Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an former 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.
Bedara Kannappa is a 1954 Indian Kannada-language Hindu mythological film directed by H. L. N. Simha and written by G. V. Iyer. The film stars Rajkumar playing the title character along with Pandari Bai, Kushala Kumari, G. V. Iyer, Sandhya and Narasimharaju in other prominent roles. The film is an adaptation of the stage play Kaalahasti Charitre written by T. N. Balakrishna for the Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company, which was based on the folk tale of the hunter Kannappa who proves his extreme devotion to the Hindu God Shiva by gouging out both his eyes.
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.
Om, stylized as ॐ, is a 1995 Indian Kannada-language action crime film written and directed by Upendra. The film was produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under the production company Sri Vajreshwari Combines. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar and Prema with Srishanthi, G. V. Shivanand, Sadhu Kokila in supporting roles with real-life gangsters - Bekkina Kannu Rajendra, Tanveer, Korangu Krishna and Jedaralli Krishnappa - portraying the role of gangsters in a small but important portion of the movie.
Arasu (transl. Kingdom) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by Suresh and produced by Babu Raaja. The film stars Sarath Kumar in dual lead roles alongside Simran and Roja, while Sai Kumar, Vadivelu, Delhi Ganesh and Riyaz Khan play supporting roles. The score and soundtrack were composed by Mani Sharma. Arasu was released on 14 April 2003 and became a commercial success at the box office. The film was remade in Kannada as Indra (2008).
Yelandur Narayan Ravindra, known mononymously by his stage name Avinash, is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films. He has been working in films for more than three decades. Known for his authentic portrayal of complex characters and versatility, Avinash is one of the most sought actors in the supporting category. He is one of the few actors to enjoy both critical and commercial success.
Aryan is a 2014 Indian Kannada-language sports drama film. Initially directed by Late D. Rajendra Babu, who died while filming half-way, the responsibility of directing the film went to Chi Guru Dutt. The film was produced by Dhruv Das under the banner Dreamweaver Entertainment and stars Shiva Rajkumar and Ramya.
Bhoomi Thayiya Chochchala Maga is a 1998 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed and written by Rajendra Singh Babu. It features Shiva Rajkumar and Ramesh Aravind along with Vijayalakshmi and Shilpa in other pivotal roles. The film won several laurels and awards upon release including the Karnataka State Film Awards. The film featured an original score and soundtrack composed and written by V. Manohar.
Thavarina Siri is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by Om Sai Prakash and written by Ajay Kumar. The film cast includes Shiva Rajkumar, Daisy Bopanna, Ashitha, Ashwini among others. The film was produced by Ramu while the original score and soundtrack were composed by Hamsalekha.
Rowdy Aliya is a 2004 Indian Kannada comedy - action film directed and written by Om Sai Prakash and produced by Neha. The film features Shiva Rajkumar and Priyanka Trivedi in the lead roles along with Jaimala and Chaya Singh in other pivotal roles.
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. The film was a box office hit.
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, and P. Ravi Shankar, with Shiva Rajkumar providing a voice-over. This film marks the 25th film of Puneeth Rajkumar in a lead role.
Shiva Rajkumar is an Indian actor who appears in Kannada films. He is the eldest son of actor Rajkumar. Shiva has acted in more than 125 films in lead roles.
Vaishali Deepak is an Indian actress who has appeared in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu language films. After portraying her first lead role in Charlie (2015), she appeared in the Tamil film Tharkappu (2016).
Rogue is a 2017 Indian action thriller film directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by C. R. Manohar and C. R. Gopi under Tanvi Films. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Kannada languages and stars Ishan, Mannara Chopra, Angela Krislinzki and Thakur Anoop Singh.
Tagaru (transl. Ram) is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language action crime film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by K. P. Srikanth. The film features Shiva Rajkumar, Bhavana and Manvitha Kamath, Dhananjaya, Vasishta N. Simha and Devaraj, while Shivakumara Swami, Jayanth Kaikini and Charan Raj makes a guest appearance. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Charan Raj, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Mahendra Simha and Deepu. S. Kumar.
Santha (transl. Saint) is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language crime film directed by S. Muralimohan, who also penned the dialogues and screenplay for a story by Ajay Kumar. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Aarti Chhabria and Sridevika in the lead roles. The film's theme was similar to the 1995 Shivarajkumar starrer Om for which Muralimohan worked as an associate director. Gurukiran scored and composed the film's soundtrack. Although the film was released on 18 May 2007 to negative reviews, the film had a large opening and turned out to be a commercially safe venture.
Jodi (transl. Couple) is a 2001 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by Kishore Sarja, starring Shiva Rajkumar, Jaggesh and Poonam Singar with Mukhyamantri Chandru, Doddanna and Sadhu Kokila portraying supporting roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by S. A. Rajkumar. It was released on 7 December 2001. The film is a remake of the Malayalam film Darling Darling (2000) and was a box office failure.
