Gandhada Gudi: Puneeth Rajkumar had seen the rough cut of the docu-feature and liked it, says director Amoghavarsha

In a few hours, the late Puneeth Rajkumar’s dream project, Gandhada Gudi, the docu-drama that he made with Wild Karnataka maker J Amoghavarsha, will be in theatres. The 1 hour 37-minute feature, which was shot in sync sound, had Puneeth and Amogha travel across the length and breadth of Karnataka to present unseen and hidden flora and fauna beauties of the state to viewers. This was the late Power Star’s gift to people, which he was immensely proud of.

Puneeth was excited about presenting the teaser of Gandhada Gudi on November 1 last year. Unfortunately, that was not to be, as he passed away on October 29, succumbing to a massive cardiac arrest. His widow Ashwini, who had accompanied him on some parts of the journey that was Gandhada Gudi and Amogha, were determined to ensure that Puneeth’s dream project reaches audiences, so, they announced it as a theatrical release.

Gandhada Gudi releases tomorrow in theatres on the eve of the actor’s first death anniversary. The paid premieres of the docu-feature, which has music by B Ajaneesh Loknath, were sold out within minutes of the bookings opening. Such is the love and craze for what will be Puneeth’s last onscreen outing. For Amogha, the greatest relief is knowing that Puneeth had seen the rough cut of the film before his demise. The filmmaker says that when Puneeth first approached him with the idea of collaborating, the idea was to do something that would let him be just Puneeth and not Kannada cinema’s Power Star. It also had to showcase his adventure-loving spirit.

“He had seen the rough cut and was quite thrilled with the output. This makes me happy that he liked what we had set out to do. Of course, since then, it has become even better. The response to the trailer was phenomenal and gave me the confidence that I have been able to deliver on what he envisioned,” said Amogha, speaking to an online news channel.