‘Puneeth Rajkumar was daring as ever in the wild’

Filmmaker Amoghavarsha opens up to Vivek M V about filming ‘Gandhada Gudi’, a docudrama, with the Sandalwood superstar

'Gandhada Gudi’, a docudrama starring Puneeth Rajkumar, hits the screens worldwide on October 28, a day before the Kannada superstar’s first death anniversary.

The film’s breathtaking visuals from the trailer show the stunning flora and fauna of Karnataka. It has Puneeth travelling in the wild with director and wildlife photographer Amoghavarsha.

Amoghavarsha

The filmmaker spoke to Showtime about the much-anticipated film. Excerpts:

Puneeth Rajkumar wanted the whole country to talk about this project. Was this aspect the driving force of ‘Gandhada Gudi’?

The common factor for both of us was the love for the land and the language. The crucial thing for us was that Karnataka has the highest number of elephants and tigers in the world, and this is something that the world needs to know. So our idea stemmed from a point of pride.

The title reminds people of Dr Rajkumar’s 1973 classic...

That was the first film in the country that discussed conservation of forests. I’m talking about a film made 50 years ago and we have only been hearing about climate change in the last 10-20 years. So we are far ahead in terms of our thought process. As kids, it was the first time we saw wild animals like elephants on screen. So there is a legacy of loving our wildlife and our passion is drawn from it.

How different is ‘Gandhada Gudi’ from ‘Wild Karnataka’? Both of them talk about the state’s wildlife...

This film is in a unique format and is filmed with a new technology. I have not seen a film of this format because it’s shot in cinema style. It’s got songs and music. But at the same time, everything you see is real. The idea is to offer people a special experience. On top of it, people will be transported to a new world through Puneeth’s eyes.

Why don’t we see more wildlife docudramas in the mainstream space? We have reality shows that almost trivialise the genre...

We Indians consume content very differently. We are very musical and cinematic. We are an emotive audience. Also, there are a lot of over-the-edge reality shows that people are not liking anymore as well. I think a lot of the shows that I have refused to work on were not in the right format. I feel it does more harm than good.

‘Gandhada Gudi’ has an eastern viewpoint. We cannot separate people and wildlife. People live with snakes and birds very commonly throughout the state and country. So the film, for me, is a big experiment as we are trying to show an eastern perspective of things.

A star being part of such a film boosts the visibility of the genre...

Any content for that matter, without a face, is still very hard for people to palate. Audience for pure natural film history is limited. But with somebody like Appu (Puneeth), who has the love and affection of so many people, it helps to make the product more visible. People are sure to get connected emotionally with his personal journey.

How did Puneeth’s love for sports and adventure help during the shoot?

Most of the film was shot in remote areas. You need to be extremely fit to be in these places. We had to hike a lot, swim and dive. He was ready for everything. Him being him, he would say yes for everything.

What were your worries while working with a superstar in a project that has quite a bit of risk-taking involved?

To be honest, I was slightly skeptical when I started the project because taking a superstar into the wild is not a joke. We had very minimal facilities there. We had to ensure we wore a certain colour of clothing, like the kind of black we wore. That said, we can’t prepare for everything as nature has its own way of
operating. We travelled with a very small crew, and that helped. There were places where there was no electricity and cell phone network. We had to take a lot of precautions. But he was up for everything and I never felt like I was shooting with a star.

Puneeth is known for his humour. You seem to have had a fun time shooting with him...

It’s an organic project. It’s not a project where you can put a rigid structure. The more rigidity you put to a project, you kind of reduce its ability. This film is actually like two friends talking all along in the wild. A lot of times, we didn’t know whether the camera was rolling or not. There are several candid moments between us in the film.