BANGALORE: As fate would have it, Love is Poison, directed by Nandan Prabhu, will be Jungle Jackie Rajesh’s last film as a hero. The actor, who became famous after a reality show, debuted with Jungle Jackie, which failed and sent him into depression.
Unfortunately, on November 3 last year, Rajesh fell from the third floor of his residence and died. The makers of Love is Poison, who are releasing the film with him in the lead, are definitely missing Rajesh, but they are trying their best to make this film a memorable one for his family and the Kannada industry.
“The film is releasing in Rajesh’s absence and it's a void that cannot be filled. Sadly, we can never see him on silver screen after this film. The movie will now be promoted by Poonam Pandey and the heroine Kushi Gadwi,” says Keshav Murthy, the producer of the film.
According to Keshav, this will also be the one and only film that will see Poonam who has decided not to be part of Kannada films in future.
“She is promoting our film only because she had signed an agreement. She is coming to Bangalore on Tuesday night and will be here for four days. Poonam will first visit Rajesh’s house to meet his parents and will be back in Bangalore to interact with various TV channels. We are planning to promote the film in five cities. Poonam and Kushi, along with the crew, will visit Hubli, Haveri and Tumkur along with a few other places, where we will talk about the film," he said.
Poonam has not forgotten her horrifying experience when she was in Bangalore on New Year’s eve. Reportedly, she was molested by a few fans while she was performing at a resort. This time, however, she is making sure to take all safety measures when she lands in Bangalore.
“We have arranged accommodation for her at a well-known hotel in Bangalore. We have also hired bouncers. She is taking her own precautions as well and we are told that she will be arriving with two gunmen who will travel along with her to promote the film. We will take care of their accommodation, flight charges, and other facilities too,” reveals Keshav.
The makers of Love is Poison are very clear that they are not looking to make business out of this film.
“We would have thought about it if Rajesh was alive. We are not looking to make profit, but we hope to get back the investment because we plan to help Rajesh’s parents with the money we get from Love is Poison. Rajesh was the only son to his parents and they were dependant on him. Now that he is no more, we want to help them in a small way,” he says.