Upendra Rao (born 18 September 1967) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, producer and politician. He primarily acts in Kannada films, but has also worked in Telugu and Tamil films.
Upendra started his career as a writer and an assistant director. His first film as a director was “Tharle Naan Maga”, which was released in 1992. His first commercial success was “Om”, which was released in 1995. He then made a Telugu film titled Omkaram, in which he made his debut as an actor. The next film was the psychological thriller “Upendra” in 1999. After 10 years of acting, he returned to directing.
Upendra received an honorary doctorate from Ankara University in 2015. In 2017, he entered politics and joined the political party Karnataka Pragyavant Janata Paksha. Later in 2018, he formed a political party named Uttama Prajakiya Party.
| Attribute | Details |
| Born | 18 September 1967 |
| Other Name | Uppi |
| Years Active | 1989 – Present |
| Political | Uttama Prajakiya Party |
| Spouse | Priyanka Trivedi |
Early Life
Upendra was born on 18 September 1967 in Bengaluru. His father was Manjunath Rao and mother was Anusuya. Manjunath Rao was from Thekkatte, Koteshwara, Kundapur taluk, Udupi district of Karnataka, formerly Mysore state. He is the second son of his parents. His elder brother is Sudhindra Rao who is an army officer by profession. Upendra obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree from APS College of Commerce, a college in Bengaluru. While studying in college, he often joined dramas.
Film career
As a Director
Upendra not only directed films, but also composed songs, wrote dialogues and wrote screenplays for films. His first film as a director was “Tharle Naan Maga“, which was released in 1992. It was with this film that he started his journey as a director. In 1993, he directed a horror suspense thriller titled Shah!. The film “Om”, released in 1995, was his first commercially successful film.
Upendra directed an extended version of the film “Aadhar”, released in 1981. It broke box office records in a short time and became one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of its time. The movie was also released in Telugu and made a lot of profit. Upendra’s next film in 1998 was Swastik. It was an average box office hit. He directed his own film titled “Upendra” in 1999. After directing this film, he temporarily stopped directing and focused on acting. He acted for a long 10 years.
After 10 years, Upendra returned to acting as well as directing in 2010 with the movie Super. In 2015, he directed and acted in “Uppi 2”, an extended version of his 1999 film “Upendra”. The movie was released in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and the United States. On 3 June 2022, 7 years after Uppi 2, Upendra launched his next directorial venture, UI.
Acting Career
In 1998, he directed and acted in a movie named “Upendra”. This was his first film as an actor and his fifth film as a director. Due to his popularity in the Telugu industry, he got the opportunity to work in Telugu films and made his debut with the movie “Kanyadhanam” in 1998.
After that, he acted in the movies “Preethse” in 2000, “Super Star, Kutumba, Gokarna, Hollywood” in 2002, “Raktha Kanneeru” in 2003, “Gowramma” in 2005, “Aishwarya” in 2006, “Anatharu” in 2007, “Budhivanta” in 2008, “Kalpana” & “Godfather” in 2012, “S/O Satyamurthy” & “Uppi 2” in 2015, “I Love You” in 2019, “UI” in 2024.
His upcoming films include Buddhavantha 2. He will play an important role in the Rajinikanth-starrer “Coolie” in 2025.
Political Career
Apart from acting, Upendra has also made his name in politics. In 2017, he entered politics and joined the political party Karnataka Pragyawan Janata Paksha. Later in 2018, he formed a political party called Uttama Prajakiya Party. His party represents workers. Despite keeping himself away from contesting elections, he was a candidate for UPP in all the constituencies of Karnataka in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Craft and style
He has been praised as well as criticized for his diverse platform and screenplay. He expressed disappointment in a radio interview at being called a “non-religious director”. He has based every film he has acted in and directed on events that have connections to his real life.
Personal Life
Family
Upendra married actress and former Miss Kolkata Priyanka Trivedi on 14 December 2003. Priyanka Trivedi acted opposite Upendra in the Telugu movies “Raa” and “H2O”. Upendra now lives in Bengaluru with his family.
Endorsements
Upendra has endorsed several brands. Upendra has been the brand ambassador for United Breweries, Lunars Footwear, SK Super TMT, Royal Challengers Bangalore (replacing Puneeth Rajkumar in IPL 3), Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company, Imani Navaratna Brand, Karnataka Milk Federation (Nandini), Udayavani News Daily.
Awards :
- Udaya Film Awards in 1999, 2003, 2011 & 2013 for Best Male Actor
- 47th Filmfare Awards South in 2000 for best Director and Film
- Hello Gandhinagara Awards in 2004 for Best Actor And Dialogue
- Suvarna Film Awards in 2008 for Performance
- Suvarna Film Awards in 2011 for Favorite Director and Film
- Karnataka State Film Awards in 2012 for Best Director
- 1st SIIMA Awards in 2012
- 2nd SIIMA Award in 2014
- 5th SIIMA Awards in 2016
