Sandalwood Suddi: #DrRajkumars Dream Comes true after 40years... 15 chief ministers changed before Kannada actors managed to get a building constructed for their association Thursday marked the fulfilment of a nearly four decade-old dream of Kannada film actors. A grand building that will house the Karnataka Cine Artistes’ Association (KCCA) was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at Chamrajpet. Instead of running like a thriller film, the construction saga went on like a mega TV serial for various reasons. The dream of Rajkumar was in the end fulfilled by Rockline Venkatesh and Doddanna. KCAA was allotted land for their building in the early 80s by the then chief minister Gundu Rao. Siddaramaiah is the 15th chief minister since then. The land allotted in Jayanagar was a civic amenity site and there was opposition from some locals against allotting it to the actors’ body. KCAA had to get involved in a legal battle that went up to the Supreme Court. The artistes lost the case. Rajkumar was the president of the association then. For the next decade, there was no progress. But in the late 90s, the JH Patel government gave the KCAA an alternate site in Chamrajpet. Right opposite the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, the Kannada actors could not have asked for a better location. The land was leased to the KCAA and one of the conditions was that they should commence construction of the building by December 2008. Once again nothing happened for years and with just months to go for the 2008 deadline, the actors swung into action. Top stars of the industry met at the West End Hotel and committed Rs 3 crore. The construction of the buliding in the nearly half acre land began in 2008. Actors who had till then kept away from the running of the association came forward to take over the reins. However, only Rs 12 lakh out of the Rs 3 crore commitment was met. Work stopped for sometime. In 2009, the KCAA started a membership drive to shore up money. Membership was made compulsory and hiked to Rs 50,000. At that point of time there were only 400 members in the association while the actual number of active actors was estimated at 1,000. The plan for the four-storied building at a cost of Rs 8 core looked an impossible task. It was at this time that Rockline Venkatesh and Doddanna emerged the knights in shining armour for the KCAA. The duo took over not only the day-to-day activities of the association but became the driving force behind the project. It has taken them nearly 10 years to complete it, but for everyone who saw it on Thursday, it was a dream that turned into reality in the best way possible. Article