Kannada actor Upendra is well-known to the Telugu audience, having acted in numerous Telugu films. His last film was S/o Satyamurthy, where he starred alongside Allu Arjun and was directed by Trivikram Srinivas. “Allu Arjun is my favourite actor and I am a big fan of him,” said Upendra. He also expressed his admiration for director Trivikram. The actor hasn’t appeared in any Telugu films since then due to his busy schedule. “There have been a few scripts that came my way, but I was busy with my Kannada films, so I couldn’t devote time to them,” said Upendra.
Now, his film UI is set to release on December 20. Upendra not only stars as the lead actor but also directed, provided the screenplay, and wrote the film. It’s a science fiction action film and Upendra is confident about its success. “In our education system, we were taught ‘A’ for apple and ‘B’ for bat and we memorised them. However, they didn’t provide additional information about ‘A’ or ‘B’, which limited our thinking capacity. If they had provided more information, our thinking would have been different. I wanted to convey a unique thought through my films,” said Upendra about his film UI. He added that the idea for this film aligns with his vision.
Upendra believes that the audience is the real star, and their thoughts surpass those of a filmmaker. “The audience is more connected to this film and they interact with it,” said Upendra.
Upendra’s films are known for offering something unique compared to other movies. “The audience accepts and encourages my films, which is why I’ve been able to come up with innovative subjects,” he said. He added that he spent a year completing the script and another year finalising the look and character design. “For this film, we also erected special sets, and art director Sivakumar created a surreal world for this film,” he said. He added that the sets appear strange at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the meaning behind them becomes clear. “But when you decode them later, you can understand the meaning behind them,” said Upendra.
The actor emphasised that he doesn’t intend to convey any messages through his films. “Cinema is an entertainment medium and the audience visits the theater for that purpose alone. We need to incorporate commercial elements like songs, fights and good music, and this film has all those ingredients. I neither give nor take any messages; I try to convey the same in this film,” said Upendra.
Upendra is currently working with Superstar Rajinikanth on the film Coolie. “It’s been a lifelong dream to work with Rajinikanth and it’s a wonderful experience for me,” said Upendra.
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