

His association with actor and director Kashinath, a distant relative of his, began during his final year in college. During his time at the college, he participated in plays and often formed troupes with his friends. He obtained his Bachelor of Commerce degree from APS College of Commerce, Bangalore. As a baby, he had an eye problem, the result of which can be seen when he rolls his eyeballs in many film sequences. He is the second son his older brother is Sudheendra Rao. His father was from Thekkatte, Koteshwara, Kundapur Taluk, Udupi district in Karnataka (formerly Mysore State) Brahmin family. Upendra was born to Manjunath Rao and Anusuya in Bangalore. Upendra got an Honorary Doctorate from Angkor University in 2015. Recently many have questioned the legitimacy of this party Although its promoted as people party, it has Upendra's photo on its logo and the party name itself is abbreviated as UPPI which is contradictory to what it preaches. In October 2017, He joined the political party Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha, before quitting the party in March 2018 due to internal differences and formed another party named Uttama Prajakeeya Party (UPP), which is based on the principles of Prajakiya (citizen-centric administration). Upendra is known for his thematic representation of Indian politics and society in his films. After a decade of acting in Kannada and several Telugu films, he returned to directing with Kannada film Super, which was well-received critically and commercially. His next film Upendra starred Raveena Tandon, a Bollywood actress. In the mid-1990s, Upendra directed Om, followed by A, in which he debuted as an actor. His first directorial venture was Tharle Nan Maga (1992). He started his film career as a writer and an assistant director with actor and film director Kashinath. Upendra Rao (known mononymously as Upendra born 18 September 1968) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter and politician who works primarily in Kannada cinema.
