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Dr. Rajkumar

Dr. Rajkumar

Actor/Singer
Biography:  Rajkumar was a Kannada film actor and singer who was born Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju on April 24, 1929 and passed away on April 12, 2006.He mainly worked in Karnataka and has won awards for his work. "Dr. Raj" (a popular name) with the earned title "Natasarvabhouma" (meaning "emperor of acting") retained popularity in both Karnataka and other Indian states. His primary view about his fans was, "I don't know whether I will ever see God." But for me, all those who are assembled here are my gods. Fans call him "Annavru" (Kannada, "Big Brother") with affection. He acted in more than 200 Kannada movies in a career spanning over five decades. Most of his movies were epics in the Kannada film industry. He was also a well-known singer, both as a playback singer and as a singer of devotional songs. His voice is referred to as "kogile Kanta" (the voice of a Koel). Early life Rajkumar was born on April 24, 1929, in a Kannada-speaking family at Gajanur, in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore. The village is now located in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu, along its border with Karnataka. His mother tongue is Kannada. His father, Singanalluru Puttaswamayya, who was a theatre artist, and his mother, Lakshmamma, named their eldest son Mutturaju after Lord Muthathi Raya. His name was changed to "Rajkumar" (meaning Prince) after his film debut. Later Dr.Rajkumar Film career Rajkumar started his career as a theatre artist with his father in a troupe led by the legendary Gubbi Veeranna. It was here that Rajkumar honed his acting and singing skills. Bedara Kannappa, a 1954 Kannada-language movie, marked his entry into the film world. This movie was directed by H. L. N. Simha, who also christened him Rajkumar. Rajkumar would use the same name for the rest of his life. He later forayed into film production with the hugely popular Ranadheera Kanteerava, which he produced with another legend of Kannada cinema, Balakrishna. This movie, which was made exclusively with technicians from Karnataka, also marked the beginning of full-fledged filmmaking in Karnataka. One of the all-time famous songs, "Shivappa Kaayo Tande," was from his first movie. Dr. Rajkumar was also one of the most versatile actors in Indian cinema. His character portrayals ranged from comedy to action, from lover to double or triple roles, mythological figures to modern-day social issues.He acted with the most popular heroines in southern Indian cinema, such as Pandaribai, Leelavathi, Lakshmi, Ambika, Manjula, Jayamala, Jayachitra, Mahalaxmi, Kalpana, Jayanti, Bharati, Aarathi, Jayaprada, Madhavi, Geetha, Sarita, Gayatri, and others from neighbouring states. He worked with many directors of south Indian cinema, from B.R. Pantulu and Puttanna Kanagal to Shankar Nag and Nagabharana. With the exception of one Telugu movie called "Kalahasti Mahathyam," he acted only in Kannada movies. Prithviraj Kapoor acted in the movie Saakshatkara in the role of Dr. Rajkumar's father. In his lifetime, Dr. Rajkumar acted in 206 Kannada movies, excluding guest appearances. He owned a film production company called Vajreshwari Production, which produced films under the banner of Dakshayani Combines. Bhagyada Bagilu was his 100th movie, and Devatha Manushya was his 200th movie. Rajkumar, the actor, never turned to other languages, in spite of having huge demand for and chances to be in them. He participated in several protest marches, such as "Gokak Chaluvali," for the welfare of Kannada and Karnataka. Whenever there was a threat to the sovereignty of the culture and people of Kannada, he always took the lead. That is why Kannada people still regard him as their own brother and cherish him in their hearts. Two of his most famous performances were in his own productions: Kaviratna Kalidasa and Shankar-Guru. He produced movies based on famous Kannada novels. He was ably supported by his friend and script writer, Chi. Udayashankar. He signed films only after consultation with his brother, S.P. Varadaraju. He chose stories that usually had a social message for the audience. He also made many movies against social evils. One such movie is Shabdavedi, which is against the evil of drugs. He never smoked a cigar or cigarette or acted as an alcoholic in any of his movies (except for a few in the early days of his career). In real life too, he was a non-smoker and non-alcoholic and maintained a very high standard of living, performing daily yogasanas and following a strict diet. Though he had numerous chances to try his hand at Indian politics owing to his mass following, he refrained from entering active politics, focusing