PremiumUppu Puli Kaaram Series Review (Episodes 9-16): Obsoleteness and uninventive narratives galore in this family drama
Uppu Puli Kaaram (Episodes 9-16): Slow-paced with outdated narrative style, it struggles to keep the viewers engaged.
Uppu Puli Kaaram web series
Last Updated: 04.25 PM, Jun 24, 2024
Uppu Puli Kaaram Story
Uppu Puli Kaaram revolves around a middle-class family. While parents Subramani and Subbulakshmi (played by Ponvannan and Vanitha Krishnachandran) run restaurant Annam Mess, they have three daughters and son. They are crime lawyer Chinmayi (Aysha), gym trainer Keerthi (Ashwini), and intern at media house Yashika (Deepika), and son Uday who is studying for IAS exams.
Each of the siblings comes with their set of problems, including Chinmayi’s unresolved issues with her former lover, Yashika’s past of being body-shamed, and the son who is secretly in love with a woman. However, even as they all live happily under one roof, we are hinted that Subramani might have another son - an upcoming actor Thippu (Raj Ayappa). Annam Mess also seems to be in trouble after the new landlord gets into loggerheads with Subbulakshmi and asks them to vacate if not able to pay a higher rent.
Uppu Puli Kaaram Review
The show takes off from where it left, that is with each of the siblings trying to fix their issues, while trying to be happy as one family. Uppu Puli Kaaram is very much like a serial, in terms that it rides on exaggerated expressive skits for menial problems, with no logic whatsoever. For example, we are shown that Chinmayi, who claims that she has never failed in any case she fought for, being debunked within seconds by her opposition lawyer for failing to verify the background of her client. This isn’t a one off in Uppu Puli Kaaram. In another instance, we are shown the constant badgering by her ex-boyfriend (Krishna) to know why she broke up with him. Even as the arc is a narrative tool, repeated dialogues and eventual follow-up with the reignition of their friendship, seem to be off-putting given we are not told the exact reasons why they parted ways. With such character behaviour, it becomes hard to associate with them, instead of seeing them as relatable people. In fact, after a point, they become items of ridicule for their caricature-like presentation.
This set of episodes also unravels many elements, like we get to know that Uday is in a relationship with a woman who was once responsible for body-shaming Yashika and is now her colleague. Even though we don’t know if Uday is aware of this, there is a distasteful scene involving him where he disguises as a woman to visit his lover and the landlord hitting on him (presuming him to be a woman) in a lewd manner. The show, which takes the serial route, survives on its multi-character narrative and how eventually they tie up together. But there isn’t coherency and nothing to offer to compensate its slow pace.
With many more episodes to go, the show chooses to unveil its plot lines one by one, by leaving breadcrumbs in every narrative it takes up. We are shown how Uday who is expected to pass in IAS exams, has a penchant for cooking and even secretly steals ingredients from his kitchen to cook for his girlfriend. But there is no logic whatsoever and we are not told either on why he chooses to hide his dreams to his parents, who themselves are running a restaurant. On the other hand, are the parents, especially the mother who is not at all in tandem with her new landlord, who sees class difference as a way to look down upon them, while getting herself looked down upon by her husband, for reasons we are not yet told. Hopefully, the series will address and connect all these dots one day.
Uppu Puli Kaaram Verdict
The show seems to not budge from being a drama serial that you might have grown up watching on television. Sure there seems to be an upgrade and we are spared without having to see dramatic music and multi-camera, slow-motion shots, but Uppu Puli Kaaram is nothing short of being obsolete and uninventive.