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Upendra Rao
Upendra Rao (born 18 September 1967) is an Indian actor, film director, screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, producer and politician who worked primarily in Kannada cinema. He has also worked in a few Telugu and Tamil 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 ''Prajākīya'' (citizen-centric administration). He received an Honorary Doctorate from Angkor University in 2015. He started his film career as a writer and an assistant director with actor and film director Kashinath. His first directorial venture was ''Tharle Nan Maga'' (1992). In the mid-1990s, Upendra directed '' Om'' (1995) which emerged as a blockbuster at the box office and became a cult classic film. He later made the film in Telugu as ''Omkaram.'' This was followed by '' A'', in which he debuted as an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Koteshwara
Koteshwara is a historic town located in the Kundapur taluk of Udupi district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is renowned for its religious significance, cultural heritage, and vibrant festivals. This place is known as one of the Seven Mukti Sthalas founded by Sage Parashurama. The other six are Udupi, Kollur, Subrahmanya, Kumbasi, Sankaranarayana and Gokarna). The town also has another historic name as Dhwajapura. Religious and Cultural Significance The town is home to the ancient Kotilingeshwara Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Legends say that a million wise people came to the place and did penance to Lord Shiva. The Lord showed up before each of them because he was so happy with how much they cared. So, the place became known as Kotee-Ishwara, which later changed to Koteshwara. Locals believe that the present temple was built by Pandavas, no doubt it looks ancient and one of the architectural wonders. But a few shila-shashana (stone-charters) in the area connects the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upendra (film)
''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 (U for Upendra, P for Prema, D for Damini, and Ra for Raveena). The film won Filmfare Award for Best Film (Kannada) and Filmfare Award for Best Director (Kannada). It was screened at the 30th International Film Festival of India in 1999 and the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Japan in 2001. A sequel titled '' Uppi 2'' was released in 2015. Plot Betala begins to narrate one of h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Godfather (2012 Film)
''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. The film is remake of the 2006 Tamil hit ''Varalaru'' that starred Ajith Kumar, Asin Thottumkal and Kanika Subramaniam in the lead roles. A. R. Rahman, who composed music for the original Tamil version, is the composer of the songs, with all songs except one being re-used from the original. Rajesh Ramanath composed the background score. The film was released on 27 July 2012 and opened to a large number of highly positive reviews from the critics. Upendra's performance of a Bharatha Natyam dancer and as an old man bound to his wheelchair was highly acclaimed by critics and is considered one of the best performances of his career. ''Godfather'' performed moderately well at the box office and was declared a "blockbuster". Plot Shivasagar, a cri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalpana (2012 Film)
''Kalpana'' is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language comedy horror film directed by Rama Narayanan and starring Upendra, Saikumar and Lakshmi Rai in the lead roles. The film is produced under the banner of Sri Thenandal Films and 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. The film was released across Karnataka on 28 September 2012 and opened to positive response from critics and audiences. The performances of Sai Kumar and Upendra have been critically acclaimed. The film did well at the box office and was a 'Super Hit' in Mysore, Northern Karnataka, Chitradurga, Bellary districts, while a 'Hit' in other parts of Karnataka. ''Kalpana'' was the Sixth Highest Grossing Kannada film of 2012. Upendra won the Udaya Film Award for Best Male Actor for his performance in the film. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Budhivanta
''Buddhivantha'' ( ''Genius'') is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Ramnath Rigvedhi. starring Upendra in the lead role, while Pooja Gandhi, Brinda Parekh, Saloni Aswani, Natanya Singh, and Suman Ranganathan play the female leads. The film is a remake of the 2007 Tamil film '' Naan Avanillai'', which was itself was a remake of 1974 Tamil movie '' Naan Avanillai'' which in turn was based on the 1962 Marathi play ''To Mee Navhech'' ( I Am Not Him) written by Pralhad K. Atre. The music was composed by Vijay Antony. The film was released on 26 September 2008. It was supposed to be released on Upendra's birthday, 18 September 2008, but because of the delay in censor certification, the date was postponed to 26 September 2008. It became the highest grossing Kannada film of 2008 and turned out to be a much bigger hit than the original ''Naan Avanillai''. It went on to complete over a 100-day theatrical run in the main centers of Karnataka. Plot The story begins with Panch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anatharu
