Upendra (born 18 September 1968; popularly also
called Uppi[) is an Indian actor, director,
producer, screenwriter, lyricist and singer. He stars primarily in Kannada films and is well known in Sandalwood and Tollywood.
He started his career under the directorKashinath as a writer and an assistant director. His
first directorial venture was Tharle Nan Maga.
In the
late 1990s he directed Om, which portrayed actual Bangalore gangsters, followed by A, which
was his debut film as an actor.Upendra, his next film, starred Raveena Tandon, a Bollywood actress. After a decade of acting in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films, he
returned to the role of director with the multilingual movie Super, which was well-received critically and
commercially.
Upendra
is known for his work in films like A (1998), Upendra (1999), Preethse (2000), Raa (2001), Kutumba (2003), Raktha Kanneeru (2003), Gokarna (2003), Gowramma (2005), Auto Shankar (2005), Aishwarya (2006), Anatharu (2007), Budhivanta(2008), Super (2010), Katari Veera
Surasundarangi (2012),
and Kalpana (2012). Upendra has thus established
himself as one of the most successful actors and directors of Kannada cinema. He is currently one of the highest paid
directors and actors in theKannada Film Industry
Career as a director
It was Upendra's ambition to become a
director, for which he first sought to assist director Kashinath. He started off as a director with a typical
Kashinath style comedy calledTharle Nan Maga in 1992. The film
introduced a famous comedian called Jaggesh. The movie went on to be a runaway hit and has since
achieved a cult following.
Upendra directed a horror suspense thriller
next called Shhh! in 1993. The film
featured his mentor Kashinath and a young producer and actor named Kumar Govind. The film was a major box office success and
Upendra came out as an independent director. Shhh! is considered as one of
the best horror / thriller movies in Kannada Cinema.
His next film was a gangster film called Om which was released in 1995. The film
starred Shivrajkumar and also had real gangsters in its cast,
and had a message of peace. Om became a blockbuster, and went on to be one of
the highest grossing Kannada films of its time and made news at National Level.
Upendra became an overnight star director. With Om, Upendra also introduced an
actress from Coorg, Prema. Om was also remade into several languages – the
Hindi version was called Arjun Pandit and had Sunny Deol essaying
Shivrajkumar's role.
Upendra then turned towards a project of
directing an extended version of the 1981 film Antha and he called it Operation Antha. The film had Ambareesh reprising his role from the earlier 1981
version Antha, as Kanwar Lal. The film contained
revolutionary ideology and a strong feeling against corruption, where the
protagonist is obsessed by the corrupt world and finds a way to change the
system through extremist way. The film was much ahead of its time and hence was
not very successful. However, it was controversial for its
taunts on some real life political figures.
In 1998 Upendra directed A,
through which he made a successful transition to acting. A was again a revolutionary
film about exploring deeper meanings of love. The film had outrageous posters,
even more outrageous dialogues, and a controversial storyline. The plot was of
a director falling in love with his lead actress while filming, and then
becoming dejected as she leaves him when she becomes successful. The film also
dealt with dark truths of the film world, like the casting couch. Rumors were
thick that it was Upendra's own story, and the actress in the film portrayed
his protege Prema. This only added to the popularity
of the film and it broke many box office records upon release and went on to
become one of the highest grossing Kannada films of its time. The film had a 175 days
run in Karnataka was also dubbed to Telugu, and repeated its success in Andhra Pradesh too, where it had a 100 days run. The film won accolades
from Bollywood personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor. Upendra was now a big name inKannada cinema and was also popular in Andhra Pradesh.
Upendra's next movie was Swasthik with lead Raghavendra Rajkumar which was released in
1998. The film was not a big success, but was still a hit with the critics. However, it is still
remembered for its smart narration and innovative screenplay and is considered
to be one of the best works of Upendra with respect to screenplay.
