Late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar will be posthumously conferred with an honorary doctorate by the University of Mysore on March 22, Vice-Chancellor Professor Hemanth Rao announced on Sunday, March 13. The doctorate will be conferred during the 102nd convocation ceremony of the university and is in recognition of Puneeth’s contribution to the Kannada film industry and his philanthropy, he said. Puneeth, popularly known as ‘Appu’, passed away at the age of 46 due to a heart attack in October 2021.
The posthumous doctorate to Puneeth has been approved by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. Puneeth’s wife Ashwini will receive the doctorate on her late husband’s behalf. Along with him, defense scientist Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre and folk artist Malavalli Mahadevaswamy will also be conferred with the doctorate during the ceremony. Puneeth’s father, Kannada icon Dr Rajkumar, was also conferred with an honorary doctorate from the University of Mysore in 1976. Dr Rajkumar was 46 years old when he received the doctorate, and after a gap of 46 years, his son — who was 46 years old when he passed away — will receive the same honour posthumously.
“Puneeth Rajkumar got the National Award at the age of seven. His contribution to cinema was remarkable. He was actively involved in charity work. He was a big strength for Mysuru’s Shakti Dhama that was set up by his family for the rehabilitation and development of women. All these factors encouraged us to consider his name for the honour,” Prof Rao said, according to The Hindu.
Soon after Puneeth’s death, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the actor would be posthumously presented with the Karnataka Ratna, and more recently, said that the date for the same would be announced soon. He also said that a memorial for the late actor would come up soon as well.
Meanwhile, in February, the teaser of Puneeth’s last film James was unveiled, in which he will be seen as security agent Santhosh. The film is billed as an action entertainer, and fans eagerly await the opportunity to see Appu on the big screen again.
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