To savour success you ought to have scaled a slippery ladder and Upendra has done it against all odds. He’s one of the most down to earth stars I’ve met. One of his strong points is that he takes criticism in his stride. “I dance to the tunes of my fans,” Amithabh Bachchan once said and Uppi is doing just that since the morning of his birthday, September 18.
Fans from afar have thronged his residence and there’s a mild lathi charge too but their idol doesn’t disappoint them. “He’s like a puppet with invisible strings,” says Vidya, the SMS contest winner who’s to spend the day with him. “He does everything they tell him to.”
Uppi is weary by the time he boards the chopper taking us to his resort, Ruppis. The pilot takes a circuitous route giving us a bird’s eyeview of the shrinking greenery in
The sight of his fans seems to energise the star as he’s greeted with a loud roar. Groups of fans garland him, adorn him with a crown, stuff his mouth with cake and some even plant wet kisses on his cheeks. “Your wish is my command,” says the star earnestly to a roar of applause.
A few singers are belting out hits from his films like “Preethse”. The crowd is not satisfied and Uppi obliges by singing, dancing and interacting with the ecstatic fans. The local language press is peeved that the press handouts are not in Kannada and it takes the combined convincing powers of Uppi and the top brass of 92.7 to smoothen ruffled feathers.
Fans try to barge into the enclosure reserved for the press and Uppi is forced to go out again. The fans just can’t get enough of him but time is running out.
Uppi is visibly tired and keen that the crowds are cleared. He needs a little rest before hosting a party for his industry pals. The fans board the buses reluctantly.
The road to the resort is treacherous and you look at the sky wishing the chopper would appear to take you back.
