Dr. RajKumar was laid to rest yesterday amidst scenes which has never been witnessed in any other funeral before. For an outsider, it might look strange and even exaggerated to see people pouring emotions like this for a film actor. Some might even make blatant statements like South Indians treat their actors like demi-gods. But there is no denying that everyone who has been in Bangalore for the last couple of days have been effected emotionally whether they knew Dr. Raj or not. Some chose to express it violently while multitudes chose to pray and grieve in silence. There might also be a minority which was terrified to step out of the house.
Dr. RajKumar was just another actor who happened to have more hits than flops - This is the way I had perceived him to be until April 12, 2006. But something [I still dont know what] changed that perception and I too got swept away in this way of emotions which had assumed the proportions of a tsunami at least in Bangalore. I even got ready to visit Kanteerava stadium for one last glimpse of that great soul but my family members locked me up :(
Dr. Raj is more than an actor to Kannadigas. He started his film career in the nascent days of Independent India and during the formation of Karnataka state. This could have shaped his maniacal love for Kannada and Karnataka. He opposed dubbing other language movies into Kannada in 50s and 60s. For a person who is media-shy, he jumped into the center stage for the cause of Kannada during the famous Gokak movement in early 80s. He has portrayed Karnataka and Kannada in all his movies. According to my parents, most of his movies were shot entirely in Karnataka except for the recent ones which had some scenes from Kashmir. [I cannot dispute that because until 80s my parents saw every movie of Dr. Raj first day, first show.]. He is one actor who refused to act in any other language other than Kannada. In the 60s, several of his contemporaries like Kalyan Kumar, Uday kumar started acting in Telugu and Tamil movies because of the dearth of opportunities in Kannada industry. Even Vishnuvardhan had hopes of making it to Bollywood. But Dr. Raj, being a principled person, stayed true to Kannada. Perhaps, this is another reason for Kannadigas to hold him dearly to their hearts. There are several anecdotes and events that a lot of people have been narrating in the last few days to show that Dr. Raj was indeed a great lover of Karnataka. Kannadigas are not fanatics when it comes to movies and film stars, unlike the neighboring states. In Bangalore, most of Dr. Raj’s fans are the middle class and the educated lot. This class of people are not ones who blindly mimic what Dr. Raj does or breathe and live like Dr. Raj. They liked him because he was a good actor, his movies had substance and above all it did not use cheap gimmicks like vulgarity or violence to promote box office revenues. His movies can be enjoyed by the entire family even today.
Adulation is something that affects every human being. Most get carried away (eg. Salman) and start acting like demi-gods, or rather gods. But Dr. Raj was a simple and humble person. He practised what he preached. Given that he was locked into the hearts and souls of millions of people, he could have got into politics and taken any post including the Chief Minister post if he desired. He could have started acting like the custodian of Bangalore and Karnataka like some pseudo-leaders do (read Deve Gowda) these days. But, he scorned at all these, because in his own words - ’’He was placed on the King’s throne in the hearts of millions of people. So any other position looks relatively cheap because the King doesnt need to politick’’. He never drank, smoke or glorified anything that could harm society in his movies and even in his real life he practised the same. This is why his reel life mirrors real life. He treated everyone with same humility regardless of whether they were rich or poor, famous or common. He was also media-shy. He didnt go about giving expansive interviews in the media for promoting himself, his family or movies. But the more he shied away from public, the more they liked him and respected him. He too returned the favor by not doing anything that could harm their sentiments. It is truly amazing in this day and age and that too in a ’’hi-tech’’ and capitalistic-minded city like Bangalore to see people showering so much love and affection on one person. Most of the businesses downed shutters voluntarily as a mark of respect to this great hero.
Dr. Raj was a person who belonged to Karnataka and its 5 crore population. He stayed that way till his last step. His burial was a literal stampede where even his wife and family members were not allowed a decent final glimpse of his face. He was submerged and buried in the sea of his fans. He probably would have enjoyed all this from above and wouldnt have liked any other way of cremation. Karnataka lost one of its greatest sons but the legend and the soul of Dr. Raj will on for years to come. He will remain the golden man (Bangaarada Manushya) and son of the soil (Mannina Maga) forever.
Adieu, Annavare! I hope that we can cherish your ideals and follow your foot steps and keep the Karnataka flag flying high.
Siri gannadum gelge || Siri gannadum balge ||