Legendary ode to namma Annavaru
A first of its kind in the world, this biography claims to be among the largest ever written on the life of an actor
By : shashiprasad sm
Update: 2015-10-21 00:19 GMT
There is a famous saying in Sandalwood — Aadu muttada soppilla, Annavaru madada patravilla (which translates to — there are no greens/leaves which the goat has not eaten and likewise there is no character which Annavaru has not performed/portrayed). A true legend — matinee idol, the late Dr Rajkumar was an inspiration for many and this is not just due to his 212 amazing movies with a 99.99 per cent success rate. Annavaru remains an iconic figure, but his early life was one of struggle and dedication. And this led to his disciplined and remarkable acting career. Inspired by the legend himself, Doddahullur Rukkoji, a film critic, dreamt of a magnanimous venture of bringing out a mammoth biography on Dr Rajkumar to life. This dream is finally coming true — after 25 years of conceptualising the book and literally working like a one man army for almost 16 years he will release the biography — Dr Rajkumar, Samagra Charitre. Bengaluru Chronicle reports on the uniqueness of the biography which is set to be released soon.
A first of its kind in the world, this biography claims to be among the largest ever written on the life of an actor. Rukkoji’s dream will be released in two volumes — each with over 1,000 pages and 4,000 photographs!
Of the several people who assisted Rukkoji, in their own way in achieving this near impossible task, BN Subramanya, a film critic says, “When it was finally finished, the first batch of the two volumes were published, it took two trucks for transportation! It is nothing short of an encyclopedia on the actor. It has all the genuine information about the actor, most of which has never been heard before. It is a detailed description on the life of the multifaceted actor with never seen photographs. The author has invested almost '1 crore and a major part of his life gathering vital information from sources. The book reveals relatively unknown aspects of Dr Rajkumar — Before his dream run, he used to perform as a classical singer to support his family, and even acted in plays.”
During the release of a handbook on the biography earlier, Rukkoji had revealed that this special journey began as an academic endeavour 15 years ago, when he chose the topic for his PhD. However, after he realised that it was a task beyond just a doctorate — a complete and detailed, comprehensive biography was born. So far, there are at least 75 books written about the actor, but this one is simply incomparable, claiming to be at par with international standards.
The book divulges details about his life — the cultural heritage of the state, his forefathers, theatre background, childhood and teenage years (depicted through cartoons), entry into films — which includes the exciting journey of his debut film Bedara Kannappa.
The books has an exclusive 14-page narrative on his debut film too. It also delves into the actor’s emotions — After the sad demise of Dr Raj Kumar’s father, the late actor was so distraught, that the thought of suicide too crossed his mind.
The characters he has played with such finesse, his extraordinary singing abilities, his belief in the almighty, philosophy, meditation and yoga, his public life, awards and appreciation, about his fans, close associates, his huge family, and members, the kidnapping incident, his last days — this is a detailed ode to the man of Kannada cinema. Depicting a legend both on and off screen, one who has a special place in the heart of every Kannadiga — Namma Annavaru has finally gotten a book befitting his larger than life image.