Having realised that irony is also applauded, Upendra, the ever-experimental actor who never shies away from bold scripts and has enough courage to tread the unconventional path, is all set to scare and make people laugh at the same time with the sequel to the hit Kalpana, a remake of the 2011 Tamil film Kanchana.
As Kalpana 2, hits the theatres this week, the actor reveals that he finds the genre entertaining when handled proficiently. Kalpana 2 is also a horror comedy and that’s where the entertainment comes in. In fact, when I watched Evil Dead along with my friends, we laughed throughout the film,” he notes.
However, as always, he has has got skin-deep into the character, whether it is the makeup, costumes or how the role has been dealt. “When I agree to do a film, I stick to the character, but in detail. Since I am a director too, I can easily relate and respect another director’s work,” he says and adds that it was because the director felt he would fit the bill that he decided to take up the first film. “Director Ram Narayanan had complete faith in me. Even I never expected the film to do so well. In the same way, I got associated with Kalpana 2 under Ananth Raju’s direction,” he says.
Uppi’s next Mukunda Murari and Uppi Matte Hutti Ba — Inti Prema are also inspired from other languages and his candidness is evident when he mentions that he has to earn to bring in money for his production house. “Personally, when I direct or bring out a project under my own banner, I don’t like doing remakes. But, that doesn’t mean I should be idle till I find a suitable subject. Since I take time writing a script, I do work with other directors and try to multitask between my work and acting,” he says.
Upendra admits that original scripts and characters which suit him are becoming difficult to come by. “Though we are seeing good films in Kannada, not all the subjects match me. Not that I am looking for an image, but I should be a little satisfied with the subject. In the whole confusion of makers thinking of ways to portray me, the film gets dropped. So original subjects are becoming rare for me. Even I don’t rush with my own direction and that’s why I take time,” says
Uppi adding that he is ready to produce other actors provided the films with subject inspires him.
Meanwhile, Upendra is working on a few scripts and is getting ready to wear his directorial cap again. “I will make the announcement as soon as I lock the script,” he says.