema is known for humor films like Bendu Apparao, Kitha Kithalu, Atthili Satthibabu, and Thotti Gang. I am waiting for such kinds of stories. I heard many stories, but I didn’t get that ultimate satisfaction.

Could you tell us about your future projects?

I have already started my next project in which Faria Abdullah plays the female lead. We are yet to name it. A new director named Malli Ankam is helming that flick. I am in talks with Subbu, who directed Solo Brathuke So Better. I bought a story called Jenda, and I want to produce it. I am thinking about the director, and it will be a period film set in Guntur.