Prashanth Neel elevates 'Ugram' as 'Salaar', gives wings to Prabhas' career - Husband's POV

When I walked out of the theatre after watching 'Salaar', my husband spoke about how Prashanth Neel made a fantastic and elevated version of his successful debut film 'Ugram', something which he believes has not been attempted by directors before. He was discussing how several directors have said in the past that they could make one (or more) of their popular or bad films in a better manner in today's time and age. However, almost none of them had the courage to recreate their old hits/flops and transform it into a completely new cinematic experience, which Prashanth seemed to have done with 'Salaar'.

My husband also showed me a sequence from 'Ugram', which currently is unavailable on any social media platforms to revisit, which Prashanth took to another level with Prabhas. 'Ugram' felt like a naive attempt at executing a very well-written script, while 'Salaar' felt like a film made by a person who now understands the value of cinematography, sound, BGM score and of course, the hero's personality and popularity. Oh, I forgot to add - budget. The more the budget, the bigger the star, the more the freedom to experiment.


Unlike 'Ugram', 'Salaar' time and again pays huge respect to its hero. There are elevation moments that truly remind us of what was missing from Prabhas' previous few films. 'Salaar' is what a big screen actor like Prabhas needed in his career after being loved as Mahendra and Amarendra Baahubali. Prabhas is what a big pan-Indian film like 'Salaar' needed for the success it achieved. 

The film has its flaw but it doesn't fail on delivering fans a great time at the theatre. I personally loved the two kids who play Deva (Prabhas) and Vardhraja Mannar (Prithviraj Sukumaran). What also stands out is the women of 'Salaar'. Sriya Reddy and Jhansi were mind-blowingly good in this film. And yes, there is a very Baahubali 2-like scene in the film that made me clap, jump and rejoice the moment along with hundreds of Prabhas fans around me. 

Prashanth understood the star power. Knew who he was catering to. But did not let the story fall apart in serving the fans. He is the real star of 'Salaar'. 

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