The Kannada film industry is still reeling from the shockwaves that superstar and philanthropist Puneeth Rajkumar’s untimely demise caused. A key face of Sandalwood, he breathed his last in October last year after suffering a cardiac arrest. Taking his legacy forward, about 200 Kannada films have paid a homage to the leading hero, who was instrumental in redefining the film industry, including the likes of Badava Rascal (2021) and big commercial money spinners KGF: Chapter 2 and 777 Charlie.
Joining the league is ace Kannada filmmaker Jayathirtha’s experimental multi-lingual film Banaras, starring debutant Zaid Khan and Sonal Monteiro, which hit the screens last Friday. In an exclusive conversation with News18, the director says that Puneeth’s contribution to cinema is insurmountable and every maker holds the responsibility to thank him through their films.
He states, “It’s our duty to respect him. He was the son of the legendary Dr Rajkumar (late Kannada actor and singer) and was such a wonderful person. He has greatly contributed to the Kannada film industry and the society. He used to give free education, food, clothes and shelter for thousands of children studying under his foundation. We’ve great respect towards him.”
In January 2021, Puneeth had launched Jayathirtha’s upcoming film, Bell Bottom 2, and graced the mahurat shoot, which was also attended by its protagonist Rishab Shetty of Kantara fame. Talking about the connection that his recent release shares with Puneeth, the Olave Mandara (2011) director says, “Zaid is a newcomer. He and Puneeth Rajkumar sir were very good family friends. He was his mentor. I, personally, was also very connected to sir. He has inspired me in many ways. He was a great artiste and human being and an icon of Karnataka.”
In the past couple of years, Kannada cinema with the KGF series and Kantara has witnessed a wider visibility and has risen to pan-Indian prominence. And for Jayathirtha, Banaras – which released in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam – is an interesting addition to the slew of Kannada and other south films that saw a nationwide release in multiple languages. Quiz him about what sets it apart from the rest and he says, “Pan-Indian movies that are made in south are all actioners and are character-driven in nature, be it KGF, Pushpa or Baahubali. But Banaras is essentially a love story and is very experimental.”
Shedding further light on it, Jayathirtha elaborates, “In the film, I’ve primarily talked about love, humanity and human relationships. I’ve used time loop, time travel and sci-fi as devices to accomplish these emotions and themes. It’s a mix of multiple elements including thrill, divinity, emotionality and comedy. It’s also a musical, wherein we’ve experimented with different styles of music such as western melody, folk, ghazal and Shiva tandav.”
But the Bell Bottom (2019) director reveals that giving it a multi-lingual release wasn’t always the plan, and that the film’s settings and its universal appeal made the production house change their decision much later.
He remarks, “When I was writing, directing or even doing the post-production work on the film, it never occurred to me that we should make it a pan-India film. It was only meant for the south Indian audience. But after our producer watched the film, he thought that we should give it multi-lingual release.”
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