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.
Condolences poured in from fans and colleagues from the film fraternity, as well as sports personalities and politicians. After his mortal remains were kept at Kanteerava Stadium for public homage, Puneeth was laid to rest close to his father, the legendary actor Dr Rajkumar, and mother Parvathamma at the Kanteerava Studio in Bengaluru.
Apart from being an ace actor, he also believed in social causes and donated generously to charities and foundations. While he continued the initiatives started by his father, Puneeth also set up 45 Free Schools, 26 Orphanages, 19 Goshale and 16 Old Age Homes. He also was responsible for the education of 1800 students. Last year, the power star donated Rs 50 lakh to the Chief Minister Relief Fund to help the state fight the pandemic. During Karnataka floods, he donated Rs 5 lakh to the CM Natural Calamity Relief Fund.
Actor Vishal, who was a good friend of Puneeth’s, announced that he would take care of the 1,800 students whose education was being funded by the late actor. Vishal announced this at the pre-release event of his upcoming film 'Enemy', which co-stars Arya in the lead. The movie releases on November 4, coinciding with the festive date of Deepavali.
Speaking at the event which was held in Hyderabad, Vishal said, “Puneeth Rajkumar is not just a good actor, but a good friend as well. I haven’t seen such a down to earth superstar like him. He was doing lots of social activities. I promise to take care of 1800 students who are getting free education from Puneeth Rajkumar from next year.”
'Enemy', directed by Anand Shankar has Vishal, Arya, Mamta Mohandas, Mirnalini Ravi and Karunakaran in important roles. Thaman is scoring the music for 'Enemy', and the film is produced by S Vinod Kumar under the banner Mini Studios.
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