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One
of the last happy moments of Dr.Rajkumar!!
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The
man who brought a new identity to Kannada
films, Dr. Rajkumar is no more. Worshipped
by millions of his fans for his subtle portrayals
spanning several genres of films, Rajkumar
was a one-man army furthering the cause
of the Kannada industry.
He had a rather uneventful entry into films,
spotted by director HLN Simha at a bus stop
in 1954. There however has been no looking
back for him ever since playing mythological,
contemporary and modern, snazzy roles. His
evocative eyes and boyish smile made him
the heartthrob of many. |
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Early
in his career he did attempt to act in a
couple of Tamil and Telugu films. But, once
his path was quite established in the Kannada
tinsel world, he became the champion of
the industry. He brought about several pioneering
steps for improving the stature of the language
as well as its film industry. Apart from
being a good actor, he was blessed with
a mellifluous voice in which he sang several
hit numbers.
Despite some unsavory and forgettable incidents,
he was a great patron of the arts and maintained
a good rapport with members of the other
branches of cinema. He was very close to
Dr. Sivaji Ganesan whom he revered as his
brother. Whenever he was in Chennai, he
made it compulsory to visit the great thespian’s
house. |
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He
showed a lot of affection towards another
Superstar Rajinikanth who also had a mercurial
rise in Tamil cinema traveling all the way
from bus conductor in Bangalore. Rajinikanth
also reciprocated by showing a great regard
especially at the time of crisis when Rajkumar
was held hostage by the forest brigand Veerappan.
Rajinkanth is to have pressurized several
quarters to ensure the safety and well-being
of the actor during the hostage drama. When
Rajkumar came to Chennai a year ago for
his knee replacement surgery at MIOT Hospitals,
Rajini visited him and wished him well. |
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| During
one of his recent visit to Bangalore Rajini
is reported to have enjoyed an exclusive
preview of Jogi, which Shivrajkumar, the
junior Rajkumar has the lead. Close sources
revealed that they had never seen Rajkumar
as happy as he was on that day. It was perhaps,
one of the last happy moments he shared
with his close friend.
Similarly, he shared a good relationship
with most senior members of the Tamil industry.
Awards have always been showered on him
at regular intervals. He was honored with
the Padmabhushan and Dada Saheb Phalke awards.
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Besides
he also won a National award for best playback
singer! He has won several Karnataka state
awards and the Filmfare awards. But what
he considered the most important recognition
was the evergreen position that he held
in the minds of his fans.
The Nataka Sarvabhowma (the God of theatrical
performance) is no more. But he would remain
a shining star in the film firmament and
the void created by his departure will not
be filled up that easily. |
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