Upendra’s latest film, which has been left untitled for reasons best known to the actor-writer-director Upendra, banks on an interesting idea about how to make India the richest country in the world by 2030. The film, which was a blockbuster in Kannada when it released in December, 2010, marks the return on Upendra to direction after almost ten years and has Nayanthara in lead role. The story begins in 2030 where Telugu is given utmost importance, rupee value is at an unimaginable high and foreigners turn beggars and taxi drivers. The film is about how the country reaches this stage and what role did one man named Subhash Chandra Gandhi play in this astounding development.

What’s it about : A British researcher, who comes to India in 2030, is stunned by the remarkable progress which the country has made in less than two decades. He meets a historian who tells him about Subhash Chandra Gandhi (Upendra), a multi-millionaire based in London who returns to India after a long time. Cut to 2010, we have Subhash head over heels about Indira (Nayanthara), whom he marries believing that she’s the ideal girl whom he has been waiting for all his life. However, she’s nowhere close to the dreamgirl whom he had in his mind. What more, Indira is hell bent on sending Subhash to jail or leave him paralyzed for the rest of his life. Why does she have such hatred towards Subhash? And what role did Subhash play in changing India’s fortunes forms the rest of the story.

What is Good : Upendra does a brilliant job in all the three departments he handles – acting, writing and directing. He’s known for his trademark style and that’s pretty much evident throughout the film. In this film, which has been given the title ‘Super’ by his fans in Karnataka, he goes one step ahead and sports a distinct look for his quirky role. His transformation from a man who believes that India is still in a state that existed in the Gandhian era to one who adopts a ‘funk’ style to impress Indira is good. The dialogues in the film are hard hitting, especially those which point out how careless and irresponsible our system has made us. Also, the twists and turns which lead to India’s unprecedented development are well written. It’s a superb idea to be fair and it seems entirely plausible. On the other hand, Nayanthara is more than impressive in her role. She looks charming in both the Indian and Western look that she sports in the film and her characterization gives her enough scope to do justice to the role she portrays. Among other actors who stand out Ali and the old man whom Subhash tries to help out are prominent. Tulip Joshi played a minor but an important role in the film.

What is bad: Since it’s a dubbed film it would be a little unfair to point out the logical errors in the film; however, for a film which begins in Hyderabad, everytime the Indian map is shown, the focus remains on Karnataka and Bangalore in particular. Leaving all these minor issues aside, a major factor why the important satire on the political system doesn’t work to the extent it should have because it’s heavily inspired from the actual political scenario in Karnataka. The rivalry between Yedyurappa and Gali Brothers (portrayed as Cheddi Brothers) is depicted in a hilarious way but it all gets lost in translation due to lack of awareness in general. Also, it’s not clear why Upendra chose to keep the ‘Editor’s’ identity so secret in the film. Moreover, the actual trick which Upendra plays to enrich the wealth in society comes a little too late and it’s over before we even realize. Wish this sequence could have been a little longer; it certainly is the most interesting part of the film.

Technical Departments : V Harikrishna’s music is alright; however the lyrics sound a little fuzzy. It’s hard to understand most of the lyrics. One of the songs which has hundreds of people joining at every corner is well-choreographed. Fights are very well-composed throughout the film. The cinematography by Ashok Kashyap is good and the production values in the film are rich. Rockline Venkatesh, the producer of the film seems to have spent quite a lot in shooting the film in London, Dubai apart from using some high-end cars and bikes in several scenes in the film. Dialogues are witty and hard hitting at times. Upendra not only succeeds in pointing fingers at corrupt politicians and others who have been plundering the wealth, but also proposes a solution to end this problem. Although it seems preposterous in the beginning, the idea makes sense once it begins to sink in and for that he deserves applause.

Final Point : Sometimes, more than anything else, the idea which a film tries to showcase makes more impression than the film itself. Upendra’s latest film falls in that category. The film’s biggest strength lies in its noble intentions and execution of the storyline. The story does have its ups and downs; however all is well with anything that ends well. Do watch the film, you might just end up being a little more wiser.