"If I had not been in the celluloid world, I would = have been a farmer tilling the land=E2=80=A6" - Deccan Herald


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"If I had not been in the celluloid = world, I=20 would have been a farmer tilling the land=E2=80=A6" =

We bring you the last = interview=20 of Dr Rajkumar which appeared in the Prajavani Deepavali = special=20 issue 2005. Dr Raj spoke to Premkumar Hariyabbe and E V=20 Satyanarayana.

We bring you the last interview of Dr Rajkumar which appeared = in the=20 Prajavani Deepavali special issue 2005. Dr Raj = spoke=20 to Premkumar Hariyabbe and E V Satyanarayana.

The=20 description of 'living legend' fitted him perfectly. For half a = century he=20 ruled the hearts of Kannada people unconditionally. His life = history and=20 the history of Kannada film industry are synonymous.

He = looked=20 fresh and clean after a massage by the physiotherapist who had = come to=20 attend to his knee problem. He was dressed in sparkling white = dhothi and=20 shirt. Casual talks about his health brought out the philosopher = in him.=20 "No problem at all. Just some pains. It's all as HE wishes! After = all I am=20 aging, you see," laughs.

Q: May be you=20 would be in better health if Veerappan had not abducted you?=20

A : No..No... I was in good health there. They = looked=20 after me well. They served me food on time and there was no = restriction to=20 my movement. His boys took care of me well as he had instructed = them so.=20 The time was spent with jokes and chatting. I remember the = location and=20 the forest.. it's carved in my mind. Memories of that makes me = wish to go=20 visit those spots again. It was a little difficult in the rainy = season.=20 Especially on one stormy day when the water surged like a thunder = storm in=20 sea. I believe all those places were inhabited once upon a time. = After all=20 I also grew up in a forest. We were near Bannary. I was not = talking much=20 with him (Veerapppan). He used to speak vain stuff and several = times I=20 used to think in my mind that I also had spoken such words in the = films.=20

But life in the forest was like what they call the = `Vanaprastha'.=20 I used to get up at 4 a.m. bathe and engage in Yoga for a couple = of hours.=20 I forgot my house and family. In fact when it was time for me to = leave I=20 started wondering why I should leave all this and go! I even = wondered what=20 I would tell people, my wife, Raghu, Shivanna and Appu. The boys = who were=20 with me cried when I left. I asked them if I should stay with them = for few=20 more days =E2=80=A6 I leave it to the hands of god. We are only = human.=20

Q: If you were not in the celluloid world what else = would=20 you be? Did you have any other favourite profession?=20

A: (Instantly) I would be a farmer = tilling the=20 land. That is precisely what I was doing before I entered the = theatre. I=20 did buy some land after I came into the films and they are giving = good=20 yield now. My brother-in-law took care of them but he passed away. = Now his=20 son Gopala looks after the lands. I do wish to go back to my land = and=20 till. Nothing else can make me happy. If I am fortunate I wish to = breathe=20 my last there.

(Parvathamma, his wife quipped in between = "you=20 don't know the difficulties of the farmers now. Famine, heavy = rains, not=20 getting good returns..." Rajkumar said "there are hard times in = all=20 professions. Once you know there is a problem one must try to = overcome=20 it".

Parvathamma laughs. "Puneeth says if Appaji is so = fond of=20 tilling, let him do so in my farm house in Bangalore.") =

Q:=20 Did you not miss theatre after coming to films?

A: = I came=20 from the stage. It was my father's dream that I act in films. It = did not=20 come true when he was alive. After 'Bedara Kannappa' in 1957 till = 1963 we=20 lived off stage. Kannada films were rare in those days. I, along = with Balu=20 (Balakrishna) , Narasimharaju, Iyer formed a theatre company and = staged=20 plays all over the state. We had three plays 'Echchama Nayaka', = 'Sahukar'=20 and 'Kannappa'. We were about 35 artistes in the troupe. All of us = lived=20 on the earnings from the theatre.

It was at that time that = we=20 protested against dubbing. Writers like A N Krishnarao, Ramamurthy = supported us. If it were not for our protests we would not be free = from=20 dubbing culture in Kannada today. Kannada films would not have = survived.=20 If other language films are dubbed into Kannada, what will happen = to=20 Kannada artistes and technicians? Some are arguing for dubbing = even now.=20 But that will undoubtedly finish Kannada film industry.

We = made a=20 film even as we were staging plays in 1962. I, Balanna, = Narasimharaju,=20 Iyer acted in it. We chipped all our resources and made = 'Ranadheera=20 Kanteerava'. We did not get a theatre to release the film and do = you know=20 how difficult it was? We did not get a theatre in the city area = and=20 finally released it in Bharath talkies. The owner of Bharath = theatre was=20 Shariff, a Muslim. He came forward on his own and released = 'Ranadheera=20 Kanteerava'. Later he released 'Santha Tukaram'. In fact he made = it his=20 policy to show only Kannada films in Bharath talkies. Today people = don't=20 even know that there was a theatre called Bharath talkies.=20

'Mannina Maga' was released in Kapali. It ran for 25 = weeks. After=20 that, Kannada film industry developed. The early days were very = difficult.=20

Q: Did you like watching your films? =

A: I=20 never watched my films. I saw just one or two. The only film I = watched=20 with interest was 'Mantralaya Mahatme'. It is my belief that it = was Sri=20 Raghavendra Swamy's blessings that made it possible for me perform = that=20 role. Now, I do watch my films on TV when they are telecast. When = I was=20 shown the preview of 'Bangarada Manushya' I felt there were so = many=20 mistakes in the film. I wish I had corrected all those mistakes. G = K=20 Venkatesh came and asked me how the film was. I was silent. He = said 'God=20 help KCN Gowda' (the producer). Puttanna also said something = similar. I=20 also felt the same. Only Varadanna predicted the film would run = for 25=20 weeks. And it ran for years.

Q: When did you become = a=20 producer?

A: They used to say Kannada films were = expensive=20 to make. I didn't know. (Parvathamma intervened here to explain = how=20 Rajkumar was paid only Rs.30,000 for 'Bangarada Manushya' when it = cost the=20 producer Rs 13 lakhs to produce it and it raked a whopping Rs. 3 = crores.)=20 Later we started producing films under our own banner. (Detailed = talks=20 about the problems of production, distribution followed) =

Now the=20 industry has grown. We have produced good films. It's good times = for=20 Kannada film industry now. We must make use of the opportunity and = help=20 the industry to grow. I learnt the trade under stalwarts like = Veeranna,=20 Subbaiah Naidu. What I learnt on stage helped me on celluloid. = Looking=20 back, I realise I have come a long way.''

And like always, = he came=20 till the gate to bid us good-bye. And as usual there were fans, = who had=20 come from far and near, waiting eagerly for a glimpse of their = demi-god.=20 He spoke to them and their faces glow was enough proof of = Rajkumar's=20 greatness.

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