Kannada's Puneet, Suri unite for Jackie

Puneet Rajkumar's 14th Kannada film will be directed by Suri of Duniya fame.

Both the actor and director are mighty excited about the project. The film has been titled Jackie and will be produced by Vajreshwari Combines, which is Puneet's home production.

"We wanted Suri to direct a movie for us and talks regarding this have been on for over two and a half years. But things were finalised only recently. Writing the script for Jackie took around six months. Shooting will commence shortly," says producer Raghavendra Rajkumar.

He was also all praise for Suri's open-minded approach to cinema.

"It is very easy to discuss things with Suri. There has been enough scope for exchange of ideas. Rather than compromising on our ideas, we convinced each other about our stand. There was clarity on both sides. His technical team is an added advantage," he adds.

Suri returned the compliment. "Appu (Puneet) is one of my favourite actors. I like his fights in particular and look forward to making a good film with him," he says.

He also recalled how after watching Duniya, the Rajkumar brothers had invited him home and presented him with a shawl that belonged to late actor Rajkumar.

"My family and I enjoyed watching Duniya. I wished I was a part of that project. My desire to work with him doubled after I watched Inthi Ninna Preethiya. Jackie is surely one of my pet projects," says Puneet.

The film will see Puneet in an action role. It is the story of a boy, Jackie, who becomes rough and tough due to certain circumstances in his life. The team promises a realistic feel to the film.

Playing Jackie's love interest is Bhavana. While the actress is not new to Tamil and Malayalam industries, it is her first Kannada film.

"I play Lakshmi, an innocent and bubbly girl. My character is similar to what I played in my earlier film Veyil. It's a great opportunity to work with Puneet, who is a big star," says Bhavana.

Hariskrishna is the music director. There are five songs in the movie. Yograj Bhatt and Jayanth Kaikini have written the lyrics. The 95-day shoot will take place in Bangalore, Mysore, Kushalnagar and Gujarat.  

The 'mahurat' of the film was recently held at the Kanteerava studio. All of Puneet's movies announced under his home banner are usually launched at his house. But this time the function was held at the studio as his house was being renovated.

Actors Ravichandran, Aindrita Ray and Jaggesh, producer Rockline Venkatesh and directors Guruprasad and Chaitanya came by to wish the team luck.