Puneeth Rajkumar, colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, philanthropist, playback singer, television presenter and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He appeared as a lead in 32 films. As a child, he appeared in many films. His performances as a child actor in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth's first lead role was in 2002's Appu. In a career spanning three decades, he has won one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five SIIMA awards. He was conferred with the Doctorate by Mysuru University. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, to Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November 2022, posthumously.
Divya Spandana, better known by her screen name Ramya, is an Indian actress, producer and politician. She served as the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Mandya, Karnataka. She primarily works in Kannada, and Tamil language films. Ramya was the recipient of two Filmfare Awards South, an Udaya Award, and a Karnataka State Film Award.
Milana (transl. Rendezvous) is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy drama film co-written and directed by Prakash, starring Puneeth Rajkumar, and Parvathy Thiruvothu in lead roles. The film was Parvathy's debut in Kannada cinema. The movie also features Pooja Gandhi, Dileep Raj, Sumithra and Mukhyamantri Chandru in prominent roles. Music for the film was composed by Mano Murthy.
Gorintaku is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by V. R. Prathap and starring Rajasekhar, Aarthi Agarwal, Meera Jasmine, Akash, and Hema Choudhary in the lead roles. The film was a remake of the successful Kannada movie Anna Thangi, starring Shiva Rajkumar. The music was composed by S. A. Rajkumar. It was dubbed, partially reshot and released in Tamil as Maruthani on 10 September 2010 with an additional comedy track of Mayilswamy and Aarthi.
Appu is a 2002 Indian Kannada-language romantic action comedy film directed by Puri Jagannadh. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Rakshita. The supporting cast features Avinash, Srinivasa Murthy and Sumithra. The film was produced by Puneeth's mother, Parvathamma under Poornima Enterprises, the production banner of the Rajkumar family. It marked the screen debut of Puneeth and Rakshita in lead roles.
Arasu (Search/King) is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Mahesh Babu. It features Puneeth Rajkumar in the title role as the son of a business tycoon who leaves his inherited wealth to make a living on his own upon being rejected by a girl played by Ramya who he proposes to in marriage. When a middle-class girl played by Meera Jasmine enters their lives, it soon turns out to be a love triangle. Srinivasa Murthy, Komal and Adi Lokesh appear in supporting roles. Kannada film actors Darshan and Aditya made cameo appearance. Actress Shriya Saran also made a cameo appearance in the film, her first Kannada language film. The movie was dubbed in Hindi as Zinda Dili and in Marathi as Premachi Satva Pariksha.
Ajay is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language action film starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Anuradha Mehta and Prakash Raj. It was Anuradha's debut Kannada film. The film is a remake of the Telugu film Okkadu (2003).Film was a Success
Namma Basava is a 2005 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Veera Shankar Bairisetty. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Gowri Munjal in the lead roles. Avinash, Sudha Rani, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Riyaz Khan and M. N. Lakshmi Devi feature in supporting roles. Gurukiran scored music for the film's background and soundtrack.
Paramathma is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film written, directed and co-produced by Yogaraj Bhat. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Deepa Sannidhi in the lead roles and was released on 6 October 2011, on the eve of Vijayadashami. Halfway through its production, the film's TV rights was procured for a record ₹3.5 crore. Even before the release, the film grossed a record amount of over ₹25 Cr included broadcasting and distribution rights. Since release, the movie has garnered a cult status for its metaphorical narration and out-of-the box storytelling.
Hudugaru is a 2011 Kannada-language drama film directed by K. Madesh, starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Srinagar Kitty, Yogesh and Radhika Pandit in the lead roles. The film, which is a remake of the successful 2010 Tamil film Naadodigal, was produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar, with V. Harikrishna having composed the soundtrack and Satya Hegde was the cinematographer. The film released on 5 May 2011 and performed well at the box office similar to Puneeth's previous film Jackie.
Ninnindale is an 2014 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Jayanth C. Paranjee in his directorial debut in Kannada cinema and produced by Vijay Kirgandur under the banner of Hombale Films. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Erica Fernandes in the lead roles. The soundtrack and original score is composed by Mani Sharma. The film's title is inspired by the track called "Ninnindale" from Puneeth Rajkumar's earlier venture Milana.
Power is a 2014 Indian Kannada-language action comedy film directed by K. Madesh and features Puneeth Rajkumar and Trisha in lead roles, alongside Prabhu, Kelly Dorjee, Rangayana Raghu and Sadhu Kokila in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 2011 Telugu film Dookudu which itself was inspired by the 2003 German tragicomedy film Good Bye, Lenin!. It marked music director, S. Thaman's official musical entry to the Sandalwood Industry and Trisha's debut in Kannada cinema.
Maduve Aagona Baa is 2001 Kannada-language film starring Shivarajkumar, Laya, and Shilpi. It was a remake of Telugu film Pellichesukundam (1998)
Doddmane Hudga is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language action drama film co-written and directed by Duniya Soori, featuring Puneeth Rajkumar and Radhika Pandit. The film also features an ensemble cast of Ambareesh, Sumalatha, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Krishna, Srinivasa Murthy, P. Ravi Shankar, Rangayana Raghu, Chikkanna and Avinash, with Shiva Rajkumar providing a voice-over. This film marks the 25th film of Puneeth Rajkumar in a lead role.
Puneeth Rajkumar was an Indian actor known for his work in Kannada films. As a six-month-old infant, he made a cameo appearance in V. Somashekar's Premada Kanike (1976) and followed it with Sanaadi Appanna (1977) when he was a year old. Most of his earlier films had his father Rajkumar playing his reel father as well. Films like Thayige Thakka Maga, Vasantha Geetha and Bhagyavantha followed up which also showcased his singing skills. For the N. Lakshminarayan film Bettada Hoovu he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. He ended his childhood appearances with the action film Parashuram.
Raajakumara is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under Hombale Films. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Priya Anand. R. Sarathkumar, Ananth Nag, Prakash Raj, Chikkanna, Sadhu Kokila, Achyuth Kumar and Avinash play supporting roles. The film's music album was composed by V. Harikrishna.
Anjani Putra is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language action film directed by A. Harsha and produced by M. N. Kumar. The film features Puneeth Rajkumar and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles while Ramya Krishna, Mukesh Tiwari, P. Ravi Shankar and Chikkanna play supporting roles. Ravi Basrur composed the soundtrack and background score for the film, while cinematography and editing were handled by Swamy J. and Deepu S. Kumar respectively. The film was a remake of director Hari's Tamil film Poojai (2014).
Natasaarvabhowma is a 2019 Indian Kannada language horror thriller film written and directed by Pavan Wadeyar and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Anupama Parameswaran and Rachita Ram in lead roles. P. Ravi Shankar played the antagonist while Chikkanna and Sadhu Kokila playing supporting roles. While B. Saroja Devi makes guest appearance.
James is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Chethan Kumar and produced by Kishore Pathikonda under Kishore Productions. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar in the titlular role, along with an ensemble cast of R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Priya Anand, Anu Prabhakar, Madhusudhan Rao, Mukesh Rishi, Adithya Menon, Avinash Yelandur, Sadhu Kokila, Chikkanna and John Kokken. The film marks Puneeth Rajkumar's posthumous appearance following his death on 29 October 2021 and also marked the second collaboration between Puneeth Rajkumar, Priya Anand and Sarathkumar after Raajakumara (2017). The score and soundtrack were composed by V. Harikrishna and Charan Raj, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Swamy. J. Gowda and Deepu. S. Kumar.
Varudu Kaavalenu is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed Lakshmi Sowjanya and produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi through Sithara Entertainments. The film stars Ritu Varma and Naga Shaurya.
