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.
Shiva Rajkumar is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter, who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Kannada and has received several awards, including four Karnataka State Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South and six South Indian International Movie Awards.
Bhagyavantha is a 1981 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed and written by B. S. Ranga. The film featured Master Lohit, Aarathi and Jai Jagadish in pivotal roles. Veteran actor Rajkumar and Thoogudeepa Srinivas made brief appearances in the film.
Aakash is a 2005 Indian Kannada language romantic drama film directed by Mahesh Babu, written by Janardhana Maharshi and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Ramya in the lead roles, while Ashish Vidyarthi and Avinash play pivotal roles.
Ramkumar is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Kannada cinema. He made his acting debut in Peraala's 1990 action film Aavesha. The same year, he played a brief role in Rajendra Singh Babu's war film Muthina Haara (1990). He turned producer for the film Pandavaru (2006), in which he acted as well. With his good looks, he was considered one of the "Chocolate heroes" of the 1990s and his acting skills were well appreciated. As of 2013, Ram kumar has acted in over 40 Kannada feature films.
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.
Bhoomige Banda Bhagavantha is a 1981 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy (Ravee) and produced by S. P. Varadaraj and J. Chandulal Jain. The film stars Lokesh, Lakshmi, Jai Jagadish and Vajramuni. The film has musical score by G. K. Venkatesh. The movie was dubbed in Telugu.
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.
Kendasampige is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller film directed by Duniya Soori from a story written by Surendranath and produced by Parimala Film Factory. The film stars Vikky Varun and Manvita Kamath, Rajesh Nataranga, Prakash Belawadi and Chandrika. The film is the sequel to forthcoming film Kaage Bangara and also exposes the nexus between the latter and influential persons. V. Harikrishna composed the soundtrack and background score, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Satya Hegde and Deepu. S. Kumar.
Nirup Bhandari is an Indian actor who works in Kannada cinema. He made his debut in the 2015 critically and commercially acclaimed movie RangiTaranga, directed by his brother, Anup Bhandari.
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.
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.
Ninna Sanihake is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film, directed by Suraj Gowda, produced by Akshay Rajshekar and Ranganath Kudli, under the banner White and Grey Pictures. The film stars Suraj Gowda and Dhanya Ramkumar. It was released on 8 October 2021.
Hombale Films is an Indian film production company mainly known for the K.G.F franchise and Kantara. It was founded by Vijay Kiragandur and named by Puneeth Rajkumar, who collaborated with the company on 3 films.
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.
Law is a 2020 Indian Kannada-language legal drama film written and directed by Raghu Samarth. The film stars Ragini Prajwal in her debut as a law graduate who fights her own case due to her circumstances. It had a direct-to-streaming premiere on 17 July 2020 on Amazon Prime Video, becoming the second direct-to-streaming Kannada film on any platform after Bhinna (2019).
KRG Studios is a film production and distribution company based in Bengaluru. It primarily deals with the production and distribution of Kannada-language and non-Kannada films across Karnataka.
Gandhada Gudi is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language docudrama film directed by Amoghavarsha JS. It stars himself and Puneeth Rajkumar in lead roles. The film features the final appearance of actor Puneeth Rajkumar. The film released on 28 October 2022.
Garuda Purana is a 2023 Indian Kannada language crime thriller film written and directed by Manjunath B Nagba and produced by Sindhu K M, co-produced by BL Yogesh Kumar. The film stars Manjunath B Nagba, Santhosh Karki, and Disha Shetty in lead roles. The music of the film composed by Rakesh Acharya.
