Puneeth Rajkumar, one of the biggest stars of India’s Kannada-language film industry, died of a cardiac arrest in Bengaluru on Friday. He was 46.
Puneeth was born to Rajkumar, the biggest star of Kannada cinema during his lifetime, and producer Parvathamma Rajkumar.
Under his birth name Lohit, Puneeth appeared in several films as a child actor including “Vasantha Geetha” (1980), “Bhagyavantha” (1981), “Chalisuva Modagalu” (1982) and “Eradu Nakshatragalu” (1983). For “Bettada Hoovu” (1985), now christened Puneeth for the screen, he won India’s national film award for best child actor.
In 2002, Puneeth debuted as a lead actor with “Appu,” and went on to star in several successful films including “Abhi” (2003), “Veera Kannadiga” (2004), “Mourya” (2004), “Aakash” (2005), “Ajay” (2006), “Arasu” (2007), “Milana” (2007), “Vamshi” (2008), “Raam” (2009), “Jackie” (2010), “Hudugaru” (2011), “Raajakumara” (2017) and “Anjani Putra” (2017).
In 2012, he debuted as the host of “Kannadada Kotyadhipati,” the Kannada-language version of the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” format.
Puneeth was a crowd-pleasing star catering to mainstream audiences.
Puneeth was born to Rajkumar, the biggest star of Kannada cinema during his lifetime, and producer Parvathamma Rajkumar.
Under his birth name Lohit, Puneeth appeared in several films as a child actor including “Vasantha Geetha” (1980), “Bhagyavantha” (1981), “Chalisuva Modagalu” (1982) and “Eradu Nakshatragalu” (1983). For “Bettada Hoovu” (1985), now christened Puneeth for the screen, he won India’s national film award for best child actor.
In 2002, Puneeth debuted as a lead actor with “Appu,” and went on to star in several successful films including “Abhi” (2003), “Veera Kannadiga” (2004), “Mourya” (2004), “Aakash” (2005), “Ajay” (2006), “Arasu” (2007), “Milana” (2007), “Vamshi” (2008), “Raam” (2009), “Jackie” (2010), “Hudugaru” (2011), “Raajakumara” (2017) and “Anjani Putra” (2017).
In 2012, he debuted as the host of “Kannadada Kotyadhipati,” the Kannada-language version of the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” format.
Puneeth was a crowd-pleasing star catering to mainstream audiences.
- 10/29/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
SandalwoodAccording to sources, the Trivikrama team had planned to fly down to Australia on April 14 for the final schedule but it did not happen amid the lockdown. Digital NativeDigital NativeThe makers of Trivikrama had earmarked several locations in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Rajasthan, Dandeli, and Australia for the shooting and it was progressing at a brisk pace until the lockdown was announced. According to sources, the Trivikrama team had planned to fly down to Australia on April 14 for the final schedule but it did not happen. According to the film’s director Sahana Murthy, locations in Australia were selected several months ago and advance payment has been made to the government authorities concerned. Therefore, it is not possible to change the location. This means, there would be a delay in the film’s progress and its release. Veteran Kannada actor V Ravichadran’s younger son, Vikram is all set to make his...
- 4/22/2020
- by Luke
- The News Minute
EntertainmentTo coincide with Mgr's birth anniversary on Friday, Arvind Swami took to twitter and shared his look from the upcoming biopic. Digital NativeDigital Native Filmmaker Vijay, is currently shooting for the biopic on the life of actor-politician J. Jayalalithaa titled Thalaivi starring Kangana Ranaut in the titular role. The makers have roped in actor Arvind Swami to play the role of former Tamil Nadu Cm and legendary star Mgr, who played an important part in the political career of Jayalalithaa. To coincide with Mgr's birth anniversary on Friday, Arvind Swami took to twitter and shared his look from the upcoming biopic following which a teaser featuring Mgr's song Naan Ungal Veetu Pillai from the 1968 Tamil film Pudhiya Boomi, with Arvind Swami's performance was unveiled. The award-winning makeup artist Pattanam Rasheed is the man behind Arvind's look. Thank you for the phenomenal response. On behalf of the entire team, I...
