Days after he was roped in to the play the lead in ‘French Biryani’ produced by Puneeth Rajkumar, comedian and anchor Danish Sait walked up to the star and asked him: “Anna, why don’t you produce your own films? Why invest in us and risk the return?”
Puneeth’s reply stumped him. “Danny,” he said, “it takes one generation to set up another, our people (the audience) should always be entertained.”
Puneeth was keen on identifying and promoting new talent in the Kannada film industry and did not have a blinkered approach, Sait said. Puneeth started his own production house, Parvathamma Rajkumar Productions, but roped in others to act in movies produced under the banner.
“I am devastated now, heartbroken and, honestly, at a loss for words,” said the comic, popular for his typically Kannada sketches. “There used to this child-like innocence and passion for life when you met him.”
In the initial stages of making ‘French Biryani’, when the team went to Puneeth to discuss it, the actor not only decided to produce it, but also read the whole script. “One could talk about Spanish, Iranian and Korean films and Appu anna would know about them.”
Sait recently married with just 14 guests in attendance; Puneeth was one of them. “He gave me life advice: entertain people, but always come back home to family and spend time with them.”
