Upendra on almost directing Chiranjeevi in the 90s: ‘The writing didn’t match his megastardom…’

During the promotions of UI in Hyderabad, Upendra was asked about this missed opportunity between the ‘Mega Star’ and the ‘Real Star’, and he said, “I travelled with the film for over a year, and the writing process took that long a time. But I realised the writing didn’t match his range.” Upendra added that during the process of writing, he understood what stardom really meant. “Chiranjeevi garu had to look at various aspects of a film while working on the script. He had to factor in audiences across different ages, and demographics. That is why he is a megastar. I couldn’t do the same, and I was overwhelmed by the stardom, I guess.”

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Interestingly, Upendra also added that he does take time to write the scripts now, and that is probably why there is such a big gap between his directorial ventures. “It took eight years for me to write my next film after Uppi 2, and this film will be something that will test the audience’s intelligence, for sure,” said the maverick filmmaker, whose upcoming movie will hit the theatres on December 20 in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam.

Meanwhile, Upendra is also returning to Tamil after almost 15 years with Rajinikanth’s Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.