EXCLUSIVE: Kabzaa star Upendra to direct Rajinikanth? Actor REVEALS
Recently, during an exclusive interview for the promotion of Kabzaa, Upendra said, "to work with Rajini sir, it is like a dream."
In 2010, Upendra's idol and superstar Rajinikanth was thrilled and personally asked the producer to hold a screening of the Kannada film, Super. After watching Upendra's directorial film Super, Rajinikanth had said if he ever gets an opportunity and an impressive script, he’d like to do a Kannada film in the future under his direction. Recently, during an exclusive interview for the promotion of Kabzaa, Upendra reacted to the same saying, "everybody in this industry wants to work with Rajini sir, it is like a dream."
"The statement itself is enough for me," he added. When further asked if he had any thoughts of making something after Rajinikanth expressed his wish to work with him, Upendra replied, "nowadays I hardly direct films, like once in 5 years because am busy with my acting career. I should get some weird ideas, otherwise, I don't get that zeal to direct. I'm not doing one film called UI and is almost in the finishing stage."
For the unversed, on 3 June 2022, 7 years after Uppi 2, Upendra launched his next directorial, UI. Also, not many know, but in IMDb's list of 'Best 50 Directors of the World', Upendra holds the 17th position.
Watch Upendra Rao's exclusive interview for Kabzaa
About his Off-screen dynamic with Kiccha Sudeep
"We know each other for the past 25 years and there was a point when he wanted to assist me. He approached me to join as assistant director but I said 'you are so good looking why you want to become a director?' I said you should go and act and he took it so seriously that he started acting. He is a great performer. Later, our films used to release together and only at that time we had competition. But now after years, with so many hits and flops, there's a different bond between us. We respect each other," said Upendra about Kiccha Sudeep who plays the role of Bhargava Bakshi alongside him in Kabzaa, an intriguing, dark gangster drama set in pre-Independence India.
Kabzaa was released on March 17, 2023.