Late actor Puneeth to receive Honorary Doctorate as fans await his last film

The award will be presented to the late actor's wife at the University of Mysore's 102nd convocation on March 22

After a 33-year hiatus, the century-old University of Mysore will confer honorary doctorates posthumously on March 22 at its 102nd annual convocation here. Puneeth Rajkumar, a Kannada actor who died last year, was chosen for the honorary doctorate posthumously in recognition of his contributions to Kannada cinema and philanthropy.

Late Sandalwood actor Puneeth Rajkumar will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Mysore on their 102nd convocation on 22nd March

The actor is only the second person in recent decades to receive the honorary doctorate posthumously, following Sri Shivarathri Rajendra Swami of Suttur Mutt. The university bestowed the doctorate on the seer in 1989, during the tenure of P. Selvie Das, the university's first and only female Vice-Chancellor. Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre, a defence scientist, and M. Mahadevaswamy, a folk musician, are the other two recipients of honorary doctorates.

Vice-Chancellor G. Hemantha Kumar announced that Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar has agreed to accept the honorary doctorate. "This year, we are conferring three honorary doctorates, one of which is posthumous," he added.

The Vice-Chancellor told reporters that he paid a visit to the late actor's Bengaluru home and invited the actor's family to the convocation. Prof. Kumar stated, "His wife has agreed to accept the doctorate." Dr Rajkumar, a Kannada actor, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university 46 years ago.

According to the VC "At the age of seven, Puneeth Rajkumar received the national award. His contribution to cinema was outstanding. He was heavily involved in charitable work. He was a pillar of strength for Mysuru's Shakti Dhama, which his family established for the rehabilitation and development of women. All of these factors prompted us to consider his name for the honour." the VC explained.

Surprisingly Dr. Rajkumar was also 46 years old when he was awarded the honorary doctorate on February 8, 1976. After 46 years, his late actor-son, who died at the age of 46, is being honoured posthumously. "I see it as an opportunity," Prof. Kumar said.

Karnataka is currently under a trance as thousands of fans of late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar await the release of the actor's final film, 'James,' on March 17, which also happens to be his birthday. Fans have erected large cutouts of Puneeth outside theatres across the state, and tickets for the film are flying off the shelves even five days before its release. The film will be released in approximately 4,000 theatres worldwide. People of all ages are eagerly awaiting the release of their favourite actor's final film on the big screen.

Puneeth died on October 29, 2021 after suffering a massive heart attack. His philanthropic activities, which came to light after his death, have given the superstar a larger-than-life image. The Censor Board has given the film a U/A rating. The film will be released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam. The film will be released in over 400 theatres in Karnataka alone. The teaser and songs from 'James' have already gone viral among his fans. The tickets are almost sold out 5 days before the release of the film.