BENGALURU: Even while some of ‘Rebel Star’ Ambareesh’s fans are arguing that his cremation should take place at Abhiman Studio, where his Diggaraju friend and co-star Vishnuvardhan was cremated, the state government has decided to cremate the actor at Kanteerava Studios, near the legendary actor Dr Rajkumar’s memorial, with full state honours on Monday morning. The cremation will happen at 10 am following a procession from Kanteerava Stadium to Kanteerava Studios.
Arrangements are being made at the place selected for the cremation, which is in front of Dr Rajkumar’s memorial. Kanteerava Studios is predominantly used for Kannada language movies and is located in Nandini Layout on the Laggere Outer Ring Road. Spread across 20 acres of land, the studio was established in 1966. The studio is called an iconic place as it was developed by veteran theatre and film personalities like Gubbi Veeranna, Tiptur S Karibasavaiah, K V Shankaregowda, Andanappa Doddameti, Rathnavarma Hegade, S Nijalingappa and D Kemparaja Urs.
Ambareesh will be cremated in this iconic place, which was a platform for legendary stars such as Dr Rajkumar, Dr Vishnuvardhan, Shankar Nag, Balakrishna, Kalpana and Manjula among others. It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest film enterprises in the country. Now, the studio provides space for shooting of television serials and movies. There are four shooting floors named Kaveri, Shankar Nag, Manjusha and Gubbi Veeranna. The memorials of Dr Rajkumar and his wife Parvathamma are located here.
An advocate has approached the High Court by submitting a letter stating that the studio should not become a place for celebrity memorials only. However, CM H D Kumaraswamy told the media, “All arrangements have been made at the Kanteeerava Studios. Here, all his fans can pay tributes to him and spend some time near the memorial.”