Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar's family conducted 'Haalu-Tuppa' ceremony (offering of milk and ghee to grave) at Kanteerava Studio premises where his mortal remains were laid to rest on Tuesday (November 2). Though prohibition orders are in place, thousands of his fans surrounded the stadium premises and urged that they should be allowed inside to pay respects to their favourite star. Owing to the pressure, entry was allowed.
Raghavendra Rajkumar, Puneeth's elder brother said that, his younger brother belonged to masses and since the family worshipping is done, they can visit his grave anytime, he said. Puneeth's wife Ashwini, daughters Dhriti and Vandana performed puja along with other members of the family.
Meanwhile, Telugu superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna visited the residence of Puneeth Rajkumar and met his family members. "It's very shocking and heartbreaking development. It is not possible for us to believe what happened. I am speechless and don't know what to say to his family members," he said. 'Very tough to digest', says Prabhu Deva as he pays last respects to late actor Puneeth Rajkumar
"All are talking about only Puneeth Rajkumar's virtues on how he involved into social service, how he encouraged talent. I don't understand how God just took him away. My deepest condolences to his family, people of Karnataka and his fans. My heart goes out to him," he said.
Son of legendary actor Rajkumar, Puneeth left for his heavenly abode at the age of 46 following a cardiac arrest. He was admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru, after experiencing chest pain, where he breathed his last. His mortal remains were shifted to Sree Kanteerava Stadium for public viewing, where a large number of fans gathered to get one last view of their favourite actor. A heavy police force has also been deployed at the stadium to control the crowd.
On the professional front, the 46-year-old actor has been the lead star in 29 films since his 2002 acting debut in 'Appu', with his last release being 'Yuvarathnaa', which came out in April earlier this year. His other notable performances include, 'Raam', 'Hudugaru', and 'Anjani Putra'.
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(With IANS inputs)
