Upendra Speaks Out on Pan-India Trend Killing Remakes, Explains Why Story Matters More Than Formula

Why Story Matters More Than Formula: The latest release of UI marks the return of Kannada star Upendra to direction after eight years. He started his foray into filmmaking in the early 1990s but did not begin acting until a decade later. However, for the past few years, direction had been sidelined. Now that he is back in the director's chair again, the acclaimed star talks to HT about his new film, the trend of pan-India films, and why formula will never win.

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Upendra on UI

All his films have had the one common feature, which is sparking debates. While some state that his climaxes are confusing, others say they are 'thought-provoking'. Upendra laughs at the 'confusion' he has caused. "I always try to explain everything with dialogue, visuals, and everything. I really don't want to confuse. But maybe because the subjects are such that the more I try to explain, the more they get confused," he says, adding with a laugh, "I think deep inside, we are all confused. None of us have the clarity in life that we want."

UI is Upendra's most recent flick. It is a film that revolves around a dystopian drama shot in a near futuristic setup. The film takes jibes at everything from casteism to obsession with cricket and cinema in modern India. Talking about using real-life parallels to tell the story of an autocratic society, he says, "Sometimes you need to exaggerate a little to put forward your point and to make people understand more seriously. It's like satire. I feel that dystopia has to be a little comical, only then can it be a satire. One can relate to it better if there is humour."

Upendra on pan-India cinema

UI was released in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam, according to what was dubbed a pan-India release. Talking about the process, he says, "It is like making five films at the same time, because you have to understand what works in each language, and what clicks in each culture. Some things that work in Kannada may not work in other languages. Pan-India is not so easy to make successfully."

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For Upendra, however, the pan-India is not a surefire recipe for success. He elaborates why some filmmakers prefer having a cast from all over India to make the film pan-India, he says, "It can help reach the audience. Yes, it is easy to reach a certain audience from that state or language. The audience shows more interest that way. But it boils down to the story. The market is only for stories, nothing else. Everything else is decoration."

But, ultimately, the actor-director has a reason to celebrate since the change resulted in putting a brake on remakes. "Everyone already watches every film in their language. So it (the trend of remakes) is already ending. People are no longer doing Hindi remakes and Tamil remakes that often. There are a few here and there, maybe. But what people are remaking is the trend, and that is pan-India."

Released on December 20 in theatre, UI, in slightly more than ten days, became the highest-grossing Kannada film of 2024. The total earning of the movie worldwide exceeds ₹40 crore within two weeks as it even received unanimous praise from critics.

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