Uday Shankar was 15 years old when he entered the Guinness Books of World Records. He had repeated, from memory — and in the same order — thousands of numbers written randomly on a blackboard after looking at them for a few minutes. That was nearly 20 years ago.
But his interest would soon veer towards the films. “I saw Pawan Kalyan’s film Badri and became a big fan of the actor, wanting to pursue acting then on. I knew it would be challenging because of the competition and struggles in the field but I still wanted to. But before any of that, I knew I had to complete my education first,” recalls Uday Shankar, who hails from Jadcherla of Mahbubnagar District.
As intended, he completed his intermediate in Guntur and did his post-graduation in sociology in Bangalore. Then, he moved to Hyderabad to try his hand in movies.
Uday’s father Sriramulu is a well-known retired professor who has authored many books on philosophy and nature. However, Uday’s uncle, who knows the producer Rockline Venkatesh, introduced him to the producer. Uday began acting by taking on very small roles such as those in Linga and Power. “Then, Rockline Venkatesh planned the Telugu remake of the Kannada film called Rama Rama Re and chose me as the lead actor for it,” says Uday about his 2018-debut Telugu film Aatagadara Siva.
The film, which didn’t have songs, action or the typical commercial ingredients, did not do well at the box office, but Uday’s performance in it was well appreciated.
“I know I am not a star kid and don’t have a big backup plan, so I decided to enter the industry with a different kind of role. I believe content is bigger than anyone and anything,” explains Uday of his debut, adding that if there is a well-etched out role of a villain, he’d be ready to take on that too.
But now, Uday is eagerly awaiting the release of his second film MisMatch on Friday, in which he plays the lead role, of a lover boy. Actress Aishwarya Rajesh is the female lead in the film.
“Writer Bhupathi Raja and I got close while working on my debut film. He came up with a love story and introduced me to director Nirmal Kumar and the producer GVG Raju,” says Uday, who’s married and has a son.
MisMatch is a love story in which two very different people fall in love with each other. The story revolves around the disputes they have over little issues and how they get back together again. “It’s a proper love story, and wrestling is part of the story,” says Uday.
