Ustaad (2023 film)
Ustaad is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Phanideep and starring Sri Simha Koduri and Kavya Kalyanram. The film released to negative reviews. Its released in Amazon Prime
| Ustaad | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Release poster | |
| Directed by | Phanideep |
| Written by | Phanideep |
| Produced by | Rajani Korrapati Rakesh Reddy Gaddam Himank Reddy Duvvuru |
| Starring | Sri Simha Koduri Kavya Kalyanram |
| Cinematography | Pavan Kumar Pappula |
| Edited by | Carthic Cuts |
| Music by | Akeeva B |
Production company | |
Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Cast
- Sri Simha Koduri as Surya Sivakumar
- Kavya Kalyanram as Meghana
- Gautham Vasudev Menon as Joseph D'Souza
- Anu Hasan as Gayathri
- Ravindra Vijay as an alcoholic mechanic
- Venkatesh Maha as Surya's father
- Ravi Siva Teja as Surya's friend
Production
Sri Simha Koduri is back after Bhaag Saale. This is Kavya Kalyanram's 3rd film after her comeback with Masooda.[1]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Akeeva B.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Roju" | Anantha Sriram | Anurag Kulkarni | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Aakasam Adhire" | Lakshmi Priyanka | Kaala Bhairava, Aditya Sreeram | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Chukkalonchi" | Rahman | Karthik | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Nanu Veedi" | Rahman | Kaala Bhairava | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 12:59 | |||
Release
The film released a week after the rerelease of Gautham Vasudev Menon's Surya S/o Krishnan (2008), the film's production team used stills from that film on its posters since:[2]
- Sri Simha Koduri's character Surya is based on Suriya's character and his real name.[3]
- Kavya Kalyanram's Meghana is based on Meghna, played by Sameera Reddy.[3]
- Gautham Vasudev Menon featured in this film as an actor.[3]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| 123telugu |    |
| OTTplay | |
| Telugucinema.com | |
A critic from 123telugu wrote that "On the whole, Ustaad is a coming-of-age drama that suffers mainly due to narrative issues. There are a few decent moments here and there, but the overall execution is below-par".[4] A critic from The Hindu wrote that "The drama loses steam after a point and the writing resorts to cinematic overtures and convenient coincidences in the final segment. Had this portion been conceived better, it would have been a befitting end to the coming-of-age story".[5] A critic from OTTplay wrote that "Ustaad is a coming-of-age story depicting the transition of a directionless teenager to a pilot where a bike is a metaphor to portray his journey. The film struggles to keep you invested in the protagonist’s journey despite the impressive performances, visual detailing and technical finesse".[6] A critic from Telugucinema.com wrote that "Ustaad is a coming-of-age story with a few pleasant moments but a monotonous viewing experience on the whole. The amateurishness with which the narration is handled can be seen throughout".[7]
References
- "'Gangotri' Actor Kavya Kalyanram Makes Her Comeback". V Cinema.
- Photo Gallery for Ustaad (Telugu)
- Nadadhur, Srivathsan. "Ustaad: Sri Simha Koduri, Kavya Kalyanram's film has a connection with Gautham Menon's Surya S/O Krishnan". OTTplay.
- "Review : Ustaad – Dull and slow". 123telugu. 13 August 2023.
- Dundo, Sangeetha Devi (12 August 2023). "'Ustaad' movie review: An imperfect yet warm coming-of-age story of a boy and his bike". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023.
- Nadadhur, Srivathsan (12 August 2023). "Ustaad review: This ambitious premise doesn't have the wings to fly high". OTTplay.
- Gudelli, Jalapathy (12 August 2023). "Ustaad Review: A dull journey". Telugucinema.com.
