'I did it just to stand beside Rajinikanth': Upendra breaks silence on 'limited' role in 'Coolie'

Weeks after the release of Coolie, Kannada star Upendra was seen speaking about his cameo and the experience of sharing screen space with superstar Rajinikanth in Coolie.

Despite his character, Kaleesha, being a hit, many believe director Lokesh Kanagaraj missed an opportunity to give the role more prominence, contrasting with what it was touted to be, similar to the massively successful cameo of Shivanna in Jailer.

His character, Kaleesha, received a positive response from audiences and became a talking point from day 1 of its release. However, a sect of fans felt let down with limited screen time, and the filmmaker didn’t use him to his potential.

The same was asked of Upendra on the sidelines of SIIMA 2025. A reporter asked, "How happy are you with your work in Coolie?" to which he said, "It is a great thing. I got a great blessing from Thalaivar (Rajinikanth); I never ever dreamt about it. It is a great opportunity."

On being asked, your fans were a little disappointed with your limited screen time, to which Upendra said, “I did Coolie just to stand beside Rajinikanth, and that alone is more than enough for me.”

Fans drew comparisons with director Nelson’s treatment of Shivanna in Jailer, where the cameo was more substantial. With cameos becoming a popular formula to attract audiences across regions, many recent films have followed this trend successfully.

Upendra was in Dubai for the SIIMA Awards 2025, where he was bestowed with the Best Director (Kannada) award for his movie UI the Movie.

Upendra has long been an ardent admirer of Rajinikanth, and director Lokesh Kanagaraj recalled in a promotional interview for Coolie that on the first day of shooting, Upendra stood silently for nearly 30 minutes, watching Rajinikanth with tears in his eyes.

Upendra, who is busy with multiple projects, shared an update on his upcoming film Andhra King Taluka, revealing that the project is nearing completion and is likely to hit theatres in November 2025.