Dear Uma Review: Sumaya Reddy's film sends a strong warning to the medical mafia

Dear Uma Story

Uma (Sumaya Reddy) has only one dream, and that is to become a life-saving doctor. She enrols as an intern at Ayush Hospital, and around the same time, Dev (Prithvi Amber) is admitted after an accident. Uma treats him, and after being discharged, Dev spots her at an art gallery and befriends her. As time passes, Dev discovers some startling facts about Uma and her profession. What Dev does to help Uma come out of the mess forms the basic story of the film.

Dear Uma Review

Dear Uma is written by Sumaya Reddy, who also plays the female lead. The film deals with the medical mafia and sends a great message to society. Without being preachy, the film narrates how malpractices are haunting today's medical system in a very interesting manner. In the past, shows like Locked have been made on similar subjects. 

Well, to narrate such subjects, one needs to get the emotions right, but here in Dear Uma, the film becomes a bit more melodramatic. There was no need to showcase so much pain and trauma, as it feels a bit forced after a while. The scenes that showcase how the hospital cheats parents by asking them to take multiple tests are superb and have been narrated in a very gripping manner.

 If the director, Sai Rajesh, had stuck to the drama and the emotional angle, things would have made a lot of sense. But that does not happen, as Dear Uma also has a romantic track, which looks forced. There are a lot of scenes that obstruct the flow of the film and create disturbances in the narrative. One such film that is made on the same subject is Breathe, featuring Nandamuri Chaitanya Krishna.

One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is the placement of the songs. For no reason, songs drop in at regular intervals and bore the audience. This eats up most of the first half, and things pick up just ahead of the interval block. But once this happens, things tend to unfold in a gripping manner. The twists and turns keep us engaged, and as the conflict point is so good, there is a lot of interest generated in the narrative by the director, Sai Rajesh.

The emotional thread of how lives are lost and how the common man suffers due to this medical mafia is showcased well in the film. Coming to the performances, Prithvi Amber does a neat job in his role. Though he is new, Prithvi makes a decent effort to stand out in the film. Sumaya Reddy, the producer and writer of the film, does well. Though she looked a bit rustic at the beginning of the film, by the time Dear Uma reaches the interval block, Sumaya is in full command. She has a decent screen presence and is showcased well.

Saptagiri, the noted comedian of Sapthagiri Express, evokes a few laughs in the setup. But it is Kamal Kamaraju who gives a very good performance. He is a very good actor who is sadly underutilized in Telugu cinema. But here, he gets a decent role and is neat. Radhan of Arjun Reddy fame has composed the music, and his work is good with the songs. But it is Radhan's background score that is top-notch, especially in the last twenty minutes of the film.

The production values, screenplay, and emotions hold your attention. The basic message that the film showcases is quite realistic and needs attention. If you ignore the romantic angle in the film, Dear Uma has hard-hitting moments that have been addressed well.

Dear Uma Verdict

On the whole, Dear Uma is a social drama based on the medical mafia. The conflict point is interesting and is presented well. If you ignore the unwanted romantic track and slow pace, Dear Uma has thrills that are worth giving a shot. 

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