Honoured: Upendra Rao On Prashanth Neel Praising His 'Distinctive' Work

Having only a few Kannada films under his belt, director Prashanth Neel has etched his name in the annals of the film industry. Unquestionably, his claim to fame is based on the phenomenal success of the KGF franchise, a cinematic extravaganza that not only elevated the Kannada industry to unprecedented heights but also achieved international acclaim. The streak continued with his venture into Telugu cinema with the Prabhas-starrer Salaar.

Prashanth Neel spoke candidly about his cinematic influences during a recent interview on a Kannada show. He specifically mentioned how much he admires renowned actor and director Upendra Rao. Prashanth openly praises Upendra’s work with a special twist when he explained that it wasn’t just an homage to the show’s local setting. Even though he was on a Kannada show, he firmly stated that Upendra has made an incomparable contribution to Indian cinema, particularly with classics like Tharle Nan Maga, Shhh and OM. Prashanth continued by underlining how distinctive Upendra’s work is on a global scale.

The praise that Prashanth Neel heaped upon Upendra was brought to the notice of the Kabzaa actor on a promotional chat show for his upcoming film UI. The first song of the film UI was released on March 4 at the YouTube office in Mumbai. In an interview after the release of the song, the presenter informed Upendra that director Prashanth Neel had praised his work.

To this, Upendra called Prashanth Neel a great director, someone that all of India knew about and he was honoured for such a filmmaker to speak about him. He said he was touched by Prashanth Neel’s words and thanked him. A clip of this part of the conversation is now doing the rounds on social media.

UI, which is directed by Upendra (who also stars in it) is his 11th directorial venture. It is a dystopian film and will also star actress Sunny Leone in a pivotal role.