'No film of mine has lived up to my expectations'

Sandalwood actor Puneeth Rajkumar has grabbed several eyeballs with his performance in Ninnindale, which has been running successfully for over a month now.

However, he tells Metrolife that he isn’t thrilled with the film. “The movie didn’t live up to people’s expectations. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll be honest and say that no film of mine has lived up to my expectations,” he says in a candid moment.

“But from my side, I work hard and try to give a better performance each time,” he points out.

Puneeth has his hands full at the moment. Currently, shooting for a yet-to-be-titled film directed by K Madesh, which is likely to release in April, he is also working on Rana Vikrama directed by Pawan Wadeyar. The star recently protested with the rest of the Kannada film industry against the dubbing of movies from other language industries in Kannada.

Ask him if the one-day protest helped and he says, “I guess the rally has worked so far. But we still have to wait and watch.”

Puneeth, who was at the inauguration of the online auction of the Skeleton Bike he used in ‘Anna Bond’, says that he doesn’t ride bikes. “I’m not a great biker. Actually, those extra fixtures and fittings make little difference to me,” he says, adding, “I remember falling a couple of times during the shooting of the film. But that shouldn’t be a reason for people to not bid for it!”

Recalling the 1960s movie Naa Ninna Mareyalaare in which his father played a biker who is into racing, Puneeth says, “The filming of the chase was phenomenal. It was of such high-quality.” However, he warns that safety precautions should be taken while riding.

“It’s very important to be safe,” he says. At the same time, he recalls the adventure sports he performed in Ninnindale with co-star Erica Fernandes, “It’s important for such sports to be handled professionally. But I’m not saying that they shouldn’t take place in India,” he says. The actor, who is also a popular singer, says that at the moment, films are his priority.

“There’s nothing in the pipeline regarding singing yet,” he says.