Thousands of fans turned on the flash on their phones, crooning along with the family of the late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, as they performed a rendition of ‘Bombe Helutaithe’. At the grand pre-release event of Gandhada Gudi, Puneeth’s last movie, neither fans nor family left a stone unturned to celebrate the late actor. The pre-release event was held at Bengaluru’s Sri Krishna Vihar Palace Grounds on Friday, October 21, as part of ‘Puneetha Parva’, a series of events being organised in the late actor’s memory, ahead of his first death anniversary on October 29.
On the occasion, director Amoghavarsha shared how Puneeth had asked not to be referred to as the ’Power Star’, but just himself in Gandhada Gudi. Hailed as a tribute to nature, Gandhada Gudi is a docudrama that claims to highlight Karnataka's rich natural resources. The film will see Puneeth take a journey through Karnataka, admiring the beauty of the waterfalls and woods across the state.
Sharing the movie’s theme, Puneeth’s brother and actor Shivaraj Kumar said, “I don’t say Appu (as Puneeth is affectionately known) is not with me, he is always with me. He was a born superstar and I am a huge fan of his dance moves.” Shivaraj further thanked all the actors, directors and fans who attended the event.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who attended the pre-release event, announced a tax exemption for Gandhada Gudi, as the movie is about the state’s wildlife, nature, and its conservation. He also expressed his happiness at being part of Puneetha Parva, as it provides the feeling that ‘Appu’ is still alive. “Appu’s posters and photos are everywhere in the state, even in the most remote corners. I have never seen such love and affection for anyone before,” Bommai said. Other BJP ministers including Ashwath Narayan, Narayan Gowda, Murugesh Nirani and Anand Singh who were also present at the event urged people to watch Gandhada Gudi and celebrate Puneeth Rajkumar. “Even if I wasn’t invited, I would have attended it anyway. Appu sir is a ‘Devata Purusha’ and that legacy reflects in the amount of people gathered here,” said actor and JD(S) youth leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who was also at the event.
Sharing an anecdote from his last conversation with Puneeth, Telugu actor Rana Daggubati said, “Puneeth had shared a clip of Gandhada Gudi and I had asked him why he was taking up this extra project. He responded by saying that we are the only generation that can do something for the next generation. He said that if we don't do this, nobody else will.” Other Telugu actors Siddharth and Akhil Akkineni also spoke about Puneeth’s legacy, and their camaraderie with the Kannada film industry.
“Appu reminds me of ‘appuge’ (hug). I don’t know what to say about him, because he had once told me: ‘don’t just speak Prakash sir, do something’. I have a wish for an ‘Appu express’ ambulance in every district of Karnataka,” actor Prakash Raj said, further mentioning that he had donated an ambulance in Appu’s name to Mysuru district. Actors Shivaraj Kumar, Suriya and Chiranjeevi also said they would donate ambulances to districts in Karnataka.
Recalling how a year ago Puneeth entered the stage with a backflip, KGF star Yash said, “We entered the film industry to dance and act like him. I didn’t know how to digest the fact that Appu sir wasn’t there with us anymore.” He added that he would donate the rest of the ambulances to other districts of Karnataka through his YashoMarga Foundation.
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Addressing Puneeth Rajkumar as a global star, actor Suriya said, “He’s an icon, he’s a celebrity, but more than that he was a very confident person. His choice to share and his spirit to give back to society is the reason we have all gathered here — not just from the Kannada industry, but other industries as well.” Further stating that he did not think he would witness such love again in his lifetime, Suriya said Appu showed us how to live life, what to leave behind and what impact you should have in the life of others. “His wife, Ashwini is also an example of how to stay strong and walk firmly ahead in life,” he added.
Calling himself a fan of Puneeth Rajkumar, Prabhudeva recalled how the late actor had once shown him a six-minute sequence of Gandhada Gudi, and asked him to come to the movie release. Several Kannada actors including Ramya, Anu Prabhakara, Sudharani, Shruti, Rakshit Shetty, Ramesh Aravind, Ravi Chandran, Duniya Vijay, Ajay, Prem, Dhruva Sarja, Sai Kumar, Raj B Shetty, and others were present at the event, while singers Vijay Prakash, Arman Mallik, and Kunal Ganjawala performed.
Gandhada Gudi is set to hit the big screens on October 28, a day ahead of Puneeth Rajkumar's first death anniversary. The actor had passed away due to a cardiac arrest last year. PRK Productions, the home banner of Puneeth Rajkumar and his wife Ashwini Rajkumar, has bankrolled the docu-drama. Gandhada Gudi is co-produced by Mudskipper, has music by composer Ajaneesh Loknath, and cinematography by Pratheek Shetty.
Images by PRK Audio
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