Film audiences are usually curious to see family members cast together on the big screen. For them, it seems like a entertaining case of art imitating life.
But for film personalities who have had the chance to act along side their fathers, the experience is emotional, learning and, sometimes, even, rattling. Who wouldn't get the shivers if you had to perform with your experienced father on the sets too.
Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar appeared together in Premada Kanike. Puneeth was barely six months old at the time. They went on to act in nine movies - Sanadi Appanna, Vasantha Geethe, Bhagyavatharu, Hosa Belaku, Chalisuva Modagalu, Bhakta Prahalada and Yaarivanu.
Talking about acting with his father, Puneet says, "I accompanied him to many film shoots but was too young to remember anything. My most vivid memories of being with him on screen are from Hosa Belaku and the last film I worked with him Parashurama - I was aged 14 then. I would accompany him to the sets and that's where I learnt a lot. His commitment towards work was unbeatable. He would religiously wake up at 4.30 am for a session of yoga. On the sets, he was a very humble person. I would see him talking to technicians freely. Today people remember him for his simplicity."
The time Puneeth travelled to the Maldives with his father is something he recalls fondly. "Ondhu Muthina Kathe was one of the first South Indian films to be shot in Maldives. For one of the scenes, my father had to dive into the sea. Standing on the beach, I watched the cinematographer and my father get into the water. Those moments were so difficult and I waited anxiously for him to surface. I was nervous through out the shoot but my father loved every bit of it," he says.
Jaggesh, who has 30 years of experience in the film industry, donned the director's hat for his son's film Guru.
Those moments spent with his son on the sets are something that Jaggesh will always cherish.
"My son Gururaj has acted with me as a child artist in, at least, eight to ten films. Even though he has grown up, he will always remain a child for me."
As a father, Jaggesh enjoyed working with his son. "He is not very open and does not mix much with the crew. He loves reading and most of the time you will find him with a book. But his knowledge about cinema is expansive. Name the director or the actor and he will tell you everything about them. His favourite actors are Rober De Niro and Al Pacino. He is also a well known golf player. He is currently in London to participate in a golf event," he says. As a director, Jaggesh says of Guru, "He still stands in front of me like a student when I discuss shots, expressions and other technicalities. He is a director's actor and does it with a lot of passion."
