Puneeth Rajkumar interview: Power Star speaks about Nata Sarvabhouma, dubbing, KGF and more

Puneeth Rajkumar has collaborated with Pavan Wadeyar for their latest venture Nata Sarvabhouma. This is their second union after Rana Vikrama. The Sandalwood's Power Star is playing the role of a journalist in the Kannada flick, produced by Rockline Venkatesh.

In an exclusive interview with International Business Times, India, the actor, who is fondly called  Appu by his fans and well-wishers, speaks about Nata Sarvabhouma, handling stardom, dubbing issue and more. Read on...

The trailer left the viewers wondering about the genre of Nata Sarvabhouma. Is it a horror film and does it have a reincarnation story? What is the movie all about?
It is a cross-genre movie. I want people to go and watch it in the theatre. I would like to say that it is a proper Kannada entertaining movie. 

How did this movie with Pavan Wadeyar happen?
There has always been a plan to join hands after Rana Vikrama. We had discussed a couple of subjects, but things did not happen. This particular script was floating around for a very long time. After we planned to make a film on this script, Pavan came on board. The original script was written by Janardhan Maharshi. Rockline Venkatesh roped in a few scriptwriters to rework on the storyline. We have Mr Chethan who has written the dialogues.

Who coined the title, Nata Sarvabhouma, and were you hesitant to give nod to it considering its connect with Kannada cine goers?
A documentary with the title Nata Sarvabhouma was made on my father in the 1970s. Coming to this film, Pavan and Rockline Venkatesh came up with the name. Of course, I was hesitant because I was not comfortable having a people's favourite monicker of my father as the title of my movie. I sought the views of a few of my friends. I approved it after getting positive feedback from them. 

Can you please share a few words about the female leads?
It is always nice to be working with Rachita with whom it is my second film. We had a great time during the film. She is a hardworking girl and the other actress is Anupama Parameswaran. She is a talented actor who has worked in Telugu as well as Malayalam.

Kannada movies are crossing language barrier and finally, here is a time when our films are being watched by other language audience. One such example is KGF. What are your views on the growth of our industry?
It's good to see our movies cutting across all the barriers and reaching out to cine-goers from different languages. The KGF team had the vision. The production house, Hombale Films, director Prashanth Neel and Yash have made it a pan-India movie. It has paved way for many production houses to plan for pan-Indian movies now. It is a positive development in terms of getting identification and recognition. The reach of our movies will be much bigger from now on.

You have acted in a variety of roles, so far, in your career. Which is your dream role?
I don't have any dream role as such. I'm just 28-film-old and there are lots of roles that I would like to portray on screen, but for me to take up a film, the story excites me.

Dr Rajkumar's characters in mythological and historical roles had an ever-lasting impact on the viewers. Do you wish to do such roles?
I am interested provided I get the right kind of filmmaker to do it in Kannada. So, I would definitely do it.

Coming to a serious issue, what are your views on dubbing?
There is something called the law, you should obey it as a citizen. I don't know how far it affects the film market, but it could affect the television industry. Frankly speaking, I don't think it has made much difference to films, but the Kannada television industry might be badly hit if they start dubbing everything.

[Note: The words said by Puneeth Rajkumar have been re-framed for the better understanding of the readers.]

Watch the complete Interview below as he reveals more about handling success, his fitness secrets and more: