Superstar Rajinikanth has expressed his condolences to the family of Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away last month at the age of 46. Rajinikanth said that he can’t find the right words to offer comfort to the bereaved family of Puneeth. “After the treatment, I am recovering very well. When I was in the hospital, Puneeth Rajkumar died unexpectedly. I was only told about him two days later. Hearing that news caused me a lot of pain. He grew right before my eyes. He was very talented, cultured, compassionate and such a wonderful boy. He left us way too soon. And it is an irreplaceable loss to the Kannada film industry. I have no words to console the grieving family members. Let his soul rest in peace,” he said in a voice note posted on his Hoote account.
Rajinikanth shared a very close bond with Puneeth Rajkumar. When Puneeth’s debut movie Appu completed 100 days of its theatrical run, Rajinikanth took part in the celebration and said he was looking forward to seeing all the great things that Puneeth was to accomplish in future. “I watched the film with Appu (Puneeth). And I realised, he was still a lion cub but he was already roaring. And it got me excited to look forward to the things he was going to accomplish in future,” Rajinikanth had said. Puneeth Rajkumar passed away on October 29 following a cardiac arrest, sending a shock wave across the country. He donated his eyes in accordance with a pledge by his father Rajkumar, that he along with all his family members will donate their eyes after death. His state funeral was attended by the Chief Minister of Karnataka and other leaders. His funeral was reportedly attended by more than 25 lakh people. He was buried at Sree Kanteerava Studios in Bangalore