Actor Puneeth Rajkumar To Be Conferred Karnataka Ratna Award Posthumously

Puneeth Rajkumar will be the second person from Kannada industry to receive the award after his father Dr Rajkumar.

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar | File Photo

Chennai: The Karnataka government has decided to honour late actor Puneeth Rajkumar with Karnataka Ratna awards, said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday. The Chief Minister made the announcement during a mourning event to reflect the life and contributions of Puneeth to the Kannada film industry. The event "Puneeth Namana" was held in Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on Tuesday. 

The event was attended by several political leaders and film stars with a live telecast of the event on television. 

During the event, taking to Twitter, Bommai said, “State Government has decided to honour late Sri #PuneethRajukumar with Karnataka Ratna award posthumously.”

The highest civilian honours of the Karnataka government have been given to nine achievers in the past three decades and Puneeth Rajkumar will be the second person from the Kannada industry to receive the award after his father Dr Rajkumar, said a report on Times of India.

Actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who had acted in at least 29 movies in the Kannada film industry, passed away at the age of 46 after suffering from a cardiac arrest in Bengaluru. On October 29, Puneeth complained of chest pain and was rushed to a private hospital in Bengaluru but a massive attack claimed his life. 

Puneeth was laid to rest with full state honours two days after his death on October 31. Several important leaders, celebrities and public paid homage to him in Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru in the two days. 

Puneeth, who is well-known as Appu and Power Star, has acted in movies including Appu, Abhi, Aakash, Ajay and Anjani Putra.