Puneeth Rajkumar

Biography:

Puneeth Rajkumar, well known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, philanthropist, and producer who worked in Kannada film. He was born on March 17, 1975, and passed away on October 29, 2021. He was the youngest child of matinee idol and actor Dr. Rajkumar. Among the most well-liked actors in Kannada cinema was him.

He starred in thirty-two motion pictures. He had numerous film appearances as a child. He received praise for his child acting roles in the films Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984), and Bettada Hoovu (1985).[2] For his performance as Ramu in Bettada Hoovu, he was honored with the National Film Award for Best Child Artist.

Additionally, for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu, he was awarded the Karnataka State Award for Best Child Artist. Puneeth made his film debut as the lead in Appu in 2002. He has received one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, and five SIIMA awards throughout the course of a three-decade career.

The University of Mysuru awarded him a doctorate. On November 1, 2022, Puneeth Rajkumar received the Karnataka Ratna, the state’s highest civilian honor, posthumously from the Karnataka Government.

Puneeth was dubbed “Power Star” by fans and the media. Although he mostly starred in family dramas and action movies during his career as an actor, the comedy dramas he produced under the PRK Productions name focused on family dynamics and social commentary.

Appu (2002), Abhi (2003), Veera Kannadiga (2004), Mourya (2004), Aakash (2005), Ajay (2006), Arasu (2007), Milana (2007), Vamshi (2008), Raam (2009), Jackie (2010), Hudugaru (2011), Power (2014), Rana Vikrama (2015), Raajakumara (2017), Anjani Putra (2017), Natasaarvabhowma (2019), Yuvarathnaa (2021) and James (2022) are just a few of the commercially successful movies in which he starred as a lead actor.

The release of his final motion picture appearance, the docu-drama Gandhada Gudi, in which he portrayed himself, occurred on October 28, 2022, which also happened to be the anniversary of his first death. At the time, he was one of the most well-known stars in Kannada film and also one of the most paid performers.

He made his television debut in 2012 as a presenter on Kannadada Kotyadhipati, a Kannada adaptation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? After donating his eye, Narayana Nethralaya received 85,000 donations in a single year as opposed to 65,000 promises over the course of 28 years.

On March 17, 1975, Puneeth (born Lohith) was born in Madras, the daughter of matinee icon Dr. Rajkumar and Parvathamma Rajkumar. He was the youngest of their five children. The family of Puneeth moved to Mysore when he was six years old.

Until he was ten years old, his father took him and his sister Poornima on his film sets. Shiva Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar, his older brothers, are also actors in the business.

On December 1, 1999, Puneeth wed Chikmagalur native Ashwini Revnath. They have two kids, Vanditha and Drithi, and were introduced via a mutual acquaintance.At the age of 46, Puneeth passed away while traveling to a hospital in Bengaluru on October 29, 2021, after complaining to his wife Ashwini about discomfort.

It was determined that a heart attack was the cause of his death. In compliance with his father Rajkumar’s promise that he and his entire family would donate their eyeballs after death, he gave his eyes to the Narayana Nethralaya Eye Hospital. Four separate people now have sight because to his eye gift.