This Friday (December 20), 'Ui' and 'Bachhala Malli' are slated for release in theatres. Although 'Ui' is a dubbed film, it has high chances of beating Allari Naresh's movie at the box office in terms of opening-day collections.
'Ui' has one key advantage going for it: genre. It's a dystopian, futuristic action entertainer whose story takes place in a world of its own. The film's Trailer was interesting.
On the other hand, Allari Naresh's movie doesn't look interesting, on the face of it. Although the makers have tried to position Naresh's character in 'Bachhala Malli' as the uneducated, unsophisticated version of Vijay Deverakonda's character from 'Arjun Reddy', the Trailer is too plain and bland. Unless there are surprises in the movie, the word of mouth is going to be dull.
'Ui' has a key disadvantage working against it. Upendra doesn't enjoy popularity with the GenZ. The 80s and 90s kids in the Telugu States are familiar with his previous work, but he is not popular otherwise. And even this section of the audience might not watch 'Ui' in theatres. He hasn't delivered a single hit in Telugu in many years. Moreover, the claim of the makers that 'Ui' has been made on a budget of Rs 100 Cr doesn't sound genuine.
