Upendra Mathe Ba is yet another faithful remake by Sandalwoodd director Arun Lokanath. In order to retain the original flavour of the Tollywood hit flick, Soggade Chinna Nayana, Lokanath has almost copy pasted for the Kannada version, even some of the characters are named the same. Upendra is seen in a double role, playing both father and son, in this story that revolves around Upendra Raju and dwells into the after-life. Raju, whom everybody loves in the village, unfortunately meets with an early death. But on request of Prema (Prema), Upendra’s wife, Yama sends him back to earth to help out his son Ramu (played by Upendra), who is a doctor, and his wife Seetha (Sruthi Hariharan), as they are heading towards a divorce. In the whole course of settling his son’s life, he is shocked to learn of the circumstances of his own death, and the people behind it. The end result is a family drama turning into a revenge drama.
While this formula has worked in Tollywood, it might fall short for the Kannada audience, and the director’s efforts to bring out a family entertainer that blends with a ghost story, lacks logic. For Upendra, this is probably an old commitment and a film done out of his long-standing friendship with the director. Doing a double role seems like a cakewalk for the actor. Prema, who is seen teaming up with Upendra after a while, is perfect for the role, and Sruthi Hariharan makes her presence felt too.
Adding glam to the Upendra film are actresses Chandini and Harshika Poonacha, among others. Sadhu Kokila brings in the comedy elements, but the film gets minimal support from the rest of the cast, including Vasishta Simha, who plays the antagonist, senior actor Avinash, Shobhraj, and others. V Sridhar’s music and cinematography by Swami J work well with the theme of the film, but will this supernatural drama go down well with the audiences? Or will they watch it just for Uppi’s sake? This is something we will leave to his fans to decide.