'Kannada cinema will go places': Suneel Puranik

While he is a well-known face in Kannada daily soaps, Suneel Puranik is no stranger to the big screen either. He plays Upendra's brother in Sandalwood's latest big-budget release Kabzaa and jokes about being unrecognisable after adopting an “unique look” for his character in the film.

“The experience of shooting for the film was fantastic because the director, R Chandru, has a great attention to detail,” Puranik tells Showtime. He expects Kabzaa to open the doors for more exciting opportunities in his career. With several pan-India films expected to come out this year from Sandalwood, Puranik feels the Kannada film industry is sure to stand out from the rest.

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The 14th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) is currently underway at three venues in the city. Puranik opined that more Kannada films must regularly be showcased in other reputed film festivals as well. “We need to work towards a reality where other film festivals are also compelled to dedicate a separate section for Kannada films,” he says.

As the former chairman of the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA), Puranik says he is proud of the work he did during his tenure, which included popularising the medical fund set aside for film industry workers and conducting a 20-day filmmaking course for students belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in Mandya.

“During the pandemic, for six months, I worked with the Academy staff to provide food coupons worth Rs 3,000 to everyone working in the film industry and deliver them door-to-door to aged people. This is one of the most satisfying things I have done as the chairman of KCA,” he says.

However, the Kannada film archives and museum — which was his dream project aimed to preserve and display the rich history of the industry — was set to open during his tenure but hasn’t been inaugurated to date.

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His previous directorial project Kappu Gulabi was shelved a few years ago after an accident on the film's sets. Around 80 per cent of the film's shoot was complete. “It's unfortunate that I couldn't complete the film. It was based on a fantastic story and I truly loved making it,” he rues. He plans to get back to direction again in late 2023 or early 2024.

Fascinated by the work of young talents in Kannada, Puranik admits that he wants to work with everyone because "there is a lot to learn from them".

“Prashanth Neel (KGF fame) has taken the first step to show the world what Kannada industry has to offer. I am also very fascinated with Rishab Shetty’s (Kantara) selection of content. So I would love to work with him and also Hombale Films,” he says.

While he is looking forward to working with his son and filmmaker Sagar Puranik, who he calls “a very talented and technically qualified director”, he acknowledges that it might be a little difficult because it is a different dynamic on the sets.