In 1999, Upendra made a self-titled film, Upendra, a psychological thriller that explored the nuances
of ego. Upendra acted in this film as the unnamed protagonist (or antagonist)Naanu (I or Myself). The film
starred three heroines, Damini, Prema, and Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon. Naanu was an arrogant
character, bordered on misogyny, and was very insulting to women, which led to
a lot of criticism on the film. However, the film broke many box office
records and went on to be a much bigger hit than A,
both in Karnataka as well as in Andhra Pradesh. The film had a 200 days
run in Karnataka and its Telugu version had a 100 days run
in Andhra Pradesh. Upendra was now not only a remarkably successful director,
but also a big star with a large fan base in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Since then, Upendra gave up direction and
concentrated more on his acting career.
Upendra came back as a director after a
hiatus of 10 years in 2010 with the movie Super. The movie was released
in a record number of theatres all over Karnataka and was also dubbed into Telugu and released in Andhra Pradesh. The Utopian film, set in a futuristic India,
tells the story of a NRI who, through political
manipulations, helps India become a superpower in 2030. Super was a blockbuster, breaking
many box office records upon release and completing 175 days of run, becoming
one of the highest grossingKannada films of 2010 and was also
critically acclaimed.
In 2011, Tamil actor Rajinikanth attended a private screening of Super in Bangalore. Rajinikanth watched the film along with Upendra and
a couple of friends. "Upendra is a great actor and director. There is
hardly anyone in Indian Cinema, who would think like him. Only he can think
like that. I like watching Upendra's films and this was no exception. If I get
an opportunity and an impressive script, I'd like to act in an Upendra film in
the future," said Rajini.
In January 2012, Upendra announced that he
is working on the script for his next directorial titled Upendra 2 (stylized as Uppi2), a sequel to his 1999
film Upendra. Upendra 2 will be directed and
produced by Upendra under his home banner, Upendra Productions. The first
posters of Upendra 2 were released on the
Internet on 16 September 2012. The posters featured a huge rectangle, with
no clear name inside it, but with a heap of mathematical formulae – be it
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, analytical geometry, calculus and so on – and
had a byline – "directed by Upendra".Uppi2 was launched by Upendra
on 18'th September 2013 at Kanteerava Studios in Bangalore, amongst thousands
of fans gathered to witness the launch. Lathi Charge from the police to control
the crowd of fans gathered at the venue was reported. The Songs Recording for Uppi2 started on 30'th March 2014
at Gurukiran Studio in Bangalore. Upendra is rumored to
have approached bollywood actress Vidya Balan to play the female lead in Uppi2. However, Upendra is yet
to officially announce the star cast of the film and will start shooting by May
2014.
Career as
an actor
After
acting in small roles in his mentor Kashinath's
films such as Anathana
Avanthara and Ajagajanthara, Upendra started
his acting career with a bunch of walk on roles notably in his directorial
films such as Tharle Nan Maga, Shhh! and Operation Antha.
1998–2005
In 1998
Upendra directed and starred in A,
which was his fifth film as a director but his first as an actor. Upon release,
the film had a 175 days run and
became a trend setting blockbuster in Karnataka, with its Telugu dubbed version also
becoming a Super Hit by running for 100 days in Andhra Pradesh.
Due to Upendra's newly found popularity in Telugu, ace Telugu director E. V. V. Satyanarayana cast him in the 1998 Telugu film Kanyadanam alongside Srikanth and Rachana,
which also became a commercial success.In 1999 Upendra again directed and
starred in his self-titled film Upendra which starred bollywood actress Raveena Tandon.
The film went on to become a bigger hit than A,
both in Karnataka as well as in Andhra Pradesh.The film had a 200 days run in
Karnataka and 100 days run in
Andhra Pradesh. In 2000, Upendra
starred opposite Bollywoodactress Sonali Bendre in the psychological thriller Preethse which was a remake of bollywood film Darr. Preethse became Upendra's third consecutive
blockbuster by completing 175
days of run. With three back to
back silver jubilee hits, Upendra had attained Super Star status in the Kannada Film
Industry with
popularity in Telugu as well In 2001 Upendra wrote and
starred in a Telugu film titled Raa which became a box office hit in Andhra Pradesh. Raa was a typical Upendra style film in
which he plays a womanising playboy. Upendra starred opposite his future wife Priyanka Trivedi for the first time in this film.
In
2002, Upendra hit a rough patch, with his most expected films such as H2O, Super Star and Hollywood not
meeting expectations and having average run at the box office and
films like Nagarahavu and Naanu Naane flopping at the box office.
However,
Upendra made a strong comeback in the next three years, i.e. from 2003 to 2005
which is considered his most successful period. During these three years, he
starred in 5 back to back 100 days films, such as Kutumba, Raktha Kanneeru, Gokarna, Gowramma and Auto Shankar, all of which were Super hits
at the box office The only films of
Upendra which didn't do well during this period were Omkara (which
had a 50 days run with huge opening) and News.
During
the span of 1998 to 2005, Upendra was considered as the most successful actor,
much ahead of his contemporaries like Puneeth Rajkumar, Darshan, Sudeep andShivrajkumar,
having starred in eight 100 days hits in eight years, such as A, Upendra, Preethse, Kutumba, Raktha Kanneeru, Gokarna, Gowramma and Auto Shankar.
2006–2009
Upendra
went through a bad phase during 2006 to 2009, with most of his films during
this period going totally unnoticed at the box office such as Uppi Dada M.B.B.S., Tandege Takka Maga, Parodi, Masti, Toss (Telugu), Lava Kusha, Sathyam (Tamil), Dubai Babu and Rajini.
The
only commercial hits he gave during this period were the candy floss romantic
comedy Aishwarya,
which ran for 75 days (which
was also the debut film of bollywood actressDeepika Padukone),
and the moderately successful Anatharu which ran for 70 days. Upendra also received praise and critical
acclaim for his performance in Anatharu.
Budhivanta which was Upendra's only release in 2008,
was considered as his big comeback through which he rose back to Super Stardom.
The film was declared as a blockbuster and completed 100 days of run becoming the top box office grosser of
the year.Budhivanta was a typical old school Uppi style
film in which Uppi played a womanizing con-man, (somewhat similar to his 2001
Telugu hit Raa)
and his seven get-ups in the film were highly appreciated as were his witty
dialogues. Budhivanta's
Telugu dubbed version was also a hit, completing 50 days of run in Andhra Pradesh.
2010–Present
2010
marked Upendra's comeback to direction after 10 years. After several ups and
downs in his acting career, Upendra finally came back as a director after 10
years in 2010 with the movie Super in which he starred opposite Tamil
actress Nayantara and Tulip Joshi.
The movie was released in a record number of theatres all over Karnataka and was also dubbed into Telugu and released in Andhra Pradesh. Super was a blockbuster, breaking many box office records upon
release and completing 175 days of run, becoming one of the highest grossing Kannada films of 2010 and was also critically
acclaimed.
Upendra
then starred in several films like Shrimathi (2011) opposite his wife Priyanka Trivedi and bollywood actress Celina Jaitly,
and Aarakshaka (2012). In 2012, Upendra starred in
several commercially successful films like 3D fantasy film Katari Veera Surasundarangi which was declared a Super hit[38] and became the second highest grossing film
of the year, followed by Godfather which
did above average business[ and the horror comedy film Kalpana which
also did reasonably well at the box office.
Upendra's
much anticipated films like Topiwala (2013) and Brahma (2014)
haven't been able to meet with expectations at the box office.
Upcoming films
Upendra
is working with Dandupalya director Sreenivasa Raju in an action
film titled Basavanna,
which evoked controversies regarding its title and first look poster. After facing oppositions from
religious communities, the makers of the film have reportedly decided to shoot
the film without a title and the film is currently in post production. Upendra is also starring in the remake
of Telugu film Kick,
titled Supero Ranga, which
stars actress Kriti Kharbanda opposite Upendra. After the completion of these films,
Upendra will direct and star in his most ambitious project, Uppi2 which was launched on 18'th September
2013 The Songs Recording for Uppi2 started on 30'th March 2014 at
Gurukiran Studio in Bangalore. Upendra
is rumored to have approached bollywood actress Vidya Balan to play the female lead in Uppi2. However, Upendra is yet to officially
announce the star cast of the film and will start shooting by May 2014.
