Kodavas remember ‘Appu’

Admirers of Puneeth Rajkumar remembered their association with the demised actor, as the news of his passing came in.

Last month, Puneeth had come to Anekadu, for the filming of ‘James’.

Several years ago, a fight scene of his film ‘Jockey’ was held in Anekadu in Kushalnagar. A young ‘Appu’ had accompanied his father, thespian late Dr Rajkumar during the shooting of the film ‘Girikanye’ in Kodagu, the people recall.

As his admirers say, Puneeth liked the climate of Kodagu very much.

A young lady from Kodagu had taken part in a show hosted by him on a private TV channel. Puneeth surprised his fans by dancing to the tunes of the traditional ‘Kodava Valaga’ during the episode.

MP Pratap Simha, recollecting his memories with Puneeth, said that the latter had visited his house.

He was a down to earth person. A great humanitarian gone too soon, the MP said.

Also, Pratap, along with MP Tejaswi Surya had taken part in a TV show and had an opportunity to spend time with Puneeth and his elder brother Raghavendra Rajkumar.

Before starting the shoot, Puneeth touched the feet of Raghavendra, seeking blessings, said Pratap.

“Puneeth was a great artiste and contributed immensely to the Kannada film industry. His demise has shocked the movie fans. May God give strength to his family members, relatives and admirers,” said Virajpet MLA K G Bopaiah.