his energy solely towards art and cinema. His last movie was Shabdhavedi. Singing career Dr. Rajkumar was also well-known as a singer. He is the only actor in India who has received a national award for his singing. This award was given to him for the song "Naadamaya" for the film "Jeevana Chaitra." He sang many devotional songs, too. He had trained in classical music while in Gubbi Veranna's drama troupe. At that time, it was required for everyone to at least have a working knowledge of classical music. He sang a song in the film Mahishasura Mardini, which was directed by G. K. Venkatesh. Rajkumar, on the other hand, did not establish himself as a full-fledged singer until the film Sampathige Sawal's hugely popular song Yare Koogadali.Prior to his singing in Sampathige Sawal, Rajkumar's songs were sung by Dr. P. B. Srinivas. He used to call PBS "Shaareera," while he referred to himself as "Shareera." Raj had a good voice, and all his songs are popular. He excelled in singing all types of songs, from romantic to heavily classical. After Yare Koogadali, he sang for most of his movies and for many private albums, which were mainly devotional albums. His song interpretations ranged from pure classical to disco, from fast numbers to pathos. Although his singing was greatly appreciated, his fans of the days of black-and-white movies in the 1960s and 1970s swear by the fact that his true identity was P B Srinivas, who did the playback singing for most of Rajkumar's movies until Rajkumar himself started to sing. PBS continued singing for him in many of the movies in which Rajkumar starred in double or triple roles. A noteworthy example is the movie Babruvahana, in which Rajkumar plays both Arjuna and Babruvahana, and PBS sings for Arjuna while Rajkumar sings for Babruvahana. In his final years, Rajkumar had lent his voice to a few other actors and sang many background solos. One such song that holds a unique distinction was for the movie Muddina Maava, wherein he provided playback for the legendary singer S.P. Balasubramaniyam, who had acted in the movie. This is probably a rare occasion where an actor sings for a singer, which is probably unmatched in the world of cinema. He had sung many devotional songs about Hanuman and Sri Raghavendra Swamiji. One of his most famous songs is "Huttidare Kannada naadalli hutta beku." His theatrical background, which he has had since childhood, greatly aided him in both acting and singing. Adept at rendering his voice to different moods—romantic, sentimental, devotional, and semi-classical—his songs about Kannada language and culture, such as Jenina holeyo, Maanavanagi huttidmele, and Huttidare Kannadanadinalli Hutabeku, are immensely popular. He even sang a complete English song in one of his Bond films. Interestingly, he lent his voice to SPB in Muddina Mava and comedian Narasimharaju in Devasundari. Naadamaya, a classical song in Raga Thodi, which won him the national award for best playback singing, proves his versatility as a singer with its complex graces as it progresses with other ragas. He switches between ragas with ease and sings Swara patterns just like a professional. Kalidasa's shlokas, songs that are based on ghazals like Sadaa Kannali, Kanneera Dhaare, Gelathi Baradu, and Yaava Kaviyu, have also been very melodious and popular. Aside from films, he provided his voice for a number of devotional songs. As many as 17 singers gave voice to Rajkumar before he started singing his own songs, and that was after he had been acting for over two decades. Until 1974, Dr. P. B. Srinivas was Rajkumar's most frequent singing voice in films. However, once, when P.B. Srinivas was not available to sing for the movie Sampattige Sawaal, composer G.K. Venkatesh encouraged Rajkumar to sing. With the song Yaare koogadali, Rajkumar restarted his singing career, which had stopped after the movie Ohileshwara. Thus began his journey as the most famous actor-singer that the Kannada film industry has ever seen. Singers who lent voice to Rajkumar include Dr. P. B. Srinivas, Yesudas, and Ghantasala Venkateshwara Rao. Later on, Rajkumar sang songs for all the movies in which he acted, and as a playback singer, he had sung many songs for others. In addition to classical, light classical, and movie-style singing, he had also mastered "mattuu" (free-style singing in Kannada mythological dramas similar to opera singing). The best examples are in the movies "Bhabruvaahana" and "Bhaktha Prahalaadda." Rajkumar was also a good harmonium player. Family Rajkumar's brother, S.P. Varadaraju, worked with him in his production company. He had two sisters, Sharadamma and Nagamma. He was married to Parvathamma, who later became a film producer. They have three sons, Shivaraj Kumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, and Puneet Rajkumar, and two daughters, Lakshmi and Poornima. His last son, Puneeth Rajkumar, passed away on October 29, 2021, due to a heart attack. For the cause of Kannada The "Gokak report," popularly known as "Gokak varadhi," was about making Kannada a compulsory language for primary education. Considering that the language is spoken by a majority of people in Karnataka, the Gokak movement's goal was to give Kannada the same basic rights already enjoyed by other official languages in their respective states of India. When the Kannada literary experts and students started this movement, there was a positive response from the common man in Karnataka. It gained momentum when Rajkumar was asked to lead the movement. He became actively involved in the movement and soon became the force behind the Gokak movement, which was designed to bring Kannada to the forefront. He took a rally from Belgaum to Bangalore and gave speeches about the importance of Kannada. The government responded positively, and Kannada was to become a compulsory language of education in Karnataka. Ensuring respect and dignity for the Kannada language and Kannada culture were the cornerstones of his life. Kidnapping On July 30, 2000, at the age of 72, Rajkumar, his son-in-law Govindaraju, and two others were kidnapped from the actor's palatial house at Gajanur in Tamil Nadu by the bandit Veerappan. Veerappan was demanding the release of his gang members, who were being held in jail under a defunct anti-terrorism law. The event prompted a massive manhunt and threw the Karnataka government into crisis. Rajkumar was released unharmed on November 15, 2000, after 108 days of captivity. His kidnapping and the manner in which his release was secured remain mysteries to this day. Death and its aftermath Dr. Rajkumar died at his home in Sadashivanagar, Bangalore, on April 12 (13.45 IST) following a cardiac arrest. He had a history of heart-related problems and had been admitted to Wockhardt Hospital for treatment of unstable angina. His health had been a concern after the kidnapping and since the death of his brother, S.P. Varadaraju. Due to his larger-than-life image, the city virtually came to a halt as the news spread about his death. His death precipitated a city-wide reaction comparable to the time he was kidnapped by Veerappan. Following the news of his death, there was major unrest in Bangalore, mainly due to a lack of immediate arrangements for fans to get accurate news and facilities to see the body. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy later claimed that the violence was instigated by vested political interests; however, the opposition blamed a lack of timely actions by responsible organizations. An unofficial bandh (closure of all shops and other establishments) was announced. More than 100 vehicles were burned, and eight people were killed in police shootings. Footage of the riots was included in an episode of the American show 30 Days. The show was filming an episode about outsourcing and ended up in the middle of the riots when Chris (the subject of the episode) had to commute home from his job. The state government declared a state-wide holiday on April 13 as a mark of respect to the former actor. Private firms and businesses all over the city and many parts of the state remained closed due to the holiday. His body was first kept at his home in Sadashivanagar. However, due to immense crowd pressure, the body was initially moved to the Palace Grounds and then later to the Kanteerava Stadium. He was laid to rest at Kanteerava Studios in Bangalore on April 13, 2006. Memorial The Karnataka government has announced plans to build a Rs 10 crore memorial in Dr. Rajkumar's honour at Kanteerava Studios. The memorial is under construction, and we hope to have it finished in one year. And the plans for the memorial are to screen Dr. Rajkumar movies in a special auditorium. A detailed schedule is yet to be announced. As of now, a memorial has been built, which is currently worshipped by many of his fans. Karnataka's government has appointed workers to look after this memorial. The plan is to build a garden with an auditorium, where the movies will be screened. The memorial is built using marble stones. On his birthday, April 24, 2008, it was like a festival in this place. Fans came here to celebrate Rajanna's brother's (Dr. Raj Kumar) birthday. On that day, approximately 10—20,000 people were there. Dr. Raj Kumar's family members were also present there in the morning. It is said that "Shivraj Kumar" (the elder son, a Kannada actor) comes here before starting any new movie to have the blessings of his father, Dr. Rajkumar.
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Dr. Rajkumar Movies

