Dr Rajkumar’s long-lost autobiography now in book form

Decades after it first appeared as a serialised column in a film magazine, the definitive autobiography of Kannada matinee idol Dr Rajkumar was officially released on his 20th death anniversary on Sunday. 

At the event to release Kathanayakana Kathe (The Hero’s Story), Dr Rajkumar’s son and actor Shivarajkumar; Chi Gurudutt, actor and nephew of autobiographer Chi Dattaraj; writer Baraguru Ramachandrappa and senior film personalities Jayamala and Bhargava were present. 

The journey to bring out this book was nothing short of a cinematic thriller. 

Prof A S Prabhakar, coordinator of the Dr Rajkumar Study Chair at Kannada University, Hampi, detailed the arduous hunt for the original manuscripts. 

The autobiography was originally narrated by Dr Rajkumar to Dattaraj — brother of legendary lyricist Chi Udayashankar — and published in 94 episodes in the magazine Vijayachitra between 1975 and 1984.

However, finding the physical copies proved nearly impossible. 

“We first looked toward Chennai, only to learn that the Vijayachitra archives had been destroyed in a fire,” recounted Prabhakar, who compiled the work.

“We then approached
(book collector) Anke Gowda, but the copies he held had already been
lent out for a web series project. We even tracked down the
family of a former makeup man, only to be told by them that his collection had been discarded in a dustbin after his passing”. 

The breakthrough came via two ardent fans in Rajajinagar, Ravishankar and Raju. The duo had preserved the magazines like sacred relics, but were initially hesitant to part with them. 

“They interrogated us in ‘police-style’ for two hours,” Prabhakar joked.

“They wanted to ensure we weren’t doing this for profit or personal fame. Once convinced, they asked us to meet them at Dr Rajkumar’s samadhi. They placed the magazines on the memorial, performed puja and then handed them over to us”. 

The project received its final boost when Guru Dutt, nephew of Dattaraj, discovered nearly 1,000 pages of the original handwritten manuscript by his uncle. This find ensured that the book stayed true to Annavru’s original voice. 

Prof Ramachandrappa said Dr Rajkumar remained perhaps the only Indian actor to have inspired hundreds of scholarly works.

He described him as a ‘Praja Pratibhe’ (citizens’ talent), who portrayed various dimensions of human life on the silver screen. 

He emphasised that works like Kathanayakana Kathe are not just books, but historical records of a man who transformed from a simple actor into a cultural institution of Karnataka. 

Shivarajkumar pointed out an irony that defines his father’s greatness. “My father only studied till class 3. Yet today, a university (Hampi University) has brought out the book. That is the power of his legacy”.