My audience is my real award says superstar and filmmaker Upendra

Whether it is the selection of a script or delivering dialogues, Kannada film star Upendra really maintains a unique style. So much so that even his film titles aren’t easy to ignore. For example, the title of his film, Basavanna, created a furor in the Assembly and Council. The other example is the State Award for his film Super. Super had been selected as the best film by the State Film Awards selection committee, but the award list had to be withdrawn when a few producers approached the High Court. Therefore, his film ended up getting an award under something called a ‘special category’ and not as the best film. His latest film, Brahma, is also expected to create lot curiosity if not controversy if its budget of Rs 5crore can be an indication. In an interview with After Hrs, Upendra talks about his plans and controversies about his films.Tell us a little about Brahma?It is a historical romance film. The script is quite interesting. It is the favourite project of director R Chandru who is leaving no stone unturned to make it a big success at the box-office.You are not only an actor but a director as well. Did you find it difficult to shoot according to another filmmaker’s instructions? I am very aware that I am acting in the film and not directing it. So, I have to follow the director’s instructions. I had no problems while acting in Brahma. Chandru is a committed and dedicated director. I was very happy to work with him.Brahma was supposed to have released on your birthday (September 18) but it didn’t. What went wrong? According to our plan, the film was supposed to have released on my birthday but 20% of the film’s shooting is yet to be done. We are not in a hurry to release it because we don’t want to compromise on quality. It has many artistes such as Praneetha, Naser, Sonu Sood, Rahul Dev and Shayaji Shinde. It is a trilingual (Kannada, Tamil and Telugu). We are not shooting separately for Tamil and Telugu but dubbing the Kannada version. The director is planning to put up a huge set on a three-acre land near Nelamangala to shoot a war sequence. A large number of horses will be used for the shooting of that sequence.There was a controversy over the title of your film Basavanna. Do you have anything to say about it?The director of Basavanna had not consulted me while deciding its title. I know it has created a lot of controversy and many Lingayat leaders have protested against the title. The problem was with the designer who added a gun while designing the promotional advertisements for the film. Now, there is a rumour that its title will be Basavannanu Alla Brahmnanu Alla. But the film’s title is yet to be registered with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce.What is your opinion on the selection of Super for the State awards under special category?To be frank, I am not aware of it. I was told that a committee constituted by the state government selected Super as the best film. They told me the award list had to be withdrawn when a few producers approached the High Court. Now, I have been told that the selection committee, led by director Bhagawan, selected Super for an award under ‘special category’. I am not aware of any of these incidents. I give value to the cine-goer’s verdict at the box-office. I consider their support and encouragement as an award. I am of the opinion that producers, who approached the High Court, need to be compensated by the State Government by selecting their films under ‘disaster films’ category.Are you planning to direct anything soon?I want to complete all my current projects before taking up anything new. The film Uppi-2 will be made under my home banner. It will be a memorable film and will not disappoint my fans.