Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya, the much-awaited Telugu remake of the acclaimed Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram, is now out on Netflix. This is the second film of director Venkatesh Maha, who made his debut with C/o Kancharapalem, an indie Telugu film which became hugely popular with the Telugu audiences.
In Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya, actor Satyadev reprises the role of a small town photographer and his bittersweet tale of revenge, played by Fahadh Faasil in the original. While the original was set in Kerala’s Idukki district, the Telugu remake is set in Araku, also a charming, picturesque hill station. Satyadev plays Uma Maheswara Rao, proprietor of Komali photo studio in Araku Valley.
Satyadev has previously played minor roles in films like Mr Perfect and Kshanam, before acting in more prominent supporting roles recently, in films like Brochevarevarura, iSmart Shankar and Sarileru Neekevvaru.
Venkatesh Maha’s previous film was also set in a small town (Kancharapalem) in Visakhapatnam district, and the audiences have noted the similarities in the slice-of-life, endearing depictions of varied characters in the two films.
Speaking about his approach to the remake, Venkatesh Maha had previously told TNM that while the screenplay is largely similar with a few tweaks to suit the sensibilities of Telugu audiences, Satyadev would be very different from Fahadh in the original. He also said that he had added bits to the screenplay from his experiences of staying at Araku, and that the remake was told “purely out of [his] love for its original version.”
Praveena Paruchuri, the producer of C/o Kancharapalem who also played the much-loved character of Saleema in the film, has co-produced Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya, along with Mahayana Motion Pictures.
Maheshinte Prathikaram was directed by Dileesh Pothan and written by Syam Pushkaran. At the National Film Awards in 2017, the film won Best Feature Film in Malayalam, and Syam Pushkaran won the award for Best Original Screenplay.