In a free-wheeling interview with The New Indian Express, actor-turned-politician Upendra spoke on a range of issues -- from current politics, the change he is aiming to bring in without spending crores of rupees and the Kannada film industry. Excerpts:
Which role do you enjoy more — filmmaker, changemaker, or politician?
Until now, I enjoyed being a filmmaker. Now, I enjoy being a changemaker. Cinema is also a medium for change, and that’s what I tried to do through my films. Now I’m trying to bring that change through a political party. Eight years ago, I started a cashless political party called Uttama Prajaakeeya Party.
Tell us about Uttama Prajaakeeya Party and its ideology?
There are innovations in every field. We can easily connect with each other wherever we are. So I thought, why can’t we do the same in the political field? Politics right now is a business. Without investment, promotion and campaigning, you cannot win. Only the rich and privileged succeed. We have to break this. So I wanted to start a platform for the people. Politicians should be workers for the people. There must be a right to recall, and they should be accountable. People should be able to evaluate the ability of the politicians. I am using my social media platforms to reach out to people.
What has changed in the last eight years for the party?
People are showing interest now. They initially called me mad for not spending any money. We don’t have the funds, there are no karyakartas or regional operators. We don’t blame others. We find solutions. Social service should be done without the incentive of political interest.
Have people understood Prajaakeeya?
Understanding Prajaakeeya is understanding oneself. We blame others too easily. We vote for caste, religion, and many other reasons, forgetting real issues. When it comes to elections, we have to see how to bring in transparency and accountability. Manifestoes must be registered in courts.
Will Upendra become Chief Minister of Karnataka?
I started this party as a worker, not as a leader. I want people to vote for a party like Prajaakeeya. As voters, we must ask what are we voting for, not who. We should vote for ideology, not a person or a party. I don’t want people to vote for my name.
There is the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu. People expect change, what change can we expect from you?
Everyone is seeking change, but no one is aware of what change they want. They just want a different party or a different Chief Minister.
What are your views on the CJP protests?
Such protests are guided by emotion, I am asking for contemplation. Such emotion and frustration will not last.
How are you convincing people to join Prajaakeeya? Also tell us about your The Real Prajaakeeya app.
I have provided an SOP. If you look at Prajaakeeya’s app, you will know how we connect with people, gather and process demands, maintain transparency in getting approvals and working. Ordinary citizens can raise issues through the app. The app has an ‘Issues’ section where citizens can directly contact the local in-charge through phone calls, messages, WhatsApp, video calls or meeting in person. The app allows you to schedule meetings or receive updates, and to evaluate representatives based on their performance.
Is it possible to convince people only using social media?
Lakhs of people view social media and know what I am doing in detail, including in villages.
Will you and the party candidates be contesting the upcoming GBA elections?
Definitely. Using the app, the aspirants for various positions are connecting with people directly, and based on their consolidated evaluation, we will decide who will contest.
What is your opinion on the five Guarantee Schemes by the government?
If they are good, let them be. My guarantee is I will keep everything transparent; your demand is my manifesto. Democracy is not a spectator sport, it is a participatory sport.
When do you think the first success for Prajaakeeya will come?
It has already happened. Four years ago, we won Gram Panchayat elections in two villages — Arehalli and Sokke.
Is Prajaakeeya an ideological movement or a political party?
It is a political party. The problem is visibility. During elections, politics is dominated by money, publicity and giant cut-outs. In that environment, Prajaakeeya is difficult to notice. You won’t see us everywhere on the roads, but if you go to the polling booth and look carefully, we are there.
Are you an anarchist? You say you don’t need leaders.
Show me where the Constitution says we need leaders. It speaks only about public servants. We (people) made them into leaders. We don’t need leaders; we need representatives who work for the people. We pay their salaries. They should work according to the people’s wishes. I’m not trying to change the Constitution, I’m trying to change the system.
Have you ever been inspired by any leader?
Many leaders inspired me, but I realised very little has changed. The problems I saw during my college days still exist. If we keep believing politics has to function this way, nothing will improve. Parties may have crores in funding, but still people can make independent decisions. I started my life from zero, and it was knowledge and education, not money, that brought me here. If we change our thinking even a little, politics will improve. At least understand the idea and let it live on. So far, we’ve lived with the mentality of being ruled. We elect someone and leave everything to them for five years. We need a system that listens to people and acts on public opinion, not one that functions only after elections.
Do you think your ideology will help you win elections?
That depends on the voters. The bigger problem is that people want everything but aren’t willing to participate. If someone spends crores to win, won’t they try to recover that money after winning? They don’t contest for the salary. They recover their investment through the system. That is why corruption spreads throughout governance. Then people complain that the government doesn’t work.
How do you select candidates?
I don’t select them. Citizens meet potential candidates, interact with them and rate them. If hundreds of people rate someone highly, that becomes the basis for selection. We also have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to evaluate their work after elections.
What is your stand on religious and sensitive issues?
Religious issues must be kept at home. Such issues come up only during elections. Voters asking for hospitals, schools or good roads is valid. If anybody wants a temple, they will have to do it on their own.
Karnataka has a new Chief Minister. What do you expect from him for the public and the film field?
Let us wait and watch. He (DK Shivakumar) knows much better than us. We don’t have any expectations from him for the film field. We have to make good cinema.
How has the Kannada film industry changed over decades?
Change is constant. New thoughts keep coming into the industry. Movies like KGF, Kantara, Su from So have come. People with talent will keep coming. I will also try.
What are your next movie projects?
I am doing a film ‘Next Level’ in Kannada. I am also acting in a Tamil movie. Another script work in my direction is being done.
OTT is gaining a lot of traction, the number of people going to theatres is reducing. What is your take?
Many are doing AI movies, short movies. I cannot compare OTT to theatre. Whatever is happening is good. It is just the formats of movies that are getting changed. Formats like vertical movies, short movies, micro dramas, YouTube channels and reels have come.
OTT platforms do not feature Kannada films, despite they being popular...
You are not watching Kannada films, that is the simple answer. However, some media attains popularity at certain times, like K-dramas now. There are times where the Tamil industry or Hindi industry is popular; changes keep occurring.
How will the Kannada industry survive when it takes three to four years to make a big budget film?
Previously, it was easy to find stories, but it was difficult to make movies. There was a time when it used to take just 30 days to make a movie, and audiences were content with simple filmmaking, but that is not the case now. It takes six months to a year to find a story and with things like graphics, it takes a long time.
Will the lack of censorship of violence in movies impact children who watch them?
Kids can access anything with phones now. While cinema is a platform with wider reach that might require censorship, people will not enjoy it if there are many restrictions. In older movies, even minimal violence would be astonishing, but it has become normalised now.