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.
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.
Krishna Leela is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama written and directed by Shashank, and produced by Ajay Rao, making his debut at production under the Shree Krishna Arts and Creations banner. Besides Rao, the film features Mayuri Kyatari, making her film debut and Rangayana Raghu in pivotal roles.
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.
Nataraja Service is a 2016 Indian Kannada language romantic emotional comedy film directed by Pavan Wadeyar, produced by N.S. Rajkumar and presented by Puneeth Rajkumar. It stars Sharan and Mayuri Kyatari. The music was composed by Anoop Seelin whilst the cinematography was by Arul K. Somasundaram.
Rama Rama Re... is a 2016 Indian Kannada film written and directed by D Satya Prakash. It is a story of a convict on death row, who escapes from prison and accidentally ends up traveling with a retired veteran of a Police Department, who is called upon by the authorities to teach the process of executing a convict to the new staff. Rama Rama Re... was released on 21 October 2016. The film was remade in Telugu in 2018 as Aatagadharaa Siva by Rockline Venkatesh. The film is currently being remade in Marathi.
Humble Politician Nograj is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language comedy film written and directed by Saad Khan. The film stars Danish Sait, who plays the title character of Nograj, a narcissistic politician. The film was produced by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah, Hemanth M Rao and Rakshit Shetty under the banners Pushkar Films, Lost & Found Films, and Paramvah Studios, respectively. The movie was inspired by the 2012 American movie The Campaign.
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 film 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).
D. Satya Prakash is an Indian filmmaker in Kannada cinema. His works often focus on social issues and human relationships. His debut film was Rama Rama Re... (2016), which is followed by Ondalla Eradalla (2018). His latest venture is Man of the Match (2022). Before making commercial films, Prakash directed the short film Jayanagara 4th block.
Ondalla Eradalla is a 2018 Indian comedy drama film written and directed by D. Satya Prakash who previously wrote and directed Rama Rama Re, and produced by Umapathy Srinivas who has also produced Hebbuli. Production of the film started in February, the lead actor Rohith Pandavpura a young boy from Pandavapura was selected out of the 1500 kids auditioned for the film.
Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Kodugé: Raamanna Rai is a 2018 Indian Kannada language socio-political comedy film written, directed and produced by Rishab Shetty, presented by Sudeep. The film stars Anant Nag, Ranjan, Sampath, Pramod Shetty, Saptha Pavoor, Mahendra, Sohan Shetty, Prakash Thuminad, Manish Heroor and others.
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.
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.
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.
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 premiered on 17 July 2020 on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video – the first Kannada film to be released directly on that platform without a theatrical release, and second such OTT release in Kannada after Bhinna (2019).
French Biriyani is a 2020 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film directed by Pannaga Bharana and starring Danish Sait and Sal Yusuf. The film is produced by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar and Gurudath A. Talwar of PRK Productions. It was released on 24 July 2020 on Amazon Prime Video.
PRK Productions is an Indian film production company founded by Puneeth Rajkumar and managed by his wife, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar.
Family Pack is a 2022 Indian Kannada language comedy film directed by Arjun Kumar S., who previously directed Sankashta Kara Ganapathi. The film stars Likith Shetty, Amrutha Iyengar, Rangayana Raghu, and Achyuth Kumar. The film follows two families and a human-like ghost played by Rangayana Raghu. The film premiered on Amazon Prime Video.
Lucky Man is a 2022 Indian Kannada language romantic comedy film directed by S Nagendra Prasad in his directorial debut. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Darling Krishna, Sangeetha Sringeri, Sadhu Kokila, Roshni Prakash, Nagabhushana and Prabhu Deva. It is a remake of 2020 Tamil film Oh My Kadavule. It is the last commercial movie for Puneeth Rajkumar, and he appeared as God. The film was produced under the banner Parsa Pictures.
