October 29, 2021. A day that shook many of us with the sudden death of 46-year-old Puneet Rajkumar. He leaves behind not only a bereaved family, but thousands of fans who worship him as a “power star”. He was a popular hero and could romance, sing, dance, fight and perform his own stunts on screen with great enthusiasm. Many of us are mourning him as an actor and son as the legendary actor Late Dr Rajkumar. But, there are many (colleagues and film crew) who have had a close bond with Puneet and see him as a “real life hero”. ‘Julie’ Lakshmi and Ramya (Divya Spandana) talk about the man behind the scenes. While Ramya made her debut with Puneet Abhi, Lakshmi, who co-starred with Dr. Raj as a leading lady in several Kannada films, has known Appu since childhood. She worked with him as a character artist in several films. descendants It was his last collaboration. He describes Puneet as “a little boy who grew up to be a mega star”. both talk metroplus About Puneet, co-star, son, friend and guide.
Read also | Get ‘First Day First Show’ our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema delivered to your inbox. You can subscribe here for free
‘Julie’ Lakshmi
He will always be Appu the baby to me. It’s so painful and I can’t come to terms with it. These are the moments when we realize our helplessness and the uncertainty of life surrounds you. We always teach our kids to be nice, honest, live a healthy lifestyle, exercise and be fit and all this will be well with them. Appu did all that and he left. It makes me think what is good or medium and what is karma. I am so annoyed with Appu that if I see her now I will shake her and give her a hard slap to break the hearts of all of us. How could he suddenly leave us? Is it a curse that all the youngsters are suddenly leaving us – Chiranjeevi Sarja, Sachi Vijay and now Appu?
I have literally seen him grow from a kid, to a child actor and then to a powerful hero on screen. He was always respectful and courteous. When he was young, we made him walk by holding his hand, and suddenly, he became a huge star, and we got older and he was holding our hand.
During the shooting of a song of Olavu Geluvu, Appu accompanied his mother Parvatamma to the sets. He was barely two. In those days we had the Nagra music system, with huge stereos that blew the music across the neighborhood. It was like an old tape recorder with big speakers.
When we were shooting, little Appu was at a distance with his mother, dancing to the song we were shooting for. He was so lost in his own world. When the music stopped, he was so angry that he kicked his chubby legs and grumbled in anger. He was adorable. He has been done by many of us and he was a kid of the industry.
I believe in the cycle of karma and rebirth. Seeing him dancing and his passion for acting led us to believe that he was the reincarnation of his grandfather Puttaswamy. He was such a hardworking artist. When he played Krishna in his childhood, he insisted on walking on the hot road, which had stones and hot sand. He refused to take it. By the end of the day, his little feet were covered in cuts and blisters. That was his dedication and passion for acting.
He was an easy child. He was cultured, he never misbehaved. Appu greeted everyone with respect, love and humility. descendants It was the last film in which we worked together. He was such a wonderful co-star and because I saw him as my son, I was able to naturally emerge on screen with him.
Appu was close to his father and told me that he could not recover from the loss. I believe Dr Raj must have called her to be with him forever.
Ramya (divine vibration)
we had to debut together Appu, but the role eventually went to Rakshita Prem. I still remember meeting Appu and his family at his house. The first thing that struck me about him was that he was friendly and grounded. He was six years older than me and already married. He was in his mid 20s and I was 18. Since my career started with Puneet and his family banner, I realized that he has set standards for me. He taught me what humility and simplicity are. She did not take any starry air, which is rare in the world of glamour.
on the set of Abhi, He had a makeup van and I was not given one. I was hired because I didn’t know where to turn and get ready. Appu immediately came to me and offered me his van. He changed and got his makeup done outside. He had lunch with the crew outside. He would ask my permission to use the rest room in the van, which actually belonged to him! He was a generous person. Since that was my first film, I was apprehensive about the technical terms, but Appu patiently guided me. He was a brilliant dancer and I struggled with some of the steps, and he patiently taught me and even asked me to simplify the steps and also helped me with my dialogues.
He considered everyone as his equal and never dominated anyone. We actors are known to be emotional and moody, but not Appu. He always had a smile on his face. I don’t think anyone has ever seen him annoyed, or angry or upset.
Once, we were shooting in a school and there were a lot of kids. Sometime during the day an ice cream vendor comes outside the school gate. Appu bought all the ice cream for the school children.
This is one side of him that very few people know. We have seen her helping people on the sets, paying for their weddings, children’s education and funerals. He was a man with a large heart, full of compassion. Such people rarely come. Appu will be greatly missed.
As told to Shilpa Anandaraji
.