Ustaad Movie Review

MM Keeravani’s younger son Simha Koduri made a decent debut with Mathu Vadalara. However, his subsequent attempts turned futile. Yet he hasn’t given up. He is trying his best. Simha is now back with Ustaad. Let’s check whether he breaks the jinx or not.

Plot

Surya (Simha) is extremely passionate about his bike Ustaad. He wants to prove himself as a pilot and win his love Meghana (Kavya Kalyanram). What are the odds and struggles he faces both externally and internally? How is his Bike Ustaad connected to his life? Will Surya achieve his dream? Will he win his love? The film has answers for these. 

Thumbs Up

Concept

Thumbs Down

Direction

Slow Pace

Climax

Analysis

Youth have two favourites – Bikes & Girls. Protagonist Surya has love for his vintage bike and this girl Meghana whom he calls her as “Bamma”. Yes, you heard it right. This is the tip of the iceberg. The film has this old touch seen here and there. 

The idea of Ustaad on paper seems to be good. But this gets totally lost in its translation to the big screen. Ustaad tests patience. The lack of clarity and inconsistency are what boggle down the film. The protagonist has a flawed character – he is scared of heights, he is hyper, has no control over him, gets angry instantly (like Arjun Reddy), damages his own things. Despite all this, he successfully achieves his dream to become a pilot. He narrates the story to the chief pilot Captain Joseph (Gautham Menon). The screenplay is back-and-forth. All these sound good, but the director Phanideep failed miserably in using these ably. 

The characters suddenly get emotional, suddenly fights and suddenly gets burst. Sometimes, the story moves at snail pace. At portions, the film turns intense. And amidst all this, there is mother sentiment. There is a bike mechanic Brahmam (Ravindra Vijay) who gets so emotional about this old bike and names it Ustaad. What is his connection to the bike isn’t portrayed well.

Audience may not relate to the bike sentiment. Both the bike and love have failed to connect the audience emotionally. This is where director Phanideep failed. Simha tries his best with his acting. But he does over-acting and gets over-emotional which pisses off. Kavya is alright. Ravindra Vijay, Anu Haasan and Gautam Menon did show their mature performance as actors. 

The stress is largely on the bike and less on the love. The love track between the hero and heroine lacked the punch. The pre-interval portions are dragged. The climax is written well but fails in the execution. On the whole, Ustaad has no engaging moments. It bites the dust too.

Verdict: Bites The Dust!

Rating: 1.75/5