Uppena

Buchi Babu Sana's 2021 Telugu film follows Aasi, a fisherman in a coastal town, and Bebamma, who grew up in the same place. They have loved each other since childhood; her father Rayanam is the most powerful man in the district and will not allow it. The axis is caste. Rayanam explains the obstacle as family honour; the narrative shows this not as a misunderstanding but as an order that turns openly into violence, and carries it in the final section to a point past return. Vijay Sethupathi plays the father. The cinematography and music are foregrounded, and the film was a large commercial success in Telugu cinema. The ending caused argument, with some critics holding that the film places its violence inside a romantic frame. Who it's for: those who follow Telugu romantic drama and narratives about caste. Who it's not for: viewers for whom sexual violence and scenes of maiming would sit heavily.