BANGALORE: While the year did not begin on a pleasant note for Puneeth Rajkumar with Ninnindale not meeting expectations, he is all set for his next, Power ***. A remake of the Telugu superhit Dookadu, the film is already making news.
Power*** celebrated its triple platinum disc milestone (benchmark for sale of an album) on Thursday. The occasion was graced by the Governor of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Konijeti Rosaiah who gave away mementos to the star cast of the film. The audio released by Lahari Audio a few days ago in Bellary recorded 1,20,000 downloads and has sold around 27,000 CDs till date.
The film also has a couple of firsts. It is the first Kannada movie from a Telugu production company (14Reels Entertainment) and it will mark the debut of Tamil-Telugu actress Trisha Krishnan in Sandalwood.
Puneeth has also sung a song for the film. He says, “Usually, I get requests from filmmakers to sing songs that have a high notes and fast rhythm, but I like singing songs with soft music. I was glad when I was offered Guruvara Sanje... The sales are a good sign and Thamman is an excellent music director.”
According to the actor, though Power*** is a remake, it is made in Sandalwood style.
“This is my third film with director K Madesh. The last two films that we made together did well. I hope Power*** does well for us all of us and our combination gives us a hat-trick,” he said.
While Puneeth gears up for the film’s release, he shared the experience of shooting for his other film Rana Vikrama.
“For 20 to 25 days, I was surrounded by the temples of Hospet and shooting amidst them was a wonderful experience. I had been there when I was young. The ancient temples are eye-catching and must be visited. I was also overwhelmed by the love and affection shown by the people there. Each time I saw a huge crowd, I felt grateful. My reciprocal gesture would be to give them good films,” he said.
The busy star has his hands full for the next two years as he has lined up some ‘good projects’.
“After Dodmane Huduga with director Suri, I am planning a film with M Saravanan, who has worked with A R Murugadoss. Eighty per cent of the story is ready. The official announcement will be made as soon as the script is ready. I cannot talk more about it now. The next will be one with Prashanth Neel, who is currently working on the script,” Puneeth said.
When questioned about Ramya’s inclusion in Dodmane Huduga, Puneeth had a reserved answer. He said, “I just know that I am in the film and will be shooting for it from next month.”
His other film Mythri with Mohanlal has been delayed. “I heard some work is pending and that it will be through soon,” he added.
About Shivarajkumar receiving a doctorate from the Krishnadevaraya University, Puneeth said,“After 25 years of hard work, 120 films and massive successes, he has totally earned it,” he said.