Endorsements
Upendra
has done the highest number of Brand Endorsements among Kannada Actors.Upendra
has been the brand ambassador of United Breweries, Lunars Footwear,Emani Navaratna Brand, Karnataka Milk Federation (Nandini), Udayavani News
Daily, Royal Challengers Bangalore (replaced by Puneeth Rajkumar in IPL 3), Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company. Upendra is also joining hands with Rajinikanth to endorse BBMP campaign.
Upendra
has been the Brand Ambassador of United Breweries Group since 1999. His tag line Yella OK. Cool drink yaake? has long been part of the ad campaign.Commenting
on his long standing association with the brand, Upendra added "UB Export
was successful in bringing out the quirky side of me in one of my most popular
punch lines ever, Yella ok.
Cool drink Yaake? It's been
almost 10 years since the ad broke out but the fad of Yaake? still seems to linger. Fans even now
refer to it whenever I meet them on occasions.
Personal life
Upendra
was born in Koteshwara near Kundapura,
Udupi district of Karnataka. On 14 December 2003, Uppi married former Miss
Kolkata Priyanka Trivedi who met him first on the sets of the Telugu movie Raa and then on the sets of H2O. Upendra and his family reside in
Banashankari III Stage in Bangalore.
UPENDRA Filmography
As director
| Year | Film | Lead Actor(s) | Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Tharle Nan Maga | Jaggesh | Appears as narrator, writer, lyricist, Debut film as director | |
| 1993 | Shhh! | Kumar Govind | Cameo appearance, writer, lyricist | |
| 1995 | Om | Shivaraj Kumar | Filmfare Award for Best Director Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director | Voice-over, writer |
| 1995 | Operation Antha | Ambareesh | Cameo appearance, writer, lyricist | |
| 1998 | A | Himself | Udaya Film Award for Best Male Actor | Writer, lyricist |
| 1999 | Swasthik | Raghavendra Rajkumar | Writer, lyricist | |
| 1999 | Upendra | Himself | Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada (1999) Filmfare Award for Best Film (Kannada) | Writer, lyricist |
| 2010 | Super | Himself | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Film Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director Udaya Film Award for Best Screenplay Suvarna Film Awards 2011 – Favorite Film Award Suvarna Film Awards 2011 – Favorite Director Award.[50] | Writer, lyricist |
| 2014 | Uppi2 | Himself | Pre-production |
As actor
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Anathana Avanthara | Kannada | Cameo appearance (Lord Kamadeva in a song) | |
| 1991 | Ajagajanthara | Kannada | Cameo appearance | |
| 1993 | Shhh! | Kannada | Cameo appearance | |
| 1995 | Operation Antha | Kannada | Cameo Appearance | |
| 1998 | A | Surya | Kannada | |
| 1998 | Kanyadanam | Telugu | Debut movie in Telugu, a box office success.[51] | |
| 1999 | Upendra | Naanu | Kannada | Highest Grossing film of 1999[52] The film starred Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon. |
| 2000 | Preethse | Chandru | Kannada | Highest Grossing film of 2000[53] The film starred the Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre. Remake of Darr. |
| 2000 | Oke Maata | Sooryam | Telugu | |
| 2001 | Raa | Sridhar | Telugu | |
| 2002 | H2O | Udayashankar | Kannada, Tamil | |
| 2002 | Neethone Vuntanu | Ravi | Telugu | |
| 2002 | Super Star | Praveen, Deependra | Kannada | |
| 2002 | Nagarahavu | Ajay | Kannada | Remake of Baazigar |
| 2002 | Naanu Naane | Raja | Kannada | Remake of Hindi film Raja Hindustani |
| 2002 | Hollywood | Upendra, Surendra, Robot US47 | Kannada | |
| 2003 | Kutumba | Vijay | Kannada | Remake of Telugu film Gang Leader |
| 2003 | Rakta Kanneeru | Mohan | Kannada | Remake of Tamil film Ratha Kanneer |
| 2003 | Gokarna | Sidda | Kannada | Remake of Annamalai |
| 2004 | Omkara | Sathya | Kannada | |
| 2005 | Gowramma | Venkat Swamy | Kannada | Remake of Nuvvu Naaku Nachav |
| 2005 | News | Guru | Kannada | |
| 2005 | Auto Shankar | Shankar | Kannada | |
| 2006 | Uppi Dada M.B.B.S. | Rao Bahaddur Upendra | Kannada | Remake of Munna Bhai M.B.B.S |
| 2006 | Thandege Thakka Maga | Kannada | Remake of Thevar Magan | |
| 2006 | Aishwarya | Abhishek Hegde | Kannada | Remake of Manmadhudu Debut film of the Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone |
| 2007 | Parodi | Vijay | Kannada | Remake of Krantiveer |
| 2007 | Masti | Siddappaji | Kannada | |
| 2007 | Toss | Neelakanta | Telugu | |
| 2007 | Anatharu | Rudra | Kannada | Remake of Pithamagan |
| 2007 | Lava Kusha | Chakri | Kannada | |
| 2008 | Sathyam | Manickvel | Tamil | |
| 2008 | Budhivanta | Joseph Fernandez, Panchamrutha, Zakir Hussain, Vijay Mithal, Samarasimha Reddy, Sri Sri Sri Bhagavan Ranjaneesh Swamy, Shyam Prasad | Kannada | Highest Grossing film of 2008,[54] released as Buddhimanthudu in Telugu. Remake ofNaan Avan Illai. |
| 2008 | Mast Maja Maadi | Himself | Kannada | Special Appearance |
| 2009 | Dubai Babu | Babu | Kannada | Remake of Dubai Seenu |
| 2009 | Rajani | Rajani | Kannada | Remake of Krishna |
| 2010 | Super | Subhash Chandra Gandhi | Kannada | |
| 2011 | Shrimathi | Raj Kumar | Kannada | Remake of Aitraaz |
| 2012 | Aarakshaka | Arun, Vishnu | Kannada | |
| 2012 | Katari Veera Surasundarangi | Upendra, Mohan | Kannada | One of the Highest grossing Kannada films of 2012,[55] First full length 3D film in Kannada cinema. SIIMA Award for Best Actor (Critics) |
| 2012 | Godfather | Shiva, Ajay, Vijay | Kannada | Remake of Varalaru[56] Music for the film was composed by A. R. Rahman[57] Nominated Bangalore Times Film Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role |
| 2012 | Kalpana | Raghava | Kannada | Remake of Kanchana Udaya Award for Best Actor |
| 2013 | Topiwala | Basak | Kannada | |
| 2014 | Brahma | Brahma | Kannada / Telugu | |
| 2014 | Basavanna | Kannada | Post Production | |
| 2014 | Super Ranga | Kannada | Post-production Remake of Kick | |
| 2014 | Uppi2 | Kannada | Pre-production[23] |
As writer
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Raa | Screenplay |
| 2002 | H2O | Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Lyrics |
| 2002 | Super Star | Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Lyrics |
| 2002 | Hollywood | Story, Lyrics |
| 2003 | Rakta Kanneeru | Screenplay, Dialogue, Lyrics |
| 2008 | Budhivanta | Screenplay, Dialogue, Lyrics |
| 2013 | Topiwala | Story, Screenplay, Lyrics |
| 2014 | Uppi 2 | Story, Screenplay, Lyrics, Dialogue |
As singer
| Year | Film | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Upendra | Uppiganta ruchi bere illa |
| 2002 | H2O | Bida Byada Dil Ilde Love |
| 2002 | Nagarahavu | Yaaking Aadthiye |
| 2003 | Rakta Kanneeru | Baa Baaro Rasika |
| 2004 | Omkara | Othla othla |
| 2006 | Uppi Dada M.B.B.S. | Makkar maado maliniye |
| 2006 | Aishwarya | Yella OK madhuve yaake |
| 2007 | Parodi | Rowdy mele rowdy parodi |
| 2008 | Budhivanta | Chitranna |
| 2010 | Super | Sikkapatte Ishtapatte |
| 2011 | Jogayya | Thagalakonde |
| 2011 | Jarasandha | Pade Pade Phone-inalli |
| 2012 | Katari Veera Surasundarangi | Muthinantha Muthondhu |
| 2013 | Brindavana | Oye Kalla |
| 2014 | Super Ranga | Ondsali avala hinde hogide |
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