Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter and philanthropist who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary 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.
South Asian cinema refers to the cinema of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The broader terms Asian cinema, Eastern cinema and Oriental cinema in common usage often encompass South Asia as well as East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language sports drama film directed by Puri Jagannadh. The film stars Ravi Teja, Asin, Jayasudha, and Prakash Raj, while Ali, and Subbaraju play supporting roles. The film released on 19 April 2003. It marks Asin's debut in Telugu cinema.
Gorintaku is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by V. R. Prathap, starring Rajasekhar, Meera Jasmine, Aarthi Agarwal, and Akash 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. The film was released on 4 July 2008. It was dubbed, partially reshot, and released in Tamil as Maruthani on 10 September 2010 with an additional comedy track of Mayilswamy and Aarthi.
Mariyadhai (transl. Respect) is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language drama film starring Vijayakanth in a dual role as father and son. Meena and Meera Jasmine are the heroines, while Ambika also plays a significant role. Directed by Vikraman, the film was released on 24 April 2009 and performed averagely.
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.
Thirupathi Narasimhalunaidu Venkatesh, better known by his stage name Rockline Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works in Kannada, Tamil and Hindi cinemas. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Rockline Entertainments which has directed over five films as of 2012. In 2015 he co-produced Bajrangi Bhaijaan which earned the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 63rd National Film Awards.
Mythri (transl. Alliance) is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language social drama film written and directed by 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 and Atul Kulkarni in substantial roles. Ilaiyaraaja scored the music for the film and Krishna Kumar handled the cinematography. The film is a social drama, and also focuses on relationships in the time of liberalisation. The film was declared a success at box-office.
Ninnindale is a 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 Hombale Films. The film's title is inspired by the track called Ninnindale from Puneeth Rajkumar's earlier film Milana. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Erica Fernandes, alongside Vinayak Joshi, Sonia Deepti, All Ok, Sadhu Kokila, Avinash Sringeri, Thilak Shekar, Bramhanandam and Shankar Melkote. The music was composed by Mani Sharma, while cinematography and editing were handled by P. G. Vinda and Marthand K. Venkatesh.
Yuvaraja is a 2001 Indian Kannada-language sports drama film directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by R. Srinivas. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Bhavna Pani and Lisa Ray. The film was released on 2 November 2001 across cinema halls in Karnataka. The film finished a 50 day theatrical run.
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 directed by Santhosh Ananddram and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under Hombale Films. It stars Puneeth Rajkumar, alongside Priya Anand. R. Sarathkumar, Ananth Nag, Prakash Raj, Chikkanna, Sadhu Kokila, Achyuth Kumar and Avinash. The music was composed by V. Harikrishna, while cinematography and editing were handled by A. Venkatesh and K. M. Prakash.
Melkote Manja is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film written, enacted and directed by Jaggesh. This is the third film featuring Jaggesh as Manja after Eddelu Manjunatha (2009) and Manjunatha BA LLB (2012). The film also stars Aindrita Ray and Rangayana Raghu in the lead roles. It is a remake of the 2010 Telugu film Kalavar King.
Tarak is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Prakash and produced by Dushyanth. The film features Darshan, Sruthi Hariharan and Shanvi Srivastava in the lead roles. Devaraj, Kuri Prathap and Sumithra feature in important supporting roles. While the soundtrack and background score is by Arjun Janya, the cinematography is by A. V. Krishna Kumar. The first look of the film was released on 30 March 2017. and the film was released on 29 September 2017.
Puttintiki Raa Chelli is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna and produced by R. S. Goud and Basavraj. It stars Arjun, Meena and Madhumitha. It was released on 14 April 2004, became a super hit at the box office and was dubbed and released in Tamil as Anbu Sagotharan with comedy track reshot with Manivannan, Senthil and Shakeela. The movie is a remake of the 2002 Kannada film Thavarige Baa Thangi. The movie became super hit at the box-office.
Yuvarathnaa is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Santhosh Ananddram and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Sayyeshaa, Dhananjay, Prakash Raj, Diganth and P. Sai Kumar. The music was composed by S. Thaman, while the cinematography and editing was handled by A. Venkatesh and Jnaanesh B. Matad respectively.
Keratam (transl. Wave) is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Gautham Patnaik and produced by S. V. Babu. The film was simultaneously made in Tamil as Yuvan by director R. N. Saran. The film stars Siddharth Rajkumar, Aishwarya Devan and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles. A remake of the Kannada film Josh (2009), the films featured music composed by Joshua Sridhar and were released in August 2011. The bilingual version had Aishwarya Devan and Rakul Preet Singh making her Telugu and Tamil language debuts respectively.
James is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film directed by Chethan Kumar and produced by Kishore Pathikonda under Kishore Productions. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar in his posthumous film, alongside an ensemble cast of R. Sarathkumar, Srikanth, Priya Anand, Anu Prabhakar, Madhusudhan Rao, Mukesh Rishi, Adithya Menon, Avinash, Sadhu Kokila, Chikkanna and John Kokken. The film also marks the second collaboration between Puneeth Rajkumar, Priya Anand and Sarathkumar after Raajakumara. 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.
Drushyam 2 is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It is a remake of his 2021 Malayalam film Drishyam 2 and sequel to Drushyam (2014). The film was jointly produced by D. Suresh Babu, Antony Perumbavoor, Rajkumar Sethupathi, and Jacob K. Babu through the companies Suresh Productions, RajKumar Theatres, and Max Movies. It stars Venkatesh, Meena, Nadhiya, Naresh, Kruthika and Esther Anil reprising their roles from first part, with Sampath Raj and Poorna as new additions. The story takes place six years after the events of Drushyam.