''Anatharu'' () is a 2007 Indian Kannada action drama film directed by Sadhu Kokila. The film stars Upendra, Darshan, Radhika, and Sanghavi. It is a remake of the Tamil film '' Pithamagan''. Cast Soundtrack Soundtrack was composed by Sadhu Kokila. The song "Adada Ahankara" from the original film was retained here as "Jagave Rakshasara". * "Ello Hutti Ello Haridu" – Hariharan * "Janana Janana Idu" – Madhu Balakrishnan * "Jagave Rakshasara" – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam * "Yaaro Nee Nanna" – Mohammed Aslam * "Old songs Remix" – Various Reception A critic from ''The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...'' wrote that "Though the first half of the film fails to impress, the latter half is more comprehensible. But the overdose of blood-curdl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aishwarya (film)
''Aishwarya'' is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Indrajit Lankesh, starring Upendra, Deepika Padukone, in her film debut, and Daisy Bopanna. The film is an official remake of ''Manmadhudu'' (2002) with the flashback portion inspired by '' Ghajini'' (2005). The film featured Upendra as a rich advertisement executive and changed his mass image into a classy one. Plot Abhishek Hegde (Upendra) had first fallen in love with a young lady Anjali (Daisy Bopanna) who was a model. In the movie's flashback, as a struggling model, Anjali finds herself in a fortunate position where she is mistaken to be Abhishek's girlfriend and gets many new modelling offers. Abhishek tries to confront her on seeing the news about his affair with her, but falls in love with her instead. Anjali dies in an accident after the two declare their love and are hugging when Abhishek's car hits a lorry. As Anjali's family were not in favour of her decision of marrying Abhishek, he is i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gowramma
''Gowramma'' is a 2005 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film starring Upendra and Ramya in the lead roles. The film was directed by Naganna and produced by Shailendra Babu. The film is a remake of the Telugu film '' Nuvvu Naaku Nachav''. This is the third among a series of successful films under Upendra – Naganna combination. Cast Production In 2004, Upendra approached Shailendra Babu to remake the 2001 Telugu film '' Nuvvu Naaku Nachav''. Release and reception ''Gowramma'' received generally positive reviews from critics. '' Rediff.com'' praised Upendra's performance in the film and also stated that "Gowramma is an impressively enjoyable film, and a heavily recommended watch". The reviewer for ''Viggy.com'' praised the film and Upendra's performance, and stated that he looks different from his stereotype images in films such as '' A'' and ''Upendra''. S. N. Deepak of ''Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raktha Kanneeru
''Raktha Kanneeru'' () is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language Masala film directed by Sadhu Kokila, starring Upendra and Ramya Krishna. The film was produced by Munirathna and was later dubbed in Telugu. The screenplay and dialogues of the film were written by Upendra and the music was composed by Sadhu Kokila. Though a remake of the 1954 Tamil film ''Ratha Kanneer'', the director claimed that his film was based on a Kannada play which was later adapted in Tamil as a play and then subsequently into the 1954 film. However, the claim was found to be false since it was noticed that the play ''Kaalachakra'' penned by T. N. Balakrishna was actually based on the Tamil play ''Ratha Kaneeer'' - making it the oldest version of all. Upon release, the film was successful at the box office and was the highest grosser of the year. It was followed by a spiritual sequel titled '' Katari Veera Surasundarangi'' released in 2012. Plot Mohan is a rich guy who returns from abroad after completing h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hollywood (2002 Film)
''Hollywood'' is a 2002 Indian Kannada science fiction film written by Upendra and directed by Dinesh Babu. It stars Upendra in a triple role as Surendra, Upendra and US 47 (a robot) along with the Australian actress Felicity Mason as Manisha and Anant Nag. The film was shot entirely in Gold Coast, Australia with few supporting actors and a monkey named Lakshmi, voiced by Ramesh Bhat. The film was also dubbed into Telugu in 2003, retaining the same title. Upendra became the first Indian actor to portray the role of an android robot in a lead role. The same story of this film that a scientist who creates an android resembling himself to help him win over a girl. But, the android falls in love with the girl and tries to eliminate his creator. The film failed to perform commercially at the box office. The 2010 Tamil movie ''Enthiran'' was reported to be thematically similar to this movie. However, the Tamil film was announced in 1999 with stills featuring the lead pair and a Rob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gokarna (film)
''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''. Cast *Upendra as Sidda *Rakshita as Pooja *Madhu Bangarappa *Tennis Krishna * S. Ramesh * Satyajit *Dr. Nagesh *Indhudhar *Sitara Vaidya *Nagesh Production After the huge success of the previous project with the Upendra–Naganna combination '' Kutumba'', the producer of the film Shailendra Babu announced th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kutumba
''Kutumba'' ( Family) 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. Cast Soundtrack The soundtrack album was released in Hubli in April 2003 by Police Commissioner of the city, K. V. Gagandeep, and Mayor, Prakash Kyarakatti. The music was composed by Gurukiran. Reception A critic from ''Viggy'' wrote that "In a nutshell, is a mass entertainer with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |