Female fans make a beeline for one last glimpse of Puneeth Rajkumar

As fans turned up in lakhs at the Kanteerava stadium from various parts of Karnataka to catch a glimpse of their favourite actor Puneeth, what caught the attention of many was the large population of women and young girls waiting in line to pay their last respects to the power star.

'Appu' was not just the heartthrob of youngsters, but even earned love and affection of elders and women.

The affection was so much that many even chose to skip voting in constituencies that went to byelections and landed in Bengaluru to pay their respects.

Hundreds of female fans in their mid-40s had come in large numbers from various districts to pay homage to their icon.

Watching him since their childhood, many had even named their children after his screen names, a testimony to the profound influence the actor had on their lives.

"I named my son 'Vamshi' after being inspired by his acting in a movie by the same name. Even though my in-laws were not happy with the film, as Appu's character was related to the underworld, I did not mind. It was the mother-son sentiment and bonding that influenced me," said Premalatha, a fan from Tumakuru. Yamuna Bai from Ramanagara, 75, was inconsolable.

"God is so cruel, he could have taken me instead of Puneeth. What is there for me to achieve at this age, why is fate so cruel?"

'Appu' has always been a common name in a majority of households in Karnataka.

"When our son was born, we named him Yashwanth, but when we were looking for a pet name, nothing but Appu came to our mind. He is 17 years old now, but we still call him Appu," said Anupama, a fan.

Rukmini, a fan from Chitradurga who had come with her entire family, said, "The first song I taught my son was 'Kanadante Mayavadanu Namma Shiva...' from Puneeth's movie Chalisuva Modagalu and I do not even remember how many times I have shown him the 'Bhakta Prahlada' movie in his childhood."

Remembering that Puneeth-starrer 'Mourya' brought about a complete change in her son, Sumana, another female fan, said, "My son was not very close to me for many years. But after watching 'Mourya,' he apologised and started loving me. Till date, his mobile caller tune is 'Amma Amma I love you..., 'a song from the movie."