Upendra is an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, playback singer, lyricist and politician who worked primarily in Kannada films. He has also worked in a few Telugu films. Upendra was known for his thematic representation of Indian politics and society in his films. In 2017, He joined the political party Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha, before quitting the party in 2018 due to internal differences and formed another party named Uttama Prajaakeeya Party (UPP), which was based on the principles of Prajakiya. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Angkor University in 2015.
Apthamitra is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language horror comedy film directed by P. Vasu and produced by Dwarakish. It stars Vishnuvardhan, Soundarya and Ramesh Arvind in the lead roles, while Prema, Dwarakish and Avinash appear in supporting roles. The film is a remake of Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu with some plot changes. The film was released on 27 August 2004 on Varalakshmi festival to positive reviews.
Prakash Raj is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, English, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi-language films, he is the recipient of several accolades, including five National Film Awards, eight Nandi Awards, eight Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards South, four SIIMA Awards, three CineMAA Awards, and three Vijay Awards. Apart from his mother tongue Kannada, Raj's fluency in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English, Tulu and Marathi has placed him among the most sought after actors in Indian cinema.
Jogi is a 2005 Indian Kannada-language action film written and directed by Prem. It stars Shiva Rajkumar, Jennifer Kotwal and Arundathi Nag. Jogi was released on 19 August 2005. Record box office collection was reported across Karnataka and the movie completed 100 days in more than 61 theaters. The film was noted for its technical prowess, colloquial Kannada dialogue and lyrics. Its story revolves around an old lady who comes to the city from her village in search of her presumably lost son. It was remade in Telugu as Yogi and in Tamil as Parattai Engira Azhagu Sundaram.
Gurukiran Shetty, known mononymously as Gurukiran, is an Indian music director of the Kannada film industry in India. He started his career as a music director of the Kannada movie A, directed and acted by Upendra. His music for his next movie Upendra further consolidated his position in Kannada movie industry. He is a native of Mangalore and hails from Bunt Family. His mother tongue is Tulu. He has also acted in several movies in supporting character roles and also sung several songs and also composed in Tamil, Telugu and Tulu movies.
Masti is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Shivamani and starring Upendra and Jennifer Kotwal. The film gathered some controversy for its title from fringe Kannada groups, who felt it was an insult to Masti Venkatesha Iyengar.
A is an 1998 Indian Kannada-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by Upendra. It stars Upendra in his acting debut and Chandini in the lead roles. The film revolves around a love story between a film director and an actress which is narrated through multiple flashbacks within flashbacks and reverse screenplay. It also explores about the dark truths like casting couch in the film industry. The soundtrack and background score were handled by Gurukiran in his debut film.
Super is a 2010 Indian Kannada-language political drama film written and directed by Upendra. The film was released on 3 December 2010 in its Kannada version, and on 11 March 2011 in its Telugu version, which had a few scenes reshot with Ali and Sadhu Kokila switching roles. This utopian film had a concept of a contrasting futuristic India set in the year 2030, and the contemporary image of India.
Godfather is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language action-drama film directed by cinematographer-turned-director Sethu Sriram starring Upendra in a triple role as a father and his two sons, alongside Soundarya Jayamala and Catherine Tresa.
Upendra is a 1999 Indian Kannada-language psychological drama thriller film written and directed by Upendra. It stars Upendra, Raveena Tandon, Prema and Damini. It is an allegorical film, which explores three human emotions through the relationship between the main character and the three heroines and touches upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The lyrics were written by Upendra and the music was composed by Gurukiran. The film developed a cult fanbase and is said that the director named it Upendra with the thought that the name includes the names of the main characters of the film.
Kalpana is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language comedy horror film starring Upendra, Saikumar and Lakshmi Rai in the lead roles. Film maker Rama Narayanan directed and produced this movie under his banner Sri Thenaandal Films. The film is a remake of the 2011 Tamil film Kanchana. Saikumar reprises the role of a transgender Kalpana, originally played by Sarath Kumar in the Tamil version. Shruti and Umashri play supporting roles originally played by Devadarshini and Kovai Sarala.
Kutumba is a 2003 Kannada-language action film starring Upendra and Natanya Singh. The film was directed by Naganna and produced by Shailendra Babu. Music for the film was scored by Gurukiran. It is the first among a series of successful films under Upendra — Naganna combination. The film also starred Ashok, Gurukiran, Advani Lakshmi Devi, Shwetha in supporting roles and B.C. Patil and Sathya Raj played the negative roles. The film is a remake of the 1991 Telugu film Gang Leader starring Chiranjeevi. The success of the film led to the release of two other successful films under Upendra — Naganna combination, namely Gokarna in 2003 and Gowramma in 2005.
Gokarna is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language action drama film starring Upendra and Rakshita. The film was directed by Naganna and produced by Upendra's brother Sudheendra Kumar under the banner Anegudda Vinayaka Productions. Music for the film was scored by Gurukiran. It is the second among a series of successful films with the Upendra–Naganna combination. The film also features Madhu Bangarappa, Tennis Krishna, S. Ramesh, Satyajith, Dr. Nagesh, and Indhudhar in supporting roles. The film is a remake of the 1992 Tamil film Annamalai, which was a remake of the 1987 Hindi film Khudgarz, which in turn was based on Jeffrey Archer's 1979 novel Kane and Abel.
Brahma is a 2014 Indian Kannada historical action drama film written and directed by R. Chandru, and produced by Manjunath Babu. The film was dubbed into Telugu. The film stars Upendra playing dual roles though both the roles never appear together onscreen. It also stars Pranitha Subhash and Sara Sharma, while actors Nassar, Rahul Dev, and Shayaji Shinde play other prominent roles. The film spanning four generations, from the 16th to the 21st century features an original soundtrack album by Gurukiran.
Rangan Style is a 2014 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Prashanth S starring Pradeep and Kanika Tiwari in the lead roles. This film also starring Sudeepa in an important guest role and also starring Rekha Das, Sadhu Kokila, Gurukiran, Sharath Lohitashwa, Tabla Nani and others. Film produced by Orange brothers under the banner Orange cinemas.
News is a 2005 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed and written by M. K. Maheshwar. The film stars Upendra along with Reemma Sen and Renuka Menon in the lead roles. The film was produced by Sri Vidya Pictures. Both Reema Sen and Renuka Menon made their Kannada debut through this film.
Uppi 2 is an 2015 Indian Kannada-language allegorical thriller film written and directed by Upendra, and produced by Priyanka Upendra. It is a sequel to the 1999 cult film Upendra. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Upendra, Kristina Akheeva, Parul Yadav, Sayaji Shinde, Shobaraj, Satyajit, Bank Janardhan, Vaijanath Biradar and Mimicry Dayanand. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Gurukiran.
V. Nagendra Prasad is a lyricist, composer and director who predominantly works for Kannada cinema. He has written more than 3000 songs, largely for Kannada cinema.
Josh, also known as Jhossh, is a 2009 Indian Kannada-language romance film directed and written by Shivamani. Produced by Sanjay Babu under SVP pictures, the film mainly stars debutants Rakesh Adiga, Shamna Kasim and Nithya Menen, whilst Akshay, Vishnu Prasanna, Dwarakish, Achyuth Kumar, Tulasi Shivamani and Sihi Kahi Chandru feature in supporting roles. The music is composed by Vardhan, making his debut.
Rajani is a 2009 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by Thriller Manju and produced by Ramu for his banner Ramu Enterprises. The movie is a remake of 2008 Telugu film Krishna (2008). The film features Upendra and Aarti Chabria in the lead roles. The film's score and soundtrack is composed by Hamsalekha.
