Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai has announced that the Karnataka government has decided to honor late actor Puneeth Rajakumar with the Karnataka Ratna award.
Popularly known as the ‘power star,’ Puneeth Rajkumar will be the tenth recipient of the Karnataka Ratna, which is the state’s highest civilian award.
This announcement was made by the Chief Minister on Tuesday, November 16th at a special event called the ‘Puneeth Namana’ held in Bengaluru.
The Puneeth Namana was held at the Palace grounds in Bengaluru to pay homage to the late actor Puneeth.
The event was organized by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), in association with Sandalwood film actors’ and technicians’ associations to pay to celebrate the late actor’s life and his contributions to Kannada cinema.
The event was graced by many prominent figures from the Kannada film industry, ministers, and politicians. A live telecast of the event was also broadcasted on television.
Puneeth Rajakumar passed away suddenly on October 29 following a massive heart attack at the age of 46.
The youngest son of renowned Kannada actor Dr.Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajakumar was one of the most acclaimed stars of Kannada cinema.
His mortal remains were laid to rest at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, October 31st with state honours. His funeral was attended by his family, friends, elected representatives, and fans.
His untimely and sudden demise left fans, celebrities, and politicians in shock who took to social media to mourn their loss with heartfelt messages.
The Kannada superstar is survived by his wife Ashwini and two daughters.
Puneeth Rajkumar debuted in Kannada films as a child artist and has several hits to his credit including Appu (2002), 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).
Puneeth had also received the National Award for Best Child Artist for Bettada Hoovu in 1985.
Puneeth’s father Dr. Rajkumar was the first recipient of the Karnataka Ratna award in 1992, along with poet Kuvempu.