Known for his innovative ways of promoting his films, Upendra is pushing the envelope with Uppi 2, or rather his fans are. It seems that Upendra does not have to break his head or hire creative geniuses to come up with out-of-the-box ideas. His loyal fans are doing the job for him.
While Upendra created a stylish audio invite with an eye-catching advertisement saying, ‘Uppi 2 - Neenu Unknown, audio out on 17-07-2015’, he has allowed his fans to fill in the blanks.
And thousands of eager fans are obliging willingly. They are a creative bunch who seem to invest all their energy into visualising surreal art for their idol. The designs they have emerged with are zany, quirky and whimsical and artist Vijaysuryaa is amongst the most gifted of Upendra’s fans.
He has designed great creative ideas for Uppi 2 and posted them on social media. Producer Soundarya Jagadish saw his designs and referred him to Upendra who took him on as an associate director. He is now also the officially designing the posters for Upendra’s film.
He says, “Initially, I did the designs for Uppi 2 for my own satisfaction, which I uploaded on Facebook and I got a lot of good comments. So I continued. Soundarya Jagadish took note and recommended me to Upendra.”
Vijaysuryaa plans to create many more designs till the release date and Upendra is also getting involved in all the creative work. As an associate director for Uppi 2, he says, “Before joining Uppi 2, I worked as an associate director in couple of films like Muddu Manase and Shakti. In my opinion, every newcomer who wants to be part of the film industry as a director should at least work once with Upendra. He is a man who only thinks of films and for me he is more like a guru, brother and a friend.” According to him, his creativity comes alive the moment he sees Upendra.
Another fan is 21-year-old Vinay from Magadi who has rechristened his name as Vinay Upendra. He has been silently creating designs of Uppi 2. “My creativity is based on the film’s concept. Since I follow Upendra every day, I look out for the newly leaked stills of Uppi 2 and accordingly create my designs. I have met Upendra personally and even showed him my designs,” he says.
Vinay himself runs over eight fan clubs and he is gearing up for Uppi 2 in his own way. “While officially, the audio is releasing on July 17, we are also planning our own audio release on the same day here. Along with us, fans in 15 districts are having an audio function,” he reveals. Though the makers haven’t revealed this officially, it is said that the audio rights have been purchased by Junglee music.
Priyanka Upendra, who is looking into the production and is also part of the film says, “Since the time Uppi 2 went on floors last year, there have been many fans who have created their own posters, dubsmash videos and teasers. Technology has helped them to get even closer to the hero and they also tell us about their expectations from the film. I even shared some of the best creatives designed by his fans on social media. Hopefully some of the best ones will be used during the promotions,” she says.