Rajkumar

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ಡಾ. ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ್ - Dr. Rajkumar ‌

Dr. Rajkumar
Born Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju
April 24, 1929(1929-04-24)
Gajanur, Tamil Nadu
Died April 12, 2006 (aged 76)
Bengaluru(Bangalore), Karnataka
Occupation Actor, Singer
Years active 1954 to 2000
Spouse(s) Parvatamma Rajkumar

Dr. Rajkumar (Kannada:ಡಾ.ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ್, Real Name: Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju Kannada:ಸಿಂಗನಲ್ಲೂರು ಪುಟ್ಟಸ್ವಾಮಯ್ಯ ಮುತ್ತುರಾಜು, April 24, 1929—April 12, 2006) was the most popular actor in Kannada film industry. He mainly worked in Karnataka and usually seen as a role model to Kannadigas.

"Dr. Raj" or "Natasarvabhouma" or "Annavru" (Kannada: ಅಣ್ಣಾವ್ರು, Big Brother) to millions of his fans, the actor's death sparked violence in Bangalore[citation needed]. He acted in more than 200 Kannada movies in a career spanning over five decades. Most of his movies were epic films in Kannada film industry. He was also a well-known singer, as a playback singer as well as of devotional songs. His voice is referred as kogile kanta.

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[edit] Early life

Rajkumar was born on April 24, 1929 in a Kannada speaking family at Gajanur,[1] a village on the border of Karnataka and Tamilnadu [2][3][4] His mother tongue is Kannada. His father, Singanalluru Puttaswamayya, who was a famous theater artist and his mother, Lakshmamma, named their eldest son Mutturaju after Lord Muthathi Raya.[5] His name was changed to "Rajkumar" (meaning Prince) after his film debut.

[edit] Film career

Rajkumar started his career as a theater 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 film making in Karnataka.

Dr. Rajkumar was also one of the most versatile actors in Indian cinema. His character depictions ranged from comedy to action, from lover to double/triple roles, from mythological characters to portrayal of modern day social causes. He acted with the most popular heroines in southern Indian cinema, such as Kannada's Pandaribai, Leelavathi, Jayanti, Bharati, Arati, Jayaprada, Madhavi, Geetha, Sarita and others from neighbouring states. He acted with many directors of the south Indian cinema from B.R. Pantulu, Puttanna Kanagal to Shankar Nag and Nagabharana. With the exception of one Telugu movie called "Bhaktha Kannappa", he acted only in Kannada movies. Actors who have acted with him considered it an achievement of their lifetime. 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.

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/cigarette or acted as an alcoholic in any of his movies (excepting 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.[6]

Though he had numerous chances to try his hand at Indian politics owing to his mass following, he shied away from active politics focusing his energy toward art and cinema. His last movie was Shabdhavedi, in which Jayaprada played the female lead.

[edit] Singing career

Dr. Rajkumar was also a well-known singer. He sang many devotional songs. He won the National Award for the song "Naadamaya" from the movie Jeevana Chaitra. 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 had sung a song in the movie Mahishasura Mardini with G.K.Venkatesh as the music director. Rajkumar however, did not become a full fledged singer until his hugely popular song Yare Koogadali from the movie Sampathige Sawal. 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 renditions would range from pure classical to disco and fast numbers to pathos.

Although his singing was greatly appreciated, his fans of the days of black-and-white movies in 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/triple roles.

In his final years, Rajkumar had lent his voice to a few other actors and sang many background solos. One such song which holds a unique distinction was for the movie Muddina Maava wherein he had provided playback to 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 on Hanuman and Sri Raghavendra Swamiji. One of his most famous songs is "huTTidare kannaDa nADalli huTTa bEku".

The theatrical background he had since childhood really helped him in acting as well as 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 are immensely popular. He even sang a complete English song in one of his bond films. Interestingly, he lent voice for 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 which are based on ghazals like Sadaa Kannali, Kanneera Dhaare, Gelathi Baradu and Yaava Kaviyu have also been very melodious and popular. Besides films, he rendered his voice for many 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, 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 P B Srinivas and Ghantasala Venkateshwara Rao.

Later on, Rajkumar sang songs for all the movies in which he acted, and also as a playback singer he has sung many songs to others.

