Upendra Rao is a famous Kannada filmmaker, screenwriter, actor and politician. He is considered one of the best directors in the Kannada film industry.
Wiki/Biography
Upendra Rao aka Upendra was born on Thursday, September 18, 1969 in Bangalore (age 53; as of 2022). He studied Bachelor of Commerce from APS Business School, Bangalore. While in college, he was actively involved in theater creations.
Photos of Upendra Rao during his NCC days
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Weight (approximately): 75kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Body Measurements (Approximately): Bust: 42″, Waist: 28″, Biceps: 15″
family
Upendra Rao belongs to the Tulu-speaking Koteshwara Magane Madhwa Brahmin community.
Parents and siblings
His father Manjunath Rao is a chef. His mother’s name is Anusuya. Upendra has an elder brother named Sudhindra Rao. Sushendra works in the Border Security Force. After serving for ten years, he left the army and helped Upendra in production and film-related work.
Upendra Rao with his parents and wife
wife and children
On December 14, 2003, Upendra Rao married actress Priyanka Trivedi. Priyanka won the title of Miss Kolkata in 1996. In 2007, they had a son named Aayush Upendra. In 2008, they gave birth to a daughter named Aishwarya Upendra.
Upendra and his wife Priyanka Upendra
Upendra and his children Ayush and Aishwarya
other relatives
South Indian actor-director Kashinath Hathwara is a distant relative of Upendra.
Upendra Rao and Kashinatha Hathwara
Profession
In his final year at Upendra University, he started his career as a writer and assistant director, working with the late actor and film director Kashinatha Hathwara.
director
The 1992 Kannada film “Tharle Nan Maga” was Upendra’s directorial debut.
Upendra Rao (far right) on the set of the film Tharle Nan Maga (1992)
Upendra directed the horror-suspense thriller “Shush!” in 1993 and 1998. He directed the Kannada films “Swasthik” and “A”. In 1999, Upendra directed the film “Upendra” of the same name.
actor
In 1989, Upendra made her acting debut with the comedy film Anantana Avantara. He made a cameo appearance as Lord Kamadeva in the film song “Come On Come On Kaamanna”.
Stills from Upendra Rao’s 1989 song “Come On Come On Kaamanna”
In 1999, Upendra played a misogynistic character named Nanu in the film Upendra.
Theatrical poster of Kannada movie ‘Upendra’
He made guest appearances in films he directed, such as “A” (1998), “Hush!” (1993) and Operation ANSA (1995). Apart from this, Upendra has also acted in films such as “Preethse” (2000), “Kutumba” (2002), “Raktha Kanneeru” (2003) and “I Love You” (2019). In 2006, Upendra worked in the Kannada film Aishwarya, Deepika Padukone’s debut film.
Upendra Rao and Deepika Padukone in the movie “Aishwarya” (2006)
politician
On March 6, 2018, Upendra broke away from the Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha (Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha), which he helped to found, due to a misunderstanding with D. Mahesh Gowda. He then formed another political party called Utama Prajakiya Party (UPP).
Uttama Prajakeeya party logo
Awards and Achievements
Udaya Film Awards
1999: Won the Best Actor Award for the movie “A”
2003: Best Actor in the movie “Nagarahavu”
2011: Best Screenplay for the Movie “Super”
2013: Won the Best Actor Award for the movie “Kalpana”
The 47th Southern Film Festival Awards
2000: Best Director and Best Picture “Upendra”
Hello Gandhi Nagara Award
2004: Best Dialogue and Best Actor for the movie “Raktha Kanneeru”
suvarna film award
2008: Special Award for Performance in the Movie “Anatharu”
2011: Most Popular Director Award for the movie “Super”
2011: Favorite movie: Super
The 1st SIIMA Award
2012: Special Appreciation Award for the movie “Shrimathi”
karnataka film awards
2012: Best Director and Best Picture for the movie “Super”
The 2nd SIIMA Awards
2013: The film “Katariveera Surasundarangi” won the Film Critics Award for Best Actor
The 5th SIIMA Awards
2016: Best Director for the movie “Uppi 2”
Facts/Trivia
- When Upendra was in school, he actively participated in debates, cultural activities, and composed plays.
- When Upendra was young, his family was very poor. They were unable to pay for the eye disease Upendra suffered from as a baby.
- Due to the poor conditions at home, Upendra and his brother once did some odd jobs, such as making paper covers from newspapers to supply to roadside fruit vendors, packing parcels, etc. to make money.
- While Upendra was in school, he participated in the children’s play Compounder Gunda, in which he screamed as part of his performance. After his performance was appreciated by the audience, he decided to become an actor.
- Upendra’s film Om (1995) went on to become a blockbuster and was later remade in multiple languages. In 1999, its Hindi version “Arjun Pandit” was released, starring Sunny Deol.
- Upendra is the brand ambassador of United Breweries and has endorsed many popular brands including Lunars Footwear, Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR), Emani Navaratna Brand and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education