Upendra is one of very few original voices of India. His films often get cult status. Ahead of the release of his latest UI on December 20th, let’s revisit UI’s spiritual prequel released in 2010, Super.
Super is a story about Subhash Chandra Gandhi, the man who made utopian India possible with his unthinkable political philosophy. The story starts in 2030’s India where English-speaking foreigners, especially Britishers and Americans, are begging in front of the Warangal International Airport. The world economics are flipped in 2030: the dollar’s value has plummeted, Indian ethnic wear is seen as fashionable over the western wear, public spaces are filled with Hindu gods, Indians are considered as well cultured and foreigners are seens as only Rupee grabbing opportunists. As usual, the first thirty minutes was taken solely to position Upendra’s ideas of India in 2030 leaving the rest of the film to the quiet not-so-very-genetic plot of how he did what he did.
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Aptly named, Subhash Chandra Gandhi, is a rich sentimental nationalist living in Britain, only to realise that his love for India as it is not worth it, the harsh reality hits him as he tries to solve the simple pension problem of a poor man. He also realises that the woman, Indira (Nayanthara) he married turns out to be a dupe set out to take vengeance for the injustice Gandhi allegedly caused to her elder sister Mandira. These realities make him a bad person from a good person and he sets out to teach a lesson to the whole India by becoming the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
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Let’s get real. Upendra as a filmmaker is not for everyone. Upendra’s ideas are very eccentric. He is no less than an auteur. His cultural commentaries through the films like Upendra and A are quite problematic in the real sense. However, what makes Upendra a true genius is his borderline-satire fused with preaching of ideals, HIS ideals. His views on democracy, women, monogamy, sex, public decency etc might not be accepted by all. He never imposes his ideas as preachiness. He preaches. But, not through the spectrum of black and white, but through the true essence of character itself. To make thighs more difficult, he plays both the good and the bad in his movies. Oftentimes, the character transformation is not from bad to good, but from good to bad to good (the conclusion depends on U). Therefore, it becomes frustratingly difficult to understand if the filmmaker Upendra is speaking or the character that is passing on the message.
Upendra’s utopian Super set in 2030 is a must-watch ahead of the release of his UI, the dystopian political drama set in 2040.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za0yA0j-DK8
UI is going to hit the theatres on December 20th, 2024.
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