A road in Bengaluru named after the late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar

Agencies,Chennai, Feb. 10: Karnataka government has paid tribute to late Sandalwood star Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away in October due to a heart attack. The government, headed by chief minister Basavaraj S Bommai, has renamed the Ring Road in Bengaluru as Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar Road. The move has received a lot of praise from his fans and celebrities. Now, Puneeth’s wife Ashwini has also thanked the government and the CM for the honour.

On Instagram, Ashwini shared a post that read, “Our heartfelt gratitude for the government of Karnataka, especially Sri, Basavarak S Bommai, honorable chief minister of Karnataka, for dedicating the 12 Kms Ring Road from Nayandahalli Junction to Vega City Mall Junction as ‘Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar Road’ in honour of Appu.”

She added, “I am enormously indebted to all in the State government, the Karnataka Film Chamber, the film fraternity, and the innumerable fans for keeping Appu alive among us in myriad ways.”

The Kannada film industry has been finding it hard to move on from the shocking loss of Appu, who suffered a heart attack while working out in the gym on 29th October 2021. Recently, Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth’s elder brother, broke down at the pre-release event of his upcoming film Shiva Vedha, the Telugu dubbed version of his Kannada film, Vedha. When a video of Puneeth was played at the event, Shivanna broke down and was then consoled by Telugu star Balakrishna, who presided over the event as the chief guest.

Son of Dr. Rajkumar, who is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Kannada cinema, Puneeth made his entry into cinema as a child artist. After making his debut as a hero, Appu quickly became the leading star with hits like Veera Kannadiga, Jackie, and Raajkumaraa. He was last seen in James, Lucky Man, and Gandhada Gudi, which were released posthumously.