The man behind the scene

Alive he is, in the heart and soul of the Kannada film industry. And in his absence too, Dr Rajkumar continues to guide the industry through the sheer power of memories about him.

His sons and daughters have now taken time off to put together an intimate portrayal of the emperor of Kannada cinema.  

They have put in their seven years of efforts into the book, The Person Behind the Personality, which promises to be a visual treat bearing rare pictures of Dr Rajkumar. The book has captured some of the best moments in the life of the legend.

A pre-show of the book will be held in the City on April 24. The Rajkumar clan and the who’s who of the Kannada film industry will be present at the show.

Talking about the book, Puneeth Rajkumar says, “The book has been on my mind for a while now. I am a big fan of my father and I wanted to put together some of the best moments of his life in the classiest way possible. The book has some rare photographs, letters and little interesting anecdotes on a legend called Rajkumar.” Puneeth and his kin had travelled far and wide to meet and interact with people close to appaji. The result is a mine of information about the different facets that made Rajkumar.

The book has pictures and memorable recollections by members of the Rajkumar family. His sons, daughters, daughters-in-law and sons-in-law have all contributed to the
making of the book.

 “We’ve managed to knit together about 6,500 rare  pictures. We have generously borrowed from Appaji’s biography, written in Kannada in 1974 by Battara, a  confidant of Dr Rajkumar. There are some interesting pictures as well. The book is 70 per cent pictures and 30 per cent text,” says Prakruthi N Banwasi, who has been an integral part of the making of the book.

The pre-launch will feature a video that will portray the first 113 pages of the book,
the contents of which have been conceived and designed by Puneeth.

“This will give one an insight into the historical perspective of Rajkumar, his early life and a peep into his career,” adds Prakruthi.

The book will be printed in two formats. A smaller, more affordable one, is meant for the common man. The bigger book will be a collector’s item. The book is slated for a
November launch.