BENGALURU: Seventy-six-year old Rathnamma’s usual routine involves looking after her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Except on Fridays, when she heads to Bengaluru, all the way from Makali village in Nelamangala taluk, to watch the latest Kannada film. This Friday, was no different when she came to the city to catch the Yash-starrer KGF. An ardent movie buff, she watches most films on the first day of their release.
She travelled for an hour to watch KGF. “I had been waiting for the movie. I wanted to watch it on day one at Narthaki. I knew it would be housefull, but I know someone who assured me a ticket,” she said.Rathnamma’s tryst with cinema, however, isn’t just limited to watching films. A junior artiste herself, she has acted in more than 30 films. She started acting when her uncle, a stuntman, approached her for a movie in the early 90s. Her first role was a small two-minute appearance in Bhavya Bharatha, starring Tiger Prabhakar, for which she received `100.
Since then, she has done small roles in films starring Shivarajkumar, Darshan, Shankarnag, Sharan, Puneeth Rajkumar and many more. The latest one was Raj Vishnu, where she earned `1,500. “My children do not take me to the movies but I love watching them anyway,” she said. She watches all the films in Narthaki theatre, since ‘Theatre is emotional for any artiste,’ she said.
Fans show KGF lots of love
Rathnamma isn’t the only one crazy about KGF. Here’s what other die-hard fans did on day one of the film’s release:
Nothing to stop Veeresh
Veeresh cannot walk owing to a physical impairment. The 25-year-old works at a shop at a railway station. He never misses any of Yash’s films. “I came here early in the morning to get the ticket. Fortunately, police helped me in getting the tickets, since it was quite crowded. I will come back to watch KGF once more,’’ he said.
Family crazy about Yash
Ganga, a tailor from Lingarajapura, came with her three children and a friend to watch KGF. “Our family is crazy about Yash. My children did not go to college and school, but it’s okay. The ticket cost `118 but we paid `400 in black. I even told my customers to not come to my shop today,’’ said Ganga. All the family members were wearing t-shirts with Yash’s picture printed on them.
Fever no bar
Shankar, a pigmy collector, was also there for the first day first show. What’s so special, you ask? He was admitted in the hospital till Tuesday, due to fever. “I was worried I wouldn’t get discharged. Since I am just out of hospital, my family insisted I don’t step out. But I convinced them anyway,’’ he said