Can you picture Ghilli without Prakash Raj yelling, ‘Chelloww I Love You Chelloww’? Honestly, it almost happened. Upendra, the Kannada star, just dropped a bombshell, he was originally offered the role of Muthu Pandi, the villain in Thalapathy Vijay’s 2004 blockbuster. The part, of course, eventually went to Prakash Raj, who made it unforgettable.
Upendra shared this story in a recent interview, just kind of threw it out there. Director Dharani, he said, reached out to him first for Ghilli. Fans couldn’t believe it. After twenty-two years, Prakash Raj is so tied to that character, it’s tough to picture anyone else pulling off those lines the same way. But Ghilli is about more than just the villain, even though, let’s be honest, that performance is legendary. Vijay’s energy, his chemistry with Trisha, Vidyasagar’s soundtrack, people still love the whole package. Still, that villain? Not easy to replace.
Upendra didn’t just talk cinema. He also weighed in on Vijay’s new political chapter. Thalapathy’s party, TVK, swept the 2026 Tamil Nadu elections, and Vijay’s about to become Chief Minister. Upendra welcomed the news, saying that change is a natural part of any democracy, and we’re seeing shifts like this all over, not just in Tamil Nadu, but in Karnataka, across India, even worldwide.
Speaking of politics, Upendra’s no stranger. Besides acting, directing, writing, and singing, he jumped into politics back in 2017 with Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha. That didn’t last, he left a year later over internal issues, then set up his own party, Uttama Prajaakeeya Party. The idea: put citizens first, focus on transparency. He’ll tell you about it if you ask.
And he’s not just talking about Tamil cinema, he’s part of it. Upendra showed up recently in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie with Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, Shruti Haasan, and Nagarjuna. He said he took the role just out of his love for Rajinikanth. No other reason. Two decades on, Ghilli’s still going strong. The 2024 re-release made 7.75 crore worldwide, biggest opening day for any film in Tamil Nadu that year. A lot of that is down to Prakash Raj as Muthu Pandi.