- 1/18/2020
- by Luke
- The News Minute
SandalwoodThe 3-minute stunt sequence will feature Vikram Ravichandran, Rohit Roy and Sadhu Kokila.Digital NativeDigital NativeVeteran Kannada actor V Ravichandran’s younger son, Vikram, is all set to make his debut with Trivikrama and the youngster is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that it grabs the eyeballs of the audiences. Reports say that the Trivikrama team has shot a unique fight sequence in Rajasthan using camels and that it would be the highlight of the film. Around 15 camels have been used for this stunt sequence, which will feature Vikram, Rohit Roy and Sadhu Kokila. Talking about this fight sequence in an interview with Cinema Express, Trivikrama’s director Sahana Murthy said, “Camels are generally used for songs, but in our film, this animal is part of a major action block.” The stunt was choreographed by master Vijay and it took six days for the team to complete the shooting.
- 1/3/2020
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
SandalwoodThe groundwork for this project is on and the official pooja is scheduled to happen on August 9.Digital NativeDigital NativeVikram Ravichandran is all set to make his acting debut and his maiden film will be directed by Sahanamurthy. Titled as Trivikrama, it comes with the tagline High Voltage Love Story. The groundwork for this project is on and the official pooja is scheduled to happen on August 9 on the auspicious occasion of Varalaxmi Vratham. Touted to be a complete romantic entertainer, this film will have Vikram Ravichandran in chocolate boy image. The search for a suitable heroine to pair up with Vikram ended with Akanksha Sharma being roped in. She hogged the limelight with Do Din, an Indian pop romantic single and Trivikrama will mark her acting debut. The shooting has been scheduled to take place in various locations in Bengaluru, Rajasthan, Dandeli and Singapore. Sources in the know say...
- 7/18/2019
- by Luke
- The News Minute
Entertainment Titled as 'Thiravam' the web series on Zee5 will mark Prasanna’s entry into the digital space.Digital NativeIn the year 1996, a school drop out from Virudhunagar, Ramar Pillai made an announcement that he had invented herbal petrol without using any petro-chemicals. He shot to limelight with his invention but failed to prove that his herbal chemical worked. In the year, 2016, he began selling his product under the name Ramar Petrol but the Cbi court convicted Ramar Pillai for fraud. The life of Ramar Pillai and the story of his invention are now being made in to a web series that will be available on ZEE5. Titled as Thiravam the web series will mark Prasanna’s entry into the digital space. He will be playing the role Ravi Prakasam in this flick. The web series is directed by Aravind Krishna, a popular cinematographer also stars Induja, Kalaiyarasan, Kaali Venkat,...
- 5/10/2019
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
SandalwoodDirected by Kantha Kannalli, the film starring Tilak and Meghana in the lead roles is releasing on Friday.Digital NativeThe Kannada film Iruvudellava Bittu is gearing up for release on September 21 on a grand scale and its makers have thrown in a surprise pertaining to its star cast. Reports say that director-actor Sandeep Malani will be making a cameo appearance in the film and has about four scenes in it. Sandeep will play the MD of a company and will most probably be seen as the heroine Meghana Raj’s boss. The makers of Iruvudellava Bittu have mentioned that this cameo by Sandeep as a ‘surprise appearance’ which is making fans wonder about the significance of his role in the film. Directed by Kantha Kannalli, Iruvudellava Bittu stars Tilak and Meghana in the lead roles with Achyuth Kumar, Shri Mahadev and Aruna Balraj in crucial supporting roles. The film is...
- 9/20/2018
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
SandalwoodV Harikrishna has composed music for this magnum opus and the soundtrack of the album will have four songs.Digital NativeDarshan’s 50th film Kurukshetra has been in the making for quite some time now. Though the film’s shooting was wrapped up several weeks ago, there was no news about its release date. Finally, there is a confirmation from Lahari Velu of Lahari Audio Company, which has its music rights, that Kurukshetra’s audio will hit the market on August 27. With this, we can expect the film to release soon. The soundtrack of this album will comprise four songs besides slokas and skanda padyas. V Harikrishna has composed music for this magnum opus while the lyrics have been penned by Nagendra Prasad. Darshan plays Duryodhana in this historical based on the epic Mahabharata and the story is told from his perspective. One of the most expensive films to ever...
- 8/9/2018
- by Vidya
- The News Minute
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