The late actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s last action film James is set to be released in five languages - Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi - on March 17, what would have been his 47th birthday. Shooting for the film was almost done when the actor, who was playing the lead, passed away on October 29, 2021. “The film’s dubbing and a song shoot were pending. There is a duet that Puneeth Rajkumar had liked very much, but sadly we couldn’t shoot it,” said filmmaker Chetan Kumar at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) on Saturday.
Dubbing for the film turned out to be a big hurdle. “We usually record pilot voices of actors during shooting, but as James is an action film mostly set outdoors, we couldn’t remove the noise. So, sadly we couldn’t use Puneeth’s voice. We have done the next best thing we could: Shiva Rajkumar has dubbed for his brother and it has come out very well,” Mr. Kumar said.
Though James will be the last film with Puneeth playing the lead, audiences will see him on screen again in the nature documentary Gandhada Gudi, which he produced and acted in, and in Lucky Man, a film in which he plays an extended cameo.
Filmmakers and producers shared their memories of the deceased actor at the event. Veteran filmmaker Bhagawan recounted how he took Parvatamma Rajkumar to the hospital when she developed labour pains. He was the first person to whom the nurse handed over “Lohith” (Puneeth). “I have known him since then. He was a child prodigy, with good acting, dance and even action skills,” he said, turning emotional. “Six months before he passed away he expressed his wish to build a free school at Shakti Dhama, the orphanage the family runs. Sadly, he couldn’t fulfill this dream,” he said.
Producer Surappa Babu who produced the critically acclaimed Prithvi with the actor said Puneeth’s untimely demise will haunt the Kannada film industry. “Just like Shankar Nag [who passed away at the age of 35], Puneeth Rajkumar will be immortalised among Kannadigas,” he said. He added that Puneeth was one of the rare lead actors who always kept the interest of the producer and all the technicians working on the film in mind.
Filmmaker Pavan Wadeyar, who made two films with the actor -- Rana Vikrama and Natasaarvabhowma - said the love people had for him and how he treated them was evident during his shoots. “When we were shooting in Hampi, every day nearly 6,000 people turned up for the shoot. After a few days, he organised several food stalls for his fans, put up shamiyanas so they could watch while standing in the shade, all at his own expense,” he recalled, adding, the actor once said he always felt humanism was the best form of God he believed in.
