Kannada Superstar Puneeth Rajkumar Dies at 46: Sandalwood and the entire nation grieves

Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on Friday afternoon after suffering cardiac arrest. He died at the age of 46.

The world of Indian cinema was shocked by the unexpected demise of Kannada actor, Power Star Puneet Rajkumar (46). After experiencing chest pains while exercising at home, the actor was rushed to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru, where he died of a heart attack.

Fans could not contain the death of Puneet, whom they affectionately call Appu. Fans gather in front of the hospital and Puneet's residence. The police are on high alert to maintain law and order. Prominent film, sports, and cultural figures have expressed their condolences on Puneet's death.

Puneeth Rajkumar was born in 1975, the youngest of five children of Kannada film legend Rajkumar and Parvathamma Rajkumar. Puneet had appeared in his father's film Premada Kanike when he was a baby. Later, Puneet played the lead role in Rajkumar's films throughout his childhood. As a child actor, his performances in Vasantha Geeta (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Double Stars (1983) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were especially praised.

Puneet won the National Award for Best Child Actor for his role as Appu in Bettada Hoovu. Puneet made his acting debut in the 2002 film Appu (2002).

Puneeth became a super star with several blockbusters and commercially successful films like Abhi (2003), Veera Kannadiga (2004), Maurya (2004), Akash (2005), Arasu (2007), Milana (2007), Vamsi (2008), Ram (2009), Jackie (2010), Hudugaru (2011), and Rajakumara (2017). Puneeth was the highest paid actor in Kannada cinema.

Puneeth Rajkumar with his brothers Shiva Rajkumar(left) and Raghavendra Rajkumar(right)

Photo Credit: Times of India

Apart from acting, Puneet also got attention as a playback singer. Puneet has sung in over 100 films between 1981 and 2021. He made his television debut in 2012 with the Kannada version of the game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', 'Kannada Kotyathipathi'. He also starred in several TV shows.