Upadhyaksha

<p>The film is about a villager, Narayana, who is the vice president of “Chi-Thu” sangha and refuses to get promoted to the president place because of his affection towards the current president. He is at loggerheads with Shiva Rudregowda, the village head. The story revolves around events unfolding in Gejjepura village in district when Shivarudregowda’s youngest daughter Anjali falls in love with Narayana, who has to work as a slave in her house in lieu of loan taken by his father. The principal photography of film went on floors on 17 July 2022 in followed by an extensive shoot in and scheduled to release in February 2023. However it was pushed to January 2024 later. The music of the film is composed by . The first single titled “Nanage Neenu” was released in November 2023. Upadhyaksha was theatrically released in India on 26 January 2024, coinciding the , and received positive reviews from critics. The movie digital right was acquired by and started premiered on 8th march 2024.The movie satellite rights was acquired by . Vinay Lokesh of gave 3/5 stars and praised Chikkanna’s performance saying “Chikkanna stands out in his performance as Narayana in his first film as a lead. He sticks to his strengths which are comedy, one-liners and humorous conversation, which he manages to deliver by making the audience laugh their heart out” Sujay B. M. of gave 3/5 stars and wrote “The film’s biggest selling point is its organic connection to its prequel. A few flashback scenes bolster that link. The punchlines by Chandra Mohan infuse slapstick comedy, with Sadhu Kokila’s comic presence and exaggerations entertaining the audience further” A. Sharadhaa of gave 3/5 stars and wrote “While labeled as a sequel, Upadhyaksha successfully maintains the essence of the original while carving its unique identity.” Shashiprasad of gave 3/5 stars and wrote “The biggest takeaway is the narration of the characters, which is a continuation of the original script. There is no exaggeration, excessive heroism or unwanted scenes that can easily put one off when making the shift as the lead actor.”</p>