Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian film 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.
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.
Bindaas (transl. Independent) is a Kannada-language action comedy film directed by D. Rajendra Babu and produced by M. Chandrashekar under Udayachandra Productions. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, alongside Hansika Motwani, Nassar, Suman and Rahul Dev. The soundtrack and score was composed by Gurukiran, while the cinematography and editing were handled by H. C. Venu and T. Shashikumar respectively.
Vamshi is an Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Prakash and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under Sri Chakreshwari Combines. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, alongside Lakshmi, Nikita Thukral, Ravi Kale, Avinash Yelandur and Rajendra Karanth. The music was composed by R. P. Patnaik, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Krishna Kumar and Deepu. S. Kumar respectively.
Appu is a 2002 Indian Kannada-language romantic action film directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under Poornima Enterprises. The film stars debutants Puneeth Rajkumar and Rakshita, alongside Avinash Yelandur, Srinivasa Murthy and Sumithra. The music was composed by Gurukiran, while cinematography and editing were composed by K. Datthu and S. Manohar.
Nagendra Prasad is an Indian dance choreographer, actor and director who works in Tamil and Kannada films. He is the youngest son of dance master Mugur Sundar, and younger brother to popular cine artistes Prabhu Deva and Raju Sundaram.
Raaj–The Showman is a 2009 Kannada language action drama film directed by Prem. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Priyanka Kothari in the lead roles. The music was composed by V. Harikrishna, while the cinematography and editing were handled by S. Krishna and Srinivas P. Babu.
Vijay Raghavendra is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Kannada films. Referred to popularly as "Chinnari Mutha", Vijay is the son of producer S. A. Chinne Gowda and nephew of actor Dr. Rajkumar.
Jackie is a 2010 Indian Kannada-language action film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar and Bhavana in the lead roles, while Sumithra, Harshika Poonacha, Rangayana Raghu, Petrol Prasanna, Vikas and Ravi Kale appear in supporting roles.
Abhi is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language romantic action comedy film written & directed by Dinesh Babu and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under Poornima Enterprises. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar in the titular role, with Ramya, making her debut in Kannada cinema. Dr. Rajkumar sang a song for the film composed by Gurukiran. The film was remade in Telugu as Abhimanyu, with Nandamuri Kalyan Ram reprising Puneeth Rajkumar's role and Ramya reprising her role in the Telugu version.
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.
Sanju Weds Geetha is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Nagashekar and produced by Pramod Narayan and Murali Mohan. The film stars Srinagar Kitty and Ramya in the lead roles. Jassie Gift composed the soundtrack, while Sadhu Kokila composed the background score.
A. Harsha is an Indian film director and choreographer who works in Kannada cinema. Harsha has choreographed many popular songs.
Parvathamma Rajkumar was an Indian film producer and distributor. She was the wife and cousin of veteran Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar. She produced successful films featuring him and their sons Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar under the production house named "Poornima Enterprises". Actresses who found fame in her productions include Malashri, Prema, Rakshita, Sudha Rani and Ramya. She was awarded a doctorate by Bangalore University.
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.
Power is a 2014 Indian masala 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!. The story revolves around Bharath Kumar (Puneeth), a police officer who’s pursuing underworld don Naik (Kelly), who operates from Spain and Mumbai. Naik and his henchmen had tried to kill Bharath’s father Krishna Prasad (Prabhu), an honest MLA and a staunch follower of late actor Rajkumar. Circumstances force Bharath to act as an MLA, a reality show director and a cop, three roles which he portrays with finesse. While in Spain, Bharath falls in love with Prashanthi (Trisha). But how he plans to eliminate Naik and company forms the mainstay of the plot.
Siddhartha is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language romance film directed by Prakash of Milana fame and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar. The film stars Vinay Rajkumar, son of actor Raghavendra Rajkumar, in his debut, along with Apoorva Arora in the lead roles. The film has the musical score and soundtrack composed by Stephen Prayog. The film, launched officially on 2 May 2014 and released across cinema halls on 23 January 2015.
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.
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.
PRK Productions is an Indian film production company founded by Puneeth Rajkumar and managed by his wife, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar.
