Exclusive! Seeing my clicks of Puneeth is heart-breaking, but they are part of the bond I had with him: Chandan Gowda

One person who almost had unfettered access to the late Puneeth Rajkumar in the last few years – beside his circle of close family and friends – has got to be Chandan Gowda. A techie with a passion for photography, a chance encounter with the Power Star at a mutual friend’s sister’s wedding became an unforgettable bond, turning Chandan into Puneeth’s personal photographer for his films, events and family occasions.

“I had clicked a picture of Puneeth at the friend’s sister’s wedding back in 2014 or 2015, which was shared with him. Puneeth really liked my images and this became my entry point not only into the Rajkumar family, but films as well. Raganna (Raghavendra Rajkumar) asked me to use my photography skills in films and that’s how I gave up five years as an Oracle DBA at IBM to concentrate only on my passion,” says Chandan.

His first assignment with Puneeth was a BESCOM ad that the late actor had done with Ramya. “It would not be wrong to say I was like his personal photographer. He’d call me every time he tried a new costume and I’d click his pictures. Soon enough, I also became a part of his production banner, PRK Productions, working on the still photography of his in-house films like Mayabazaar, French Biryani, etc. Most of the advertisements that he was a part of also feature my pictures, as he would refer me to those clients,” explains the photographer, adding, “I was the still photographer for the Bengaluru portions of Raajakumara, but two films that I was on set from start-to-finish were Natasaarvabhowma and James. Interestingly, I appear in minor scenes in both these films.”

Over time, Chandan has worked with the extended family too, especially Raghavendra’s son Vinay’s films, as well as some of Sriimurali’s official and personal pictures. “From only having a mutual friend with Puneeth, my bond has grown to becoming like a part of this family. Any event, I was there with them. Even when the family, including Shivanna, Puneeth, Vinay, Yuva, Dheeren Ramkumar, etc., began meeting up on weekends to play cricket or football, I was there to capture all the action. Nothing missed my lens,” says Chandan. But how did that bond develop, because Chandan was a rank outsider up until 2014? “Honestly, I don’t know… it just happened very organically. But then Puneeth’s biggest trait was his ability to strike a conversation with anyone and give them the respect they deserve,” he says, adding that the relationship was such that he’d meet members of the family, be it Raghavendra, Vinay or Puneeth, at least 4-5 times a week (Raghavendra and Puneeth have adjoining homes in Sadashivnagar, Bengaluru).

Working on James, also meant that Chandan, was among the few who spent the last few months of Puneeth’s life with him, including during the Kashmir schedule. “We celebrated my birthday on the set of James, which is something I will never forget. Two days prior to his demise, director Chethan Kumar and I were at Puneeth’s house for a special green mat shoot. This was supposed to be done in a studio, but for reasons best known to him, he asked us to come to his place and do it on the lawn outside. Later that day, I was with him at the Bhajarangi 2 pre-release event and that was the last time I saw him alive,” he says.

After Puneeth’s demise, Chandan had shared a collection of his clicks of the late actor on social media. “Yes, I had made about 150-odd pictures public for the benefit of his fans. Honestly, seeing them now is quite heart-breaking, but they are a part of the beautiful relationship I shared with him. In fact, there are a few images that I have not revealed anywhere yet, and I am looking at having an exhibition soon at a gallery in Bengaluru. Once I get Ashwini (Puneeth’s wife) ma’am’s permission, I will get it done,” he signs off.