A three-day exhibition of gadgets and gizmos was inaugurated by superstar Upendra and his wife Priyanka on Friday.
Called Express Gadgets ‘15, the show displays new products at the Express Building.
Hundreds of fans thronged Upendra, leading actor and director of the Kannada film industry, and Priyanka, his actress wife, even as they checked out the offerings at Express Gadgets.
Impressed by the new products, Upendra also spoke about an app developed for his upcoming film Uppi-2.
“I am happy to see the anticipation for Uppi-2 and hope the movie lives up to my fans’ expectation,” he said.
Executives from HP, Vivo, Blackberry and other companies, which have put up stalls in association with their local distributors, said the response on the first day had been good. Upendra had added to the success of the inaugural event, they said.
Rekha, a visitor, said, “The best thing is that we can interact one-on-one with company executives. I am excited about the discounts and look forward to buying a mobile for my husband.”
The companies were happy with the response on the first day of the three-day show, and look forward to bigger crowds on Saturday and Sunday. They expect about 30 per cent of inquiries to translate into sales.
Phone best gift for Uppi
Upendra is fascinated by gadgets. In fact, he switches phones every couple of months, according to his wife Priyanka.
Every time she wants to gift him something, she buys him a phone. So which phone is likely to be the next gift? “Well, I’m trying to get him to look at me more,” she jokes. “Laptops and other gadgets he mainly uses for work.”
And what about her? “Since I’m not as gadget-crazy as he is, I get his old phones when he gets a new one,” she says. Currently, she’s using a Samsung S6, a hand-me-down too.
As for the apps on their phones, they have Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. “I also love Instagram and Picsart,” Priyanka says. And since she enjoys taking selfies, Dubsmash, an app that helps you create short selfie-videos, is something she uses often.
Their children, however, love the games made for mobiles and tabs. “Especially Minecraft. And they edit their own short films using the MakeMyMovie app, available on iTunes,” she adds.
Ask Upendra on how personal tech has changed the world of films, he says, “This is now the main means of promotion.”
And does it help him reach out to his fans? “Of course. But let me put it the other way around. It lets them reach out to me and helps us connect. Technology has brought back the satyayuga (age of truth),” he says.
Uppi 2 app launched
Uppi 2, Upendra’s ambitious project has got another promotional platform prior to its release with the launch of an exclusive app during the inauguration of Express Gadgets 2015, a unique exhibition of the latest smartphones, TVs, video games, headsets, and more, on Friday. The app, created by The New Indian Express, will operate on the Android platform and will be available for free download from Google Play. It has been packaged with exclusive Uppi 2 previews including trailers, wallpapers, posters, and songs. It also has a social wall for fans to interact apart from a link to the Uppi 2 Facebook page and links to news items on Upendra’s latest film.