Dr Rajkumar to resume acting
in Bhaktha Ambarisha
The life of matinee idol and Dadasaheb Phalke award-winner Dr Rajkumar has returned to normalcy. After 108 days abduction and safe return and rest in his Bangalore house, he visited his native place Gajanur (from where he was kidnapped) with full protection. Dr Rajkumar has evinced interest in taking up Bhaktha Ambarisha. He plays a double role in this film which had started with a song recording at Akash Audio (owned by Madhu Bangarappa - his close relative) before his abduction. The required permission letter from the Archeological department of New Delhi to shoot at Mysore Palace for 20 days has reached the family of Dr Rajkumar. The mythological flm Bhaktha Ambarisha will be shot in Jaipur and also at the Hyderabad Film City of media baron Dr Ramoji Rao.

According to the latest information received from the house of Dr Rajkumar, the Natasarvabowma of Kannada cinema Dr.Raj is likely to take up two films on Gautama Buddha and Saint Sri Shankaracharya after completing Bhakta Ambarisha.

Dr Rajkumar performed Urulu Seve recently to lord Srikanteshveshwara in Nanjangud, about 20 kilometres away from Mysore. He rolled around the corridor of the ancient temple early in the morning. He had taken a oath to do this when he was in the jungles with Veerappan for 108 days. Nearly 100 guests are visiting Dr Rajkumar’s house in Sadashivnagar daily with bouquets even after two months of his return from the clutches of Veerappan.

KFCC office to be demolished
The 20-year-old building housing the offices of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), the apex body of film activities, will be demolished soon, according to its in-house monthly magazine. The building is being razed to have a new one in its place, preferably before October 2001 in time for the next International Film Festival in Bangalore. It may be recalled that the KFCC had the Sanketh Studio, situated adjacent to its building, vacated recently for using that place for a commercial complex. The new building of Chamber will house a preview theatre and the commercial complex will strengthen it economically. As the demolition is to start very shortly, the office of the Chamber will be shifting to a temporary office adjacent to the States Theatre.

Ramesh Aravind feels happy as a joker
A highly talented and charismatic actor ever bubbling with life, Ramesh Aravind has fulfiled his ambition to play the role of a joker in the film Premi No 1. According to the actor, to play the role of a joker was his long time ambition and he took the role as a tribute to the great Raj Kapoor, remembering his Mera Naam Joker. At the audio launch of his Pemi No 1 at the Gold Coin Club house, Ramesh looked every bit a joker. On the penultimate day of the shooting of Premi No1 also, Ramesh appeared in front of the media without uttering a word and baffled the media. It is only after he opened his mouth they could make out it was Ramesh. He had played a somewhat similar trick a few years ago when he had driven straight to Chowdaiah Memorial Hall in the disguise of a middle aged woman. It was an audio release of Shivrajkumar film and now again for the audio release of his film, Ramesh was in the get up of a joker.

Ramesh disclosed that he had signed two films - Amma Ninna Tholinalli and another remake in Kannada. Five of his films launched last year are ready to hit the screen this year. The films in the release queue are Hoo Anthiya Uhoo Anthiya, Shaapa, Mahalakshmi, Kurigalu Saar Kurigalu and Premi No1. In the month of December 2000, Ramesh acted in a Tamil film titled Kutty revolving round child labour and directed by Janaki Vishwanath. After working for 8 days in this Tamil film, Ramesh, with his family, went to Jaipur with his family for a pleasure trip and rejoined the unit of Premi No 1.

Kannada film history
The 3000-page history of Kannada films is getting ready in two volumes, of 1500 pages each. The government of Karnataka has released Rs 7 lakhs. It is titled as Kannada Chalachitra Ithihasa and dates back to 1934. Since then till the year 2000, films produced in Kannada number 2100 and the history book includes all their details. In all, there will be 3000 pictures, both in colour and black and white. The second volume consists of 25 thought-provoking articles. Besides, there will be profiles of 600 artistes, technicians, producers etc. The editorial committee consists of VN Subba Rao, PG Srinivasamurthy, Dr Vijaya and MB Singh. The Karnataka University, Hampi, will bring out this book shortly.

