Kannada actor-producer Shivarajkumar has expressed displeasure over the removal of James, his brother Puneeth Rajkumar’s last film, from the theatres. A significant number of theatres in Karnataka decided to discontinue the screening of James, making way for SS Rajamouli’s big-budget RRR on Friday.
RRR, the period drama, features Jr NTR and Ram Charan in the lead roles.
The actor, speaking at the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, said that it was disheartening to see the removal of a movie that is doing well at the box office.
The actor stated that sharing screens across theatres has always been an issue, and it is difficult to say who is right or wrong in this matter. Shivarajkumar also said that James is pulling a significant number of audiences to theatres and will continue to be screened across 270 multiplexes and theatres.
Released in March this year, James was directed by Chethan Kumar. It features the late Puneeth Rajkumar and Priya Anand in the lead roles.
James has been a huge commercial success at the box office and broke the record for the highest box office collections for a Kannada film on the day of its release, collecting Rs 36 crore. The movie clocked a box office collection of Rs 140 crores within five days of its release.
Puneet Rajkumar appeared in numerous popular Kannada films, including Abhi, Veera Kannadiga, Mourya, Aakash, Ajay, Arasu, Vamshi, and Raam among others. He was also ranked among the highest-paying actors in the Kannada Cinema.
The actor succumbed to a cardiac arrest in October last year following which the government of Karnataka announced to posthumously honour him with Karnataka Ratna, the highest civilian award in the state.
