Upendra Shuts Down Coolie Role Criticism: Did It For Thalaivar

Kannada

director and actor Upendra was recently seen in Tamil film Coolie starring Rajinikanth has opened up about the criticism he faced for working on the film. The 45 actor played a brief role, making him appear only in a couple of scenes, which wasn't well-received by audience. One of the key negative points said about on Coolie, was how some of its starry cameos were not utilised fully. However, in a recent interview Upendra spoke about why he chose to do Coolie despite knowing about his role.

Upendra Reveals He Did Coolie For The Love Of Rajinikanth

In an interview with Galatta Plus, the actor was asked about his limited screentime in Coolie and what he felt about it. Upendra said that while fans are entitled to give their opinion, he was happy to do the role in Coolie, for Rajinikanth. He said "I did Coolie only for Rajini sir. I have never even dreamt that I would work with Rajini sir, so I can't even call this opportunity a dream come true. I am not just a fan of his performance; I am his devotee. He is an inspiration to me for his performance, his talent, his philosophy and his way of life. Thalaivar is Thalaivar. For him, even if I was called for just one shot, I would've done it readily. I have no problem about my screentime when it comes to sharing the screen with him. I am good even if I only got the chance to stand next to him. Initially, I signed the film when I had only one fight scene. Later, they further developed my character for a couple more scenes," he said.

https://youtu.be/jx1ABnKq6Y0?si=FWBzDQbqhz3GO1zm

In Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, Upendra played Kaleesha, an old friend of Rajinikanth's Deva, who fights for the cause of coolie workers and later remains a loyal team mate of the character. Apart from the Tamil and Kannada stars, the film also featured Nagarjuna Akkineni, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Rachitha Ram, Shruti Haasan and Aamir Khan, among others. Upon release on August 14, the film opened to mixed reviews. The film is currently streaming on Prime Video.Upendra will soon be seen in45 which marks the directorial debut of Arjun Janya and is slated to hit theatres on December 25. He was also seen in Andhra King Taluka starring Ram Pothineni in the lead. Upendra will also be seen in Buddhivantha 2, Thrishulam, Guerrilla War and Karvva Navneeth directorial project in the pipeline.