Key points
- Film releases September 5, 2025, with zero spoken dialogue story told entirely through music, visual comedy, and physical performances by Sohum Shah, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Nora Fatehi.
- Director G. Ashok approached Rahman with complete creative freedom, no brief or story hints, allowing the maestro to compose based purely on imagination and emotions.
- Plot follows Kesari Lal Singh’s chaotic life when mistaken drug delivery and dead bodies turn his home into a crime scene while his wife suspects him of flirting.
- Rahman used frame-to-frame sync techniques combined with generic compositions, creating multiple musical styles to maintain audience engagement throughout.
Mumbai: AR Rahman’s dialogue-free dark comedy “Ufff Yeh Siyapaa” hits theaters September 5, 2025, representing a bold cinematic experiment where the Oscar-winning composer creates an entire film’s emotional narrative through music alone, calling it “every composer’s dream” project.
Rahman’s creative approach and challenges
Working on “Ufff Yeh Siyapaa” represented a unique creative challenge for AR Rahman, who revealed that director G. Ashok gave him complete artistic freedom without any story brief or musical direction. In an exclusive interview with IANS, Rahman explained: “So this movie came through Luv Ranjan sir, and then director Ashok told me the story. He had a lot of confidence, and he had a style of explaining everything – So, I gave him 3-4 ideas, recorded and also gave him a couple of songs”.
The composer described his methodology as combining “frame-to-frame sync” techniques with more generic musical approaches, creating “a combination of many kinds of styles and ideas and treatment together to keep engagement throughout the film”. Rahman emphasized that working on a dialogue-free film is “a composer’s dream to get a movie with only scores and no dialogues, so I grabbed it- ‘Let me do this'”.
Cast and plot details
The film stars Sohum Shah (known for “Tumhari Sulu” and “Tumbbad”) as Kesari Lal Singh, a meek everyman whose life spirals into chaos. Nushrratt Bharuccha plays his suspicious wife Pushpa, while Nora Fatehi portrays neighbor Kamini, and Omkar Kapoor appears as Inspector Hasmukh with his own hidden agenda.
The story unfolds as a “wordless comedy of errors” where Kesari’s wife leaves him, convinced he’s been flirting with their attractive neighbor—which he hasn’t. Before he can clear his name, a wrongly delivered drug parcel triggers a chain reaction of disasters, including dead bodies appearing in his home, transforming it into a full-blown crime scene.
Production and technical details
Produced by Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg under the Luv Films banner, “Ufff Yeh Siyapaa” is written and directed by G. Ashok, primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. The director’s background in dance choreography particularly helps in conveying stories through emotions and movement rather than dialogue.
The film’s cinematography is handled by Nuthan Nagaraj, with editing by Chetan M. Solanki, while the sound design comes from Sona Balam—crucial roles given the film’s reliance on visual and auditory storytelling. Distribution is being managed by PVR Inox Pictures, ensuring wide theatrical release.
Industry context and comparisons
The film draws natural comparisons to the 1987 Kannada classic “Pushpaka Vimana,” another successful dialogue-free Indian comedy. When asked about this parallel, Rahman acknowledged the similarity but emphasized his excitement about the creative opportunity such projects present.
Industry analysts view “Ufff Yeh Siyapaa” as one of the boldest experiments in contemporary Indian cinema, particularly within mainstream Bollywood. The film represents a rare attempt to break away from dialogue-heavy storytelling that dominates Indian films, instead relying on “expressive performances, visual gags, and the evocative score”.
Marketing and audience expectations
The film’s marketing campaign emphasizes its unique selling proposition with taglines like “0% dialogues. 100% chaos”. The recently released trailer showcases the chaotic, visually-driven humor while highlighting AR Rahman’s musical contribution as the primary narrative vehicle.
Critics and audiences are particularly curious about whether Rahman can deliver a memorable soundtrack after facing some criticism for his recent work. The film’s success could potentially open doors for more experimental storytelling in Indian cinema, while failure might reinforce industry conservatism toward dialogue-driven narratives.
Release strategy and expectations
“Ufff Yeh Siyapaa” is set for theatrical release on September 5, 2025, positioning itself as a unique offering in an otherwise crowded marketplace of action and romance films. The film’s experimental nature makes box office predictions challenging, but its star cast and Rahman’s involvement have generated significant buzz.
The movie represents a significant risk for Luv Films, known for more conventional commercial successes, but also demonstrates the production house’s willingness to support innovative content. Success could establish a new sub-genre within Indian comedy films, while also proving that audiences are ready for more experimental storytelling formats.
