Ustaad is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Phanideep and starring Sri Simha Koduri, Kavya Kalyanram, and Gautham Vasudev Menon. The music was composed by Akeeva B with cinematography by Pavan Kumar Pappula. The film was released on 12 August 2023 and received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.
Cast Sri Simha Koduri as Surya Sivakumar Kavya Kalyanram as Meghana Gautham Vasudev Menon as Joseph D'Souza Anu Hasan as Gayathri Ravindra Vijay as Alcoholic Mechanic Venkatesh Maha as Sivakumar, Surya's father (cameo appearance) Ravi Siva Teja as Surya's friend
The lead characters' names are based on the actors and characters from Surya S/o Krishnan (2008), whose director, Gautham Vasudev Menon, acts in this film.
Soundtrack The music was composed by Akeeva B.
Reception A critic from The Hindu wrote that "The drama loses steam after a point and the writing resorts to cinematic overtures and convenient coincidences in the final segment. Had this portion been conceived better, it would have been a befitting end to the coming-of-age story". A critic from OTTplay wrote that "Ustaad is a coming-of-age story depicting the transition of a directionless teenager to a pilot where a bike is a metaphor to portray his journey. The film struggles to keep you invested in the protagonist’s journey despite the impressive performances, visual detailing and technical finesse".
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