Raajakumara has the largest star cast I've worked with: Puneeth Rajkumar

He’s from one of the most illustrious families of Kannada cinema, and has grown up in the film industry. Still, whenever his film gears up for release, he feels like a student awaiting the results of an exam. Puneeth Rajkumar’s next, Raajakumara, is all set to hit theatres tomorrow. Ahead of it’s release, the actor took time out of his busy schedule to speak to us about the film, his father, Rajkumar, and more…
Appu Dance and has gone viral, with over a million hits in just three days.Did you expect this?
I knew that people will like the song, but I didn’t expect that it would be received this well. More than anything else, it is the dance style and choreography that seems to have struck a chord — Jani Master has done an awesome job. It’s been quite some time since I have done a full-fledged dance number. I am now excited to see the reaction to the other half of the song.
Are there any new attempts that you have made with this movie?
I generally don’t speak about what’s in any of my films before its release. But it is a nice family entertainer. For me, as an actor, it’s always like writing an exam and waiting for the results. I want people to watch the film and like it. The movie should do well and we should all receive appreciation — me, the director, actor, music director, everyone.
How about some insight into what can we look out for in this film?
Santhosh (Ananddram, director) has said that the film has got everything that people expect from my films. He’s worked on a good script and I am happy with the way things have shaped up. He’s a fabulous writer, and the star cast is huge, so I thought it would be a nice family entertainer. The song, Bombe Helutaite, has been fabulously composed by V Harikrishna and sung wonderfully by Vijayprakash. The song begins with the tune of Adisi Nodu Beelisi Nodu Uruli Hogadu from Kasturi Nivasa. That is a song that the people of Karnataka haven’t been able to forget; this would be the second one.
The song, the name of the movie and the replication of the iconic picture from Kasturi Nivasa — is this movie a tribute of sorts to your father?
No, I must clarify that this movie has got nothing to do with Kasturi Nivasa or my father.
How much of a role do fans play in the choices of films you make?
Frankly speaking, when making a film, we don’t really choose the audience for which we are doing so. The films are made for the audience in general, and that could be my fan or just a fan of Kannada cinema.
What kind of equation do you share with R Sarath Kumar?
I have known him for a long time, but have only got to work with him now. Most of the times, we spoke about health. I am extremely impressed with how fit he is. I, in fact, took a lot of health tips from him and asked him to bless me with good health, like his.
What was the experience of working with such a large star cast?
I have done a few films with a large star cast, but this is the largest. I have known most of the actors for a long time. When we were on the sets, many spoke about their experience of shooting with my father. We always had something to speak about during the shoot, so it was fun.
The Kannada audience is evolving. How important is it then to try new scripts?
I would love to explore other genres. I am extremely happy that all kinds of genres are being accepted by audiences here. Some fabulous films were made last year and I am sure that we will follow up with more this year as well.