B’day tribute: ‘Appu’ to return to screens on Friday

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: To honour Puneeth Rajkumar on his 50th birth anniversary, a remastered version of his 2002 Kannada blockbuster ‘Appu’ will be screened in nearly 200 theatres, both single screens and multiplexes, across Karnataka on Friday. Fans of the beloved 'Power Star' can enjoy the film in a high-quality 4K print, with enhanced audio. The film was originally directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under Poornima Enterprises and is now being re-released under PRK Productions by Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar.

Born on March 17, 1975, in Chennai, Puneeth made his debut as a lead actor in ‘Appu’ after working as a child artist in 14 films. The film also marked actress Rakshitha Prem’s debut. “It’s amazing that the film is re-releasing on Puneeth’s 50th birth anniversary. That makes it even more special,” says Rakshitha. She fondly recalls how her first day of the shoot was nerve-wracking, with Shivaraj Kumar present to watch her first shot. Directed by Puri Jagannadh, Appu follows the story of a carefree young man from a lower-middle-class family. After a fight leaves him injured, his college mate Suchitra takes him to the hospital and donates blood, sparking his love for her.

The film was a massive success, running for 25 weeks in theatres and being remade in four languages. Puneeth went on to star in 35 films before his untimely demise in 2021. Last year, his 2010 film ‘Jackie’ was also re-released around his birthday. The return of ‘Appu’ to the big screen serves as a nostalgic celebration of the actor’s legacy, allowing fans to relive the magic of his debut.