With Sandalwood’s most anticipated movie of the year, Rana Vikrama inching closer to its release date, the entire crew is leaving no prayers unsaid. Anxiety is writ large over Puneeth Rajkumar and director Pawan Wadeyar, even though the scenario is not new to them.
But what makes the anxiousness apparent in the entire atmosphere is the hype behind the film, the immense buzz that is doing the rounds and the lofty expectations of fans across the state and even in other pockets of the country.
With its theatrical release planned across Karnataka and even in select cities all over the country including Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai, the impatience of its team to know the fate of their film has only increased. “We made an earnest effort to reach all Kannadigas living in different parts of the country. I don’t know to what extent it will pull the audience, but we hope to create a small market in different states,” says Puneeth who has more or less become a cult figure among his fans even before the release.
Going by the trailers, the film has a strong subject spanning the Marathi and Karnataka border and includes both languages. Without revealing much, Puneeth, who is believed to essay the character of an IPS officer, says, “It is just a matter of hours when everybody will know the plot. At this point, I am indeed curious to know their reaction,” he says.
According to the actor, the film has an abundance of action sequences, which will be the highlight of the film. “Whatever you will see is the result of efforts put in by Ravi Verma. We have really tried new aspects of filmmaking,” says Puneeth, who stresses that the film is a pure commercial package with lots of entertainment. Puneeth signs off with a special mention about director Pawan and the whole team. “Pawan is extremely hardworking and the film could happen because of producers, Jayanna and Bogendra. Cinematographer Vaidy has come up with an amazing quality of work. And my co-stars Anjali and Adah Sharma have added complete value,” he says.
Pawan’s Dream Come True
“I had seen Puneeth’s film Appu about 10 times at Padma theatre in Dharwad when I was studying in the 10th standard and have been a fan. Today, I feel that a fan’s wish has been fulfilled. My dream of making a film with a huge budget and with a star like Puneeth was only possible because of producers Jayanna and Bogendra. And they have raised the bar by releasing it all over India,” says Pawan, who has written the story, screenplay, dialogues and lyrics for two songs in the film.