Gandhada Gudi: Late Puneeth Rajkumar’s wildlife docu-feature to release on October 28

In October last year, Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar excitedly tweeted about a passion project of his. During the pandemic, Puneeth had shot a wildlife docu-feature about the forests of Karnataka along with J Amoghavarsha, which had the actor exploring the state’s best flora and fauna. The trailer was to be released on November 1, after which he was rearing to talk to the media about it. But that was not to be, as the actor’s life was tragically cut short when he succumbed to a massive cardiac arrest on October 29.

In the time since, Amoghavarsha has repeatedly said that Gandhada Gudi would be brought to theatres, as it was Puneeth’s dream project. But there was no official release date. It was speculated that the makers would aim for a November 1 release, given that it was the date chosen for the trailer last year.

Today, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, the late actor’s widow, announced that Gandhada Gudi will be in theatres on October 28. Puneeth’s tribute to the land that showered immense love on him will release as his family and fans come together to mark one year of his demise. It’s a befitting gesture to celebrate the late actor, for who Gandhada Gudi meant a great deal.

Speaking at the trailer launch last year, Amoghavarsha had said, “Although we are sad that Puneeth is not around anymore, fulfilling his dream of releasing Gandhada Gudi is the best way to celebrate and honour him. My effort has been to present this project, which I would define as experiential cinema, exactly as he envisioned. As mentioned in the teaser, this is a film that is based on true events. There are some stories that we see or hear, but there are others that we experience and that is what Gandhada Gudi is about. Truth be told, it is difficult to explain what this film is, but suffice to say that it is something that has to be experienced on the big screen.”