Cinema has no business of confinement and it has no borders. Every form of art in cinema would have touched the masses in every direction and if a most loved artist stops breathing, it would stun the entire country and the same sense has been prevailing across India after Sandalwood's Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on Friday at the age of 46 due to cardiac arrest. 

His sudden demise had startled the entire cinema industry and the fans across and beyond the borders and hundreds of thousands of people have been paying homage to the departed soul, who was admired for his discipline and pleasant smile. The actor had complained of chest pain on Friday morning while he was working out in the gym. Initially, he was taken to a private hospital and later, he was shifted to Vikram Hospital at around 11.30 am and he was brought to the hospital in a critical state. 

Puneet Rajkumar, who was fondly called by his fans 'Appu' which is the name of the movie he made his debut as an actor, has left behind a wife and two daughters. He was active in the industry for the past three decades and besides acting, he was also known for his versatility. He had done playback singing, television presently, and produced movies in Kannada cinema. As hundreds and thousands of people are mourning the loss of the actor, an old video of Puneeth Rajkumar surprising his ardent fans has been doing rounds on social media amid the arrangements for his last rites have been underway. 

The video had reminisced how the actor and his fans had celebrated each other and watching the video would break your hearts. According to reports, this particular video was released by Hombale Films on the occasion of Puneeth Rajkumar's birthday on March 17, 2021. The movie team of 'Yuvarathnaa', which was the actor's last film, had organized a special event ahead of the release. The team had invited a few fans of Puneeth Rajkumar to speak about him and it was made in such a way that these fans don't know they were going to get a big surprise of seeing the actor. 

In the video, it can be seen the fans were talking about Puneeth Rajkumar and the actor surprises them from nowhere. He was present backstage and was listening to his fans and suddenly came and stood right next to them. The fans were excited to see their favourite star in person and Puneeth went on to greet them with his smile and hug. As the entire nation is mourning the loss of one of the most celebrated actors, this touching video has been getting rampantly spread across social media. 

Lok Sabha MP Mohan had shared a portion of the video on his Twitter and wrote, "Puneeth Rajkumar's affable nature endeared him to people across generations. His genuineness will stay in our hearts forever." Several fans went emotional after seeing the video and expressed how they miss him. Some of his everlasting performances and movies are 'Vasantha Geetha', 'Bhagyavantha', 'Chalisuva Modagalu', 'Eradu Nakshatragalu', 'Bhakta Prahaladha', 'Yarivanu', and 'Bettada Hoovi'.

He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in 'Bettada Hoovu'. He was also conferred with Karnataka State Award Best Child Artist for 'Chalisuva Modagalu' and 'Yeradu Nakshatragalu'. His last movieYuvarathnaa had become a blockbuster. Puneeth Rajkumar has followed his father and legendary actor Rajkumar's footsteps as following his demise, his eyes were donated.

His body has been kept at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru for the public to pay homage. His daughters had returned from the United States on Saturday and thousands of fans from across Karnataka had gathered at the stadium to pay tribute to their Power Star. Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced that Punneeth Rajkumar will be laid down to rest with full state honours and the last rites will be taking place on Sunday. 

Watch the video: