Puneeth Rajkumar's brother Shivrajkumar says 'feeling like I have lost my own child', has message for fans
Late Puneeth Rajkumar's brother Shivrajkumar has said that he is 'feeling like I have lost my own child'. Puneeth died following a cardiac arrest last week.
Actor Shivrajkumar, brother of late actor Puneeth Rajkumar, has opened up on losing his brother, saying that he feels like he has lost 'my own child'. Puneeth died at the age of 46 following a cardiac arrest last week. He was admitted to Bengaluru's Vikram Hospital after experiencing chest pain.
Puneeth Rajkumar was laid to rest, with full state honours, on Sunday at Bengaluru' Kanteerava Studio. The last rites were attended by Puneeth's wife Ashwini Revanth, his daughters Dhrithi and Vanditha, his elder brothers Shivrajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar among other family members.
According to Pinkvilla, Shivrajkumar, while interacting with the media, said, "I am elder to Puneeth by 13 years and I have seen him since he was a baby. I am feeling like I have lost my own child. It is shocking to the entire family. It is very hard for anyone to digest that Appu is no more with us, but we have seen the reality and move on. I get it that fans are devastated, but they should be patient and not forget that their families need them."
The final journey of the actor's mortal remains began at about 5:30 am from Kanteerava Stadium, where it was kept since Friday evening for thousands of fans and well-wishers to pay their last respects, to Kanteerava studio.
The mortal remains reached the studio at about 6:30 am. Puneeth was laid to rest in the early morning hours, much ahead of the schedule of 10 am. According to an official government release, due to security reasons, with the consent of the family members, Puneeth's last rites were performed much before the scheduled time.
Following Puneeth's death, many celebs mourned the loss. Actor Chiranjeevi, speaking to reporters, had said, "It is a great loss to Kannada film industry...losing our Appu, the Power Star of Karnataka. He was very close to our family... Many memories with him, right from his father Rajkumar's times."
Actor Sanjay Dutt tweeted, "You were the kindest and the simplest person I've met. The world has lost another gem. My heartfelt condolences to your family and friends. Om Shanti #PuneethRajkumar." Anil Kapoor also extended condolences to the late star and wrote, "Shocking & extremely sad... #PuneethRajkumar. Sending my heartfelt condolences & prayers to the family..."
Also Read | Puneeth Rajkumar danced with Yash, shared stage with him two days before death. Watch
Called Appu by his fans, the actor entered the industry as a child artist. He was also awarded the National Film Award for Best Child Artist, for the movie Bettada Hoovu. Later, he debuted with Appu in 2002 which instantly became a blockbuster hit. Raam, Hudugaru, and Anjani Putra are some of his memorable movies.
(with ANI inputs)
