Puneeth Rajkumar's sudden demise has stunned his fans as well as colleagues in the Kannada film industy.
Son of matinee idol Rajkumar, Puneeth appeared as the lead actor in several films, including Raam, Hudugaru, and Anjani Putra, over a long successful career starting with a decade or so as a child artiste.
He had a couple of projects lined up on the workfront even as death snatched him during a workout at the gym a little before noon on Friday. He reportedly had a heart attack and succumbed though he was rushed to a Bengaluru hospital.
Puneeth was shooting for the movie James, which is being helmed by director Chethan Kumar. The film had big names including Priya Anand as female lead.
Dvitva was yet another big film starring Puneeth in the lead. Announced recently, the film was supposed to begin shoot by next month. The project marked his third collaboration with Hombale Films and first with Pawan Kumar.
Puneeth had joined hands with Saarathi director Dinakar Thoogudeepa for an untitled film to be bankrolled by Jayanna Films.
Pailwaan director S Krishna had also made an official announcement about his next film with Puneeth recently on the actor’s birthday.
Puneeth was last seen in the Santhosh Ananddram directorial Yuvarathnaa, which was released in Kannada and Telugu. The movie featured actor Sayyesha opposite Puneeth.