As a year passes by since actor Puneeth Rajkumar died, fans’ frenzy has reached a crescendo since the last few days. Thousands of the late actor’s fans are thronging his samadhi next to the thespian and his father Dr. Rajkumar’s in Kanteerava Studio to pay their tribute. Puneeth passed away on October 29, 2021.
Large crowds could also be seen at the theatres as his admirers queued up to catch a glimpse of the actor in his last outing on the big screen Gandhada Gudi, released to packed houses on Friday.
Fans bathed the cutouts of Puneeth Rajkumar in milk in several districts of the State and tickets were being sold in the black at many single screen theatres - unusual for a documentary.
Gandhada Gudi is a documentary on the wildlife of Karnataka where the late actor is seen as himself, devoid of any artifice or stardom. “It is poetic and such a rare opportunity to see Puneeth Rajkumar as himself in his last ever outing on the big screen. We were very moved by the emotional weight of the situation and his simple unassuming persona that we had seen in Kannadada Kotyadhipathi and other television outings,” said Manjunath C., a techie who caught the first day, first show of the film.
Shivarajkumar, the late actor’s brother, said it was painful to say this was the last film of Appu, what Puneeth Rajkumar was known as, and said he would like to think this was the beginning of his legacy and Appu would live forever.
Meanwhile, fans have also been making a beeline to his memorial in Kanteerava Studio. A constable posted at the actor’s samadhi on Outer Ring Road said that thousands of fans from across the State were visiting the studio for almost a week now and the police were preparing for a massive footfall of over three lakh people on Saturday, the first year death anniversary.
Family members of the late actor are expected to visit the memorial and offer prayers. A 24-hour live music concert spearheaded by music director and actor Sadhu Kokila will entertain fans at the studio on Saturday. All those visiting the memorial on Saturday will also be distributed free food throughout the day.
Veena, a die-hard fan of the actor from Dharwad, came all the way to the city to pay her tributes. Placing a rose on his grave, she bowed down to offer her respects. “I have watched all his films without fail. It is sad to know that Gandhada Gudi is his last appearance on screen,” she said.
Rajmanish said he had caught the first day, first show of Gandhada Gudi and then came to the samadhi to pay his respects. “My eyes were filled with tears seeing him on screen. Knowing that this will be the last time we will see him on the big screen made me even more emotional,” he said.
Meanwhile, many have also organised several social activities like blood donation camps, eye donation pledge camps on Saturday.
