Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian cinema and a versatile actor, he is considered a cultural icon and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly called as Nata Saarvabhouma, Bangarada Manushya, Vara Nata, Gaana Gandharva, Rasikara Raja, Kannada Kanteerava and Rajanna/Annavru. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. He is the only lead actor to win National Award for singing. His 35 movies have been remade 58 times in 9 languages by 34 actors making him the first actor whose movies were remade more than fifty times and the first actor whose movies were remade in nine languages. He was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner. The success of his movie Jedara Bale is credited to have widely inspired a Desi bond genre in other Indian film industries. On the occasion of the "Centenary of Indian Cinema" in April 2013, Forbes included his performance in Bangaarada Manushya on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Upon his death, The New York Times had described him as one of India's most popular movie stars.
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.
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.
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.
SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Kannada is presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards, for best acting done by an actor in Kannada films. The award was first given in 2012 for films released in 2011.
Mythri (transl. Alliance) is a 2015 Indian social drama film written and directed by B. M. Giriraj and produced by N. S. Rajkumar under the banner of Omkar Movies. It stars Mohanlal and Puneeth Rajkumar in extended cameo roles, and features Adithya Bharadwaj, Archana, Atul Kulkarni, and Bhavana in substantial roles. Ilaiyaraaja scored the music for the film and Krishna Kumar handled the cinematography. The film is shot in both Kannada and Malayalam and the film is a social drama, and also focuses on relationships in the time of liberalisation.
Rachita Ram is an Indian actress who primarily works in Kannada films. After appearing in various television shows, Rachita made her film debut with the 2013 film, Bulbul, for which she received Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada nomination. Rachita has won various awards including one Filmfare Award South and three SIIMA Awards.
Vinay Rajkumar is an Indian actor who works in Kannada cinema. The grandson of actor Rajkumar and son of film producer and former actor Raghavendra, he made his debut as a lead actor in 2014 with Siddhartha.
Rana Vikrama is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by Pavan Wadeyar. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Anjali, Adah Sharma, Dinesh Mangalore, Vikram Singh, Girish Karnad, Avinash, Sudha Belawadi and Mukhyamantri Chandru. The soundtrack of the film was released on 21 March 2015.
Rocket is a 2015 Kannada romantic comedy film written and directed by Shiva Shashi, produced by and co-starring Sathish Ninasam, alongside Aishani Shetty in the lead roles. Achyuth Kumar, Sundar Raj, Padmaja Rao, Ninasam Ashwath and Rajshri Ponnappa feature in supporting roles.
Chakravyuha (transl. Labyrinth) is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language vigilante action film written and directed by M. Saravanan and produced by N. K. Lohith under the Sunshine Creations banner. An adaptation of Saravanan's own Tamil-language film Ivan Veramathiri, the film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Rachita Ram, and Arun Vijay, while Abhimanyu Singh, Sadhu Kokila, Bhavya, and Rangayana Raghu play supporting roles. S. Thaman composed the film's score and soundtrack.
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.
Anish Tejeshwar is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Kannada films. He made a debut with 2010 Kannada film Nam Areal Ond Dina.
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. Ananth Nag, Sarath Kumar, Prakash Raj, Chikkanna, Sadhu Kokila, Achyuth Kumar and Avinash play supporting roles. The film's music album was composed by V. Harikrishna.
Padde Huli is a 2019 Indian Kannada language action drama film written by K. Manju and directed by Guru Deshpande. Produced by M. Ramesh Reddy, film's music is scored by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. Shreyas Manju and Nishvika Naidu feature in lead roles along with V. Ravichandran, Sudharani and playing the supporting characters while Rakshit Shetty and Puneeth Rajkumar appears in a guest role. K. S. Chandrashekar is the cinematographer of the film under the banner of Tejaswini Enterprises. This movie is remake of the 2017 Tamil film Meesaya Murukku.
Yuvarathnaa is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram. produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films, it stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Sayyeshaa, Dhananjay, Prakash Raj, Diganth, and Sai Kumar. The music for the film was composed by Thaman S, while the cinematography and editing was handled by Venkatesh Anguraj and Jnaanesh B. Matad, respectively. The film was theatrically released on 1 April 2021. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with appreciation for Puneeth's performance. This marks Puneeth Rajkumar's last film before his death on 29 October 2021.
Kaanadante Maayavadanu is a 2020 romantic fantasy Kannada film directed by debutante Raj Pathipati and produced by Back Benchers Motion Picture. The film gets it title from the opening lines of the song "Kaanadante Maayavadanu" "Namma Shiva kailasa serikondanu" from the movie Chalisuva Modagalu. The film stars Vikas and Sindhu Lokanath.
Mayabazar 2016 is a 2020 Indian Kannada language crime comedy film written and directed by debutant Radhakrishna Reddy, produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar of PRK Productions, M Govinda. The film stars Raj B. Shetty, Vasishta Simha, Achyuth Kumar, Prakash Raj and Chaithra Rao. The movie is about events surrounding the 2016 demonetization and revolves around an honest police officer, a small-time conman, a jobless youth and a corrupt cop who end up crossing each other's paths when they are in quest of money.
James is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language gangster film written and directed by Chethan Kumar. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar in the titlular role, along with an ensemble cast of Priya Anand, R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Anu Prabhakar, Madhusudhan Rao, Mukesh Rishi, Adithya Menon, Avinash, Sadhu Kokila, Chikkanna and John Kokken. This is Puneeth's posthumous appearance following his death on 29 October 2021. The film marked the second collaboration between Puneeth, Priya and Sarathkumar after Raajakumara (2017). The film score and soundtrack were composed by V. Harikrishna and Charan Raj respectively.
