Happy Birthday Upendra: When the Kannada star beat Shah Rukh Khan to romance Deepika Padukone

Upendra is currently busy with a handful of projects including Home Minister, Uppi Rupee and I Love You.

On Upendra’s birthday, here are some interesting facts about the popular south Indian actor.

1) Upendra made his debut as a director in Kannada with Tharle Nan Maga in 1992. The film that introduced actor Jaggesh to the film industry, became a hit and even achieved a cult following among Kannada fans.

2) Upendra made national headlines in the 1990s when he cast real-life gangsters in his cult film Om, starring Shivarajkumar in the lead role. The crime drama with a love story at its heart still continues to draw crowds to theatres in Karnataka. After first releasing in 1995, it has been re-released over 500 times as of 2015.

3) Upendra made his debut as a lead actor with A in 1998. The film was a big hit at the box office but sparked controversies due to its anti-woman remarks. The film was dubbed into Telugu and was a big hit with the Tollywood audience too.

4) Upendra’s films enjoy popularity among the Telugu movie goers. In 2001, he wrote and acted in Telugu film Raa that also became a box office hit.

5) Upendra met his future wife Priyanka Trivedi on the sets of Raa. After years of courtship, Upendra married the former Miss Kolkata in 2003. He has two children, daughter Aishwarya and son Ayush.

6) Upendra was the first hero to romance Deepika Padukone on the big screen. He played the lead role in Indrajit Lankesh’s Aishwarya, which marked the acting debut of Deepika in 2006. Deepika revealed that it was Farah Khan who suggested her to do the film before she entered Bollywood with Om Shanti Om opposite Shah Rukh Khan.

7) Upendra made a comeback as a director with 2010 political drama titled Super, in which he took on some well-known political personalities in Karnataka. The film also marked Nayanthara’s debut in Kannada. It was a smash hit at the box office.