Appu (2002): Puneeth played the lead in this fun college caper that was helmed by Puri Jagannadh. It completed 25 successful weeks in theatres and was remade in four languages.
To celebrate Puneeth Rajkumar's 50th birth anniversary, a remastered version of the 2002 hit Kannada film 'Appu' will be released in theatres this Friday. The film will be released in approximately 200 theatres — both single screens and multiplexes — across Karnataka.
Puneeth was born on March 17, 1975 in Chennai. Fans of the actor, who they adorably call ‘Power Star’ will get to watch the remastered film in a 4K print. The film has also undergone an audio cleanup.
‘Appu’ which was produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under Poornima Enterprises will now be re-released by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar under PRK Productions.
Last year, a remastered version of the actor's 2010 film 'Jackie' was released around the same time to celebrate the actor’s birthday. 'Appu' marked Puneeth's debut in a lead role. He acted in 14 films as a child artiste before going on to play the lead role.
The film was also actor Rakshitha Prem’s first film. “It's amazing that they are releasing it on the 50th birthday of Puneeth Rajkumar. I think it makes it very special. March 14 is also Ashwini's birthday,” Rakshitha tells DH.
“The first film is always special. My parents also started their journey with Vajreshwari Combines. So me doing my first film in Vajreshwari was very special and it made a huge difference to me,” she shares.
Rakshitha recalled memories from the first day of shoot when Shivarajkumar came to see her first shot, and the first photo session that decided whether she would get the role.
“I recall being very scared and worried on every single day of shoot about whether I would do my job right because it was a huge responsibility also considering that it was Puneet Rajkumar’s first film,” she shares.
Directed by Puri Jagannadh, the film follows Appu, a carefree young man from a lower middle class family. One day he gets into a fight with a bunch of gundas and is left injured. Suchitra, a girl from his college, admits him to the hospital and even donates her blood. He falls in love with her and tries to pursue her.
The film was a blockbuster hit cementing Puneeth’s career as an actor in the industry. He acted in 35 films as the lead before his untimely death in 2021.