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Muthappa Rai: Here's a look at the don who's the subject of director Ram Gopal Varma's 'Appa'

Produced by N Kumar, the movie ‘Appa’ will be made in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. It is set to start rolling in December.

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Nettala Muthappa Rai (R), commonly known as Muthappa Rai, walks out of the Central Bureau of Investigation office in Bangalore after interrogation 30 May 2002.
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Controversial director Ram Gopal Varma is busy shooting a film on Karnataka’s reformed don Muthappa Rai with actor Kiccha Sudeep in the lead. He has titled the movie ‘Appa’. But who is Muthappa Rai? Here's a brief look at the famous Don and the life he has led over the last 20 years.

The Don’s Arrest

Muthappa Rai was one of Karnataka’s most wanted criminals who left Bangalore in 1996. In 1994, Rai was shot five times by a man dressed as a lawyer when he had appeared in court. Rai was bedridden for two years post the attack on his life. After this attempt on his life, Muthappa Rai is believed to have contacted Dawood through his man Sharad Shetty. He moved to Dubai in 1996. 

The Don had many cases in his name in cities across Karnataka at the time. In fact, he allegedly played a key role in the elimination of underworld don MP Jairaj and was also named in the murder of Oil Kumar alias Boot House Kumar.

Apparently, from Dubai, Rai was running pharmaceutical companies in Africa and had his fingers in the realty market in Karnataka as well as other businesses. He is accused of having been involved in thr shooting of Bangalore realtor Subbaraju in 2001 as he didn’t comply with Rai’s wish.

The Karnataka police approached the Dubai government officials to hand over Rai then but because extradition treaty wasn’t signed between the two countries till 1999, Rai couldn’t be brought back to India. He was eventually extradited and arrested in Bangalore in 2002.

The Reformation

On February 12, 2008, Muthappa Rai announced to the medioa that he was going to reform himself and had set up an organisation called ‘Jaya Karnataka’. This organisation would work for the welfare of rural Kannadigas he stated. In his note in the Jaya Karnataka website, Rai writes, “'Sthavarakke Allivuntu – Jangamage Allivilla' is a popular quote by Basavanna that means ‘Immovable always has an end, but movable has no end.’ The quote itself gives a reason why the then great personalities like Basavanna, Dr Baba Saheb, Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, KuVenPu, Prof M D Nanjundaswamy, and Dr Raj Kumar still live in the hearts of common men. The principles and values of these personalities set an example in our lives to form a new model state with right intention and goal.”

The Don today

On April 28, 2013, Muthappa Rai’s wife, Rekha Rai, passed away at Mt Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. She had been hospitalised for a while there. They have two sons Rakhi and Rikki. The elder son was stated to be handling their hotel business abroad. 

Today, Muthappa Rai is a successful entrepreneur and social activist. But he still has extensive security when he steps out of his house in Bidadi just outside Bangalore. As for his businesses, he continues to dabble in real estate and has a 200-scre agricultural cultivation. Horses and horse-racing are another passion of his and he has more than 40 horses. In 2014, he even planned to buy some horses from Ireland but he stated to media then that his passport was still with the police and he couldn’t travel out of the country.

On October 24, the former don inaugurated Jaya Karnataka’s ‘Yuva Sammilana’ in Mangaluru. At the event, Rai stated that his organisation and the youth in his organisation should fight against corrupt officials and the corrupt system. He also told them not to take the ‘wrong path’, become good leaders and serve the needy in the state. 

Ram Gopal Varma’s Appa

The director met Muthappa Rai in July this year before he embarked on his film on him. RGV took to social media to talk about him. Produced by N Kumar, the movie ‘Appa’ will be made in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. It is set to start rolling in December.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesser known facts about Muthappa Rai:
  • The Don appeared as himself in a 2011 Tulu film titled Kanchilada Baale. 
  • 'The Wired' stated that Muthappa Rai’s home is opulent and filled with ‘gold ornaments and crystal chandeliers’.
  • He is a fan of boxing.
  • He likes Baahubali director SS Rajamouli. 
  • He has two sons, Rakhi and Rikki.

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