Amitabh Bachchan fondly remembers Puneeth Rajkumar; reflects on late star's qualities

Amitabh Bachchan fondly remembered the late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away last year after suffering a heart attack. In a clip shared online, Amitabh reflected on his bond with Puneeth, stating that it's difficult to talk about him in the past tense. The KBC host also shared that Puneeth's 'endearing smile' is what made him stand out every time you saw him. Puneeth’s wife Ashwini shared Amitabh Bachchan's video on social media and thanked him for the gracious words. 

Amitabh Bachchan fondly remembers the late Puneeth Rajkumar

In a clip shared by Ashwini, Big B spoke about Puneeth Rajkumar’s glorious legacy, while also shedding light on his last film Gandhada Gudi. "Puneeth — we all lovingly called Appu. It’s very difficult to talk about Appu in the past tense. I met him first when he was a little kid. The one thing that was so attractive about him was he was always smiling. Every time, and everywhere you met, he had the most endearing smile on his face. That’s what I believe kept him so close to all of us and his legendary fan following," he mentioned.

Talking about Puneeth's Gandhada Gudi, he added that the film will remind people to "enrich our association with nature and live in harmony with it." Sharing the video on Twitter, Ashwini mentioned, "Thank you for your gracious words and overwhelming gesture @SrBachchan sir. We are humbled by your expression (sic)."

The movie Gandhada Gudi takes audiences on a journey across Karnataka as the actor explores its wildlife and natural beauty. The film, which was released in October, got positive reviews from moviegoers and critics. It was directed by Amoghavarsha, while Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar bankrolled it under PRK Productions. 

Meanwhile, Karnataka's highest civilian award, 'Karnataka Ratna', was conferred posthumously on Puneeth Rajkumar. He became the 9th recipient of this prestigious honour. Interestingly, Puneeth's late father Rajkumar was one of the first people to have received the Karnataka Ratna award. 

(IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @AMITABHBACHCHAN/ FACEBOOK/ @PUNEETHRAJKUMAR)