BC Patil to enter politics
BC Patil, the real life cop-turned-villain, then a producer now a hero and director, too, has decided to join politics in the coming years. He is the most upset man for the government’s recent announcement of strictures on officials not to act in films.

Bahala Channagidhe is a joint venture
The producer of the controversial Kannada film Veerappan (it had bagged three State awards) Chandulal Jain is back in film production. This time he is in a joint venture with Ramanathan (of Hindi films). The film Bahala Channagidhe starring Shivrajkumar, Shashikumar, Jaisheel and Ruchita Prasad in lead roles, is a remake of the Telugu hit Chala Baagundi. In a chat at the shooting spot in Rajarajeswari Kalyanmantap, Chandulal Jain disclosed that he was sleeping all these years because of no market response for his earlier film Gangavavva Gangamayi (starring Anant Nag) and directed by Mokashi. Despite the three State awards the film had won, there were no takers for that film. “What am I to do if after producing an award winning film it is not released in the theatres? Now, veteran Ramanathan has woken me up and so I am here,” said Jain. Meanwhile, Jain clarified that he had given the Veerappan Kannada film dubbing rights to Mr Chaudhary of Hindi films in last April and not during the abduction of Dr Rajkumar by the forest outlaw, Veerappan. The dubbed version of the Veerappan film in Hindi was not finding a release outlet, said Jain.

Anu Prabhakar to act in Tamil films
The talented and lucky actress of Kannada cinema, Anu Prabhakar, has decided to expand her wings. She will be shortly going to Tamil films. During the bundh period observed by the Kannada film industry, she had rejected the offers of films with Mammooty, Ajit, Vijay and Prashanth. The reason- Dr Rajkumar was in the jungles in captivity. Anu was launched in the home banner of Dr Rajkumar in the film Hrudaya Hrudaya, starring Shivrajkumar and Ramesh Aravind. “That’s why I kept quiet,” said Anu on the sets of her recent film Anjali Geethanjali.

Prema hits out at producer
Prema, the leading heroine of the Kannada cinema, has hit out at producer Rehman, of the Kannada film Yajamana. Reason—the producer had said in a television interview that Vishnuvardhan was solely responsible for the success of Yajamana, a top grosser. “Even Vishnuvardhanji would not accept this and a producer making such statement is an insult to other artistes and technicians of the film Yajamana,” said Prema, who plays the counterpart to Vishnuvardhan in the film Yajamana.

Fighting off stiff audio competition
The leading audio house in South India, Lahari Recording Company, has decided to fight the stiff competition prevailing in Chennai for the sale of audio albums. Two years ago, on its 20th birthday, the Company had fixed Rs 20 as the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) in Karnataka and it now wants to repeat the same in Chennai. The latest audio release of the Lahari Recording Company is Mister Naradar, a feature film audio. Sathyaraj, Abbas, Divya Unni are in the lead roles of this Tamil film. Sippi has scored the music. Shanker Mahadevan, Anuradha Sriram, Shirkali Govindharajan’s son Shivachidambharam, Unni Krishna, Swarnalatha, OS Arun, Vasundhara Das, Bhavakirini and Kamalakar have lent their voices to the songs in Mister Naradhar.

Work keeps diseases away
Veteran director of Kannada cinema, MS Rajasekhar, feels that continuous work keeps the worry of any disease at a distance. With no work for many years, Rajasekhar (known for blockbuster Kannada film Najundi Kalyana starring Raghavendra Rajkumar and Malashri) was idle and worried on that count. A a result, he suffered from sugar complaint. To overcome the strains in his life, he accepted to do a remake film last year very much against his wishes. He found the film Yaarge Salathe Sambala as a surprise hit and forced him to accept another remake film Bahala Channagidhe, of the original Chala Bagundi. “When one is busy with work, the worries and diseases disappear,” says Rajasekhar. After this film Bahala Channagidhe Rajasekhar is taking up a tear-jerker titled as Hadadhavva. l

Vashistha<<<