In a shocking development on Friday, Kannada icon Puneeth Rajkumar passed away after a heart attack. He was 46 and leaves behind wife Ashwini Revanth and daughters Drithi and Vanditha.
The fifth and youngest child of thespian Dr Rajkumar and producer Parvathamma Rajkumar, Puneeth first dazzled on screen as a child actor. He starred in Rajkumar's hits like 'Vasantha Geetha', 'Bhagyavantha', 'Chalisuva Modagalu', and 'Bhakta Prahaladha'. He won the National Award for 'Best Child Artist' for his performance in 'Bettada Hoovu'.
Apart from his father Rajkumar, his elder brother Shivarajkumar is an established superstar with over 100 films to his name. His other brother, Raghavendra Rajkumar, too is a seasoned actor.
Ironically, his demise coincides with the release of Shivarajkumar's big-scale film 'Bhajarangi 2', which hit around 1,000 screens across India on Friday. Puneeth and Shivarajkumar had shared the stage a couple of days ago during the film's pre-release event.
He made a roaring debut as the lead in 'Appu', directed by Puri Jagannadh. He received the screen title of 'Powerstar' and gave several hits in the first phase of his career like 'Abhi', 'Maurya', 'Akash', and 'Ajay'.
With an affable smile and an easy-style of acting, Puneeth not just aced the 'mass' hero roles but also impressed audiences in the roles of nuanced characters. His relationship drama 'Milana' enjoyed a 500-day run and also gave him the State Award. He was praised for similar roles in 'Pruthvi' and 'Paramathma'.
He replicated the massive success of 'Milana' with the family drama 'Raajakumara' that is learnt to have made Rs 75 crore at the box office, an industry record. His last film was 'Yuvarathnaa' which released on April 1. He was the darling of the family audience.
Puneeth forayed into television with 'Kannadada Kotyadipathi', the Kannada version of the quiz game show 'Kaun Banega Cororepati'. Puneeth's hosting was widely appreciated and the show became a massive hit.
A fitness freak, Puneeth was popular for executing his own stunts in several films. He had many big projects lined up such as the psychological thriller 'Dvitva', action drama 'James' and an untitled project with director Dinakar Thoogudeepa.
Puneeth was a terrific dancer and his moves in films had become a rage among his fans. He was also a gifted singer, often singing peppy numbers that went on to become chartbusters.
He opened his production house 'PRK Productions' that decided to back small, content-oriented films. Films such as 'Mayabazar', 'French Biriyani' and 'Law' were from the banner.
In total, Puneeth Rajkumar won four State awards. The Kannada film industry condoled his death.
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