Lakhs of fans bid a tearful goodbye as Kannada's 'Power Star' Puneeth Rajkumar was laid to rest with full state honours early in the morning on Sunday, October 31. The sandalwood star suffered a heart attack while he was working out at the gym on October 29. He was rushed to Vikram Hospital after he complained of chest pain, but the efforts of doctors to revive him went in vain.
Hundreds of fans assembled outside his residence and the hospital following the announcement of his death. Condolences poured in from fans and colleagues from the film fraternity, as well as sports personalities and politicians. Following his death, security had been beefed up all across Karnataka including state capital Bengaluru to manage the situation.
Later, Puneeth's mortal remains were kept at Kanteerava Stadium for public homage. Lakhs, including members of Karnataka's film fraternity, had thronged the spot to pay their respects. Many climbed trees and went to their terraces to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. Before he was laid to rest, Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai was seen kissing Puneeth’s forehead.
Puneeth was laid to rest close to his father, the legendary actor Dr Rajkumar, and mother Parvathamma at the Kanteerava Studio in Bengaluru. Puneeth’s funeral procession started around 6 am on Sunday and the final rites were conducted at around 7.30 am. Puneeth was given full state honors and the Indian flag was handed over to Puneeth’s wife Ashwini by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Heartbreaking scenes were witnessed as his daughter Drithi returned from the US and the whole family broke into tears. Puneeth is survived by his wife Ashwini and two daughters – Drithi and Vanditha.
Here are some pictures from the funeral:
The last rites before the burial were performed by Vinay Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar's nephew. Vinay is Puneeth's brother Raghavendra Rajkumar's son. Puneeth became a hero with Appu (2002), after which his fans fondly called him Appu. Some of his famous films include Abhi, Veera Kannadiga, Ajay, Arasu, Raam, Hudugaru and Anjani Putra, among others. He was last seen in Santhosh Anandrram's 'Yuvarathnaa', which released early this year.
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