Puneeth Rajkumar is impressed with his Mumbai co-star and explains why Raaj-The Showman is a dream film from a dream team
Puneeth Rajkumar is impressed with his Mumbai co-star and explains why Raaj-The Showman is a dream film from a dream team
Excited about his forthcoming film, Raaj-The Showman, a big budget extravaganza directed by 'hat-trick' director Prem, Puneet Rajkumar holds forth on a range of topics, from the film's delayed release to the experience of shaking a leg with Jayaprada, Bharati, Jayanti, Jaimala and Urvashi.
The film was supposed to be released on April 24, which happens to be your father Dr Rajkumar's birthday...
Appaji's birthday is an auspicious and lucky day for me. It would have been great if the movie had been released on this day. But we weren't able to finish the film on schedule due to date problems of my co-stars and other unavoidable circumstances. We didn't want to rush things and compromise on the quality. It was in January that we got to know it would be impossible to complete the film by April and release it on Appaji's birthday. We even announced the change in plans during the audio release last month.u00a0
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The king arrives: Nisha Kothari and Puneeth Rajkumar pics/K N Nagesh Kumar |
The movie was titled Poli, but became Raaj-The Showman later. Why the change?People in the industry and fans weren't too happy with the title as it means 'Casanova'. They thought it would send out a wrong message. My mother too was not happy with the title and insisted on the change. That's when Prem decided on Raaj-The Showman.u00a0u00a0u00a0
There's a lot of hype about the film. Are you confident it will turn out to be a hit?The director, the technicians and the cast and crew have put their heart and soul into the film. We are hoping that it will turn out to be a great movie. In any case, I never talk about my movies. I do my job and leave the rest to the audience.
The music is already a hit. The first song I heard was Yeppathelu Bettadinda Singalanur Raja Banda. I liked it instantly. The song describes my father's hometown, Singalanur. It has so much energy that I knew it would be a hit. I also loved the song, Paro, because it is simple and sweet. Paro is currently my favourite song. Then, there's the medley which rocks.
It is rumoured that Rs 1 crore has been spent on a single song. That would mean Raaj is the most expensive Kannada film to be made, doesn't it?I have no idea on how much is being spent on the songs or the film. You should ask the director or the producer about this.u00a0 The film is lavishly mounted. The songs have been shot in exotic places, in India and abroad. The picturisation of the songs is breathtaking. This is the first time I've travelled so extensively for a film.u00a0
Did you bond well with the director, Prem?
Prem is one of the best directors the Kannada film industry has today. I enjoy working with him. He is an astute technician. His enthusiasm is infectious. He motivates his team to put in their best. I must also add that the producer, Srinivasamurthy, is a generous man.u00a0u00a0
Nisha Kothari, we learn, wrote out her dialogues in Hindi. What do you think of her as a co-star?Nisha Kothari is a thorough professional. Though she wrote down her lines in Hindi, her dialogue delivery is almost perfect. It's hard to tell she's an import! She is that good.u00a0u00a0
So, when do we get to see Raaj?If things go according to plan, the film will kiss the screen in the last week of June or the first week of July.