Movies Director Release Date
Kannada
as Singer
Prem 14 Aug 2009
Kannada
as Actor
Hunsur Krishnamurthy 25 Apr 2008
Kannada
as Singer
Muraju Boodhigere 31 Aug 2007
Kannada
as Singer
Dinesh Baboo 25 Apr 2003

Dr. Rajkumar: Age, Net Worth, Movies, Family, and Personal Details

About Dr. Rajkumar

Name Dr. Rajkumar
Profession(s) Main Profession
Actor, Singer

Other Profession
Politician
Date Of Birth 24 Apr 1929
Age 95
Birth Place Gajanur, Mysore Kingdom
Current Residence
Religion Hindu
Nationality Indian
Height 170cm
Zodiac Sign Taurus
Hobbies Reading and writting

Dr. Rajkumar Family

Father Singanalluru Puttaswamayya
Mother Lakshmamma
Sibling NA
Spouse Parvathamma Rajkumar
Children Shiva Rajkumar, Ragavendra Rajkumar, Punith Rajkumar, Lakshmi, Poornima

Dr. Rajkumar Education

Education Qualification Rajkumar dropped out of school
College(s)
School(s) Gajanur Local School

Dr. Rajkumar Net Worth

Net Worth

Dr. Rajkumar Debut Movies

Kannada Bhakta Prahlada

Dr. Rajkumar Awards

Year Award Category status movie
1994 Karnataka State Film Awards Best Actor Winner
1973 Filmfare Awards South Best Actor Winner

Dr. Rajkumar Unknown Facts

  • Dr. Rajkumar was the 1st  Kannada actor to win the "Dada Saheb Phalke Award," a prestigious award given by the Indian government for achievement in the film industry.
  • Dr. Rajkumar is the only actor to have appeared in 14 films in a single year twice, in 1964 and 1968.
  • Dr. Rajkumar was a Kannada film actor who portrayed a hero with both a mother and a daughter.
  • Dr. Rajkumar is the only Kannada actor to have received a national award for both singing and acting.
  • Dr. Rajkumar was the only Kannada actor to receive the Andhra government's "NTR Award," which is given to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the film industry.
  • Dr. Rajkumar was the first actor in the Indian film industry to get a Doctorate in acting (Mysore University).

Dr. Rajkumar Photos

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Dr. Rajkumar

  • The age of Dr Rajkumar in the 2024 was 95.

  • The Dr Rajkumar's was born in Gajanur, Mysore Kingdom.

  • The DOB for Dr Rajkumar was 24 Apr 1929.

  • The Dr Rajkumar is approximately 170cm tall.

  • The most recent movies for Dr Rajkumar is Raaj - The Showman.

  • Dr Rajkumar is best known for the films Kasthuri Nivasa 1971 and Satya Harischandra 1965.

  • Dr. Rajkumar was the 1st  Kannada actor to win the "Dada Saheb Phalke Award," a prestigious award given by the Indian government for achievement in the film industry. and Dr. Rajkumar is the only actor to have appeared in 14 films in a single year twice, in 1964 and 1968..

  • Bhakta Prahlada was Dr Rajkumar first movie in Kannada

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