Shivarudralingaiah, a powerful gang leader with his son Dheeraj await to extract vengeance against their old rival Prabhakara, who had escaped abroad, years ago. Prabhakara's daughter Nithya returns to India to visit her late mother's grave and is kidnapped by Dheeraj's gang. Agastya, a mechanic, saves her from the goons and takes her to his house for safeguarding. Though deeply interested in Agastya, Nithya is shocked to learn about his dark past in Mughor, a region ruled by blood ridden underworld. His old promise to his friend Baala had pushed Agastya to enter criminal underworld. Within years he had managed to capture the entire region for Baala, against all odds; earning himself a fearful respect. Ultimately, Agastya's skirmish with Baala's younger brother had led to his death. Agastya had forced an exile upon himself, respecting his mother's vow, to live a life free of any violence. After murdering his father, deeming him weak, Dheeraj manages to capture Nithya and relocates her to Mughor, forcing Agastya to return.He faces the entire criminal fraternity of Mughor, kills Dheeraj and saves Nithya. Though still holding deep grudge against Agastya for his brother's murder, Baala allows them to leave, as a show of respect towards his old friend. Agastya leaves Mughor with Nithya, starting a new life.
Ugramm was the first film ever to be shot outside the Bharat Gold Mines Limited cyanide dumps at Kolar Gold Fields. The other locations where the film was shot at include Chintamani, Kolar, Mysore, Gargeshwari, Nandigrama and Bangalore. Eight different cameras were used to suit different situations and locations.
Soundtrack
The music for the film and soundtracks were composed by Ravi Basrur with lyrics written by Ram Narayan, S. Sarvesh and Basrur. The soundtrack has six songs.
Reception
Reviewing the soundtrack album, Kavya Christopher of The Times of India wrote, "Apart from the title track – Ugramm Veeram – which rightfully captures the essence of the title, translating to aggression, the rest of the numbers take you into a romantic journey of dream sequences that many stories try to rely on to bring in some breathing space in an otherwise adrenaline-packed plot."
Marketing and release
The trailer of the film was released on YouTube on 25 November 2013 and received positive responses from filmgoers and impressed a section of the Kannada film fraternity. Srimurali promoted the film in various shopping malls and places such as Tumkur, Gulbarga, Belgaum and other towns. He also uploaded pictures with his fans on a regular basis on social networking sites. The film made its theatrical release on 21 February 2014 in 142 theaters across Karnataka. Two shows of the film have been organised in Melbourne, Australia on 18 May. His dear friend Darshan helped Sri Murali during release as director Prashant Neel met with a major accident while traveling from Chennai
Reception
Upon its theatrical release, Ugramm received positive reviews from critics who praised the performances, the screenplay, the cinematography and the direction. B. S. Srivani of Deccan Herald wrote of the film, "The screenplay is a beauty.. and dialogues.. do their job very well." and concluded writing, "An overdose of violence to simple-minded families, Ugramm, however, is a treat for those looking for instant kicks." A. Sharadhaa of The New Indian Express wrote, "This is a landmark gangster film that balances commercial elements with a stirring screenplay." and concluded writing, " A very well-made film, Ugramm is full of action, drama and fleshed out characters." Shyam Prasad S. of Bangalore Mirror gave the film a rating out 3/5 and wrote, "The film is technically brilliant, but what it lacks is a style to the excessive energy that is drummed up."
Box-office
Ugramm opened strongly at the box-office and collected 50 crore in Karnataka after its release. It completed a 150-day run in theatres in Karnataka.
