A sultry July afternoon in Kumbalgodu, off Mysore Road (near Big Banyan tree), actor Shivarajkumar was shooting for his next project ‘Satya in Love’, on campus at the BGS College. A two-day chase for an interview, finally gave us 15 minutes with the actor on location. But Shivanna was more than happy to spend over half hour sharing his thoughts on his recently released biography Mutturajana Muttu written by film journalist Sadashiv Shenoy. Excerpts:

Why the name
‘Mutturajana Muttu’?

It was the choice made by Sadashiv Shenoy sir. And I think he has named it appropriately. There is a reason behind it—Appaji’s (my father) first name was Mutturaj, so I am one among Appaji’s three pearls. I was born a special pearl for mother and Appaji, after eight years of their marriage.

Did you expect your own biography?
Absolutely not. No one approached me to write about myself!.

Who inspired you to bring out your biography?
Sadashiv sir himself. I think it’s a pleasant relationship and affection between an actor and a journalist which lead him to take such decision.

Did you have any problems during the making of the biography?
No... I didn’t have any problems, but Sadashiv sir must have had a lot of problems. But he has a lot of patience. He waited for me and discussed with me, even travelled with me in my vehicle.

Do you think your biography will be useful to your fans?
Absolutely. My fans now have an opportunity to know more about me clearly, because I couldn’t lie or hide anything in this biography. This book not only talks about my film career, but also has recorded moments from my life right from my birth to the present and Sadashiv sir has reflected the events in my life as they are.

What was your family’s response to your biography?
My whole family, including me, of course, is very happy. There was a sense of euphoria when the biography was released.... We will never forget this.

Did you miss your Appaji?
Certainly... he would have been very happy. He loved his fans throughout his life, even donated his eyes to a fan. He truly belonged to Karnataka.

Your comments on Sadashiv Shenoy?
I can never forget his efforts to write my biography. He took an interest in my life to bring out an unforgettable book. I am grateful to him.

You have acted in so many films. Is there any specific role you still want to enact?
An actor has thousand roles to play. There is no end to the roles he /she portrays. As actors, we want to do more and more roles. I hold my role in the my first film ‘Anand’  very close to my heart, as it gave me platform to enter the film industry.

Rajkumar’s films were all family oriented and carried social messages, but nowadays films don’t seem to have such messages. Comment.

Every film does have a message. But nowadays, with so much stress around, people want only entertainment and a good film for the three hours they spend in a theatre. After that, they forget about it (smiles, as he signals an end to the conversation).