[edit] Family

Rajkumar had a brother, S.P. Varadaraju, who worked with him in his production company. He had 2 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. All his three sons are popular actors in Kannada films.

[edit] For the cause of Kannada

Main article: Gokak agitation

The "Gokak report" popularly known as "Gokak varadi" 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 right 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 that 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 Kannada language and Kannada culture were the corner stones of his life.

[edit] Awards and honours

Rajkumar received numerous state, national and international awards. He received an honorary doctorate from Mysore University in 1976.

His fans have conferred him the title "Nata Saarvabhowma" (The Emperor of Acting).

[edit] 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 were secured are a mystery to this day.

[edit] Death and aftermath

Dr. Rajkumar died at his home in Sadashivanagar, Bangalore, on April 12, 2006 (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 the death. His death precipitated a city-wide reaction comparable to the time he was kidnapped by Veerappan. Following the news of his death, there were violent outbreaks in Bangalore city. The Chief Minister H.D.Kumaraswamy later claimed that the violence was instigated by vested political interests. An unofficial bandh (closure of all shops and other establishments) was announced. More than 100 vehicles were burnt; eight people were killed in police firing.[7] BBC News reported on the financial impact[8] of the riots.

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 moved initially to Palace Grounds and then later to the Kanteerava Stadium. He was laid to rest in Kanteerava Studios in Bangalore on April 13, 2006.

[edit] Notable Role

Rajeeva in Bangarada Manushya
Goraa in Bhakta Kumbara
Kalidasa in Kaviratna Kalidasa
Harishchandra in Satya Harishchandra
Mayura in Mayura
Jodidaar Vishwanathaiah in Jeevana Chaitra
Krishnadevaraya in Sri Krishnadevaraya
Pulakeshi in Immadi Pulakeshi
Changu Mani in Huliya Halina Mevu
Beera in Bangarada panjara
Appanna in Sanadi Appanna
Sandeep in Shabdavedi

[edit] Memorial

The Karnataka government announced to make a Rs 10 crore memorial in the memory of Dr. Rajkumar at Kanteerava studios. The memorial is under construction and hope to be finished in one year. And the plans for the Memorial is to screen Dr.Rajkumar Movies in a special Auditorium. Detailed schedule is yet to be announced. As on now a Memorial is built, which is currently worshiped by many of his Fans. Karnataka 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 24th 2008 , it was like a festival in this place, fans came here to celebrate Rajanna's -Brother(Dr.Raj Kumar) birthday. Approximately 10 -20,000 people were there on that day. Dr.Raj kumars Family members were also present there in the morning. It is said that "Shivraj Kumar (Elder Son -Kannada Actor) comes here before starting any new movie to have the blessings of his father Dr.Rajkumar.

[edit] Filmography

Main article: Filmography of Rajkumar

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gajanur in Erode
  2. ^ rediff.com: Nedumaran enacted drama to get me freed, says Rajakumar
  3. ^ Rajakumar, king of Kannada cinema
  4. ^ Untitled-1
  5. ^ http://deccanherald.com/Archives/Apr122006/update103482006412.asp
  6. ^ http://deccanherald.com/Archives/Apr122006/update103482006412.asp Nata Saarvabhouma Dr Rajkumar no more]
  7. ^ http://deccanherald.com/Archives/Apr142006/index2050442006413.asp
  8. ^ BBC NEWS | South Asia |Companies hit by Rajkumar riots

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Rajkumar was an accomplished practitioner of Yoga, who learnt it by one Mr. Nayak. His good-health was attributed to Yoga practice, which is said to have enabled him to survive the tough conditions, while he was abducted by forest brigand Veerappan. He is said to have taught Yoga to his colleagues, during films-shooting including Jayanthi, who has acted in 23 movies with him.
  • Rajkumar started singing from 1974, which meant P B Srinivas was no more singing for Rajkumar. Rajkumar had depth in his voice, while P B Srinivas was known for melody. Rajkumar's regal voice became popular and so, composers began to use his own voice to singing.
  • It is noteworthy that both of them were in very good terms till Rajkumar's end. P B Srinivas kept singing in Rajkumar movies, whenever there were dual-roles or for other actors in Rajkumar movies.

[edit] Further reading

  • A.N.Prahlada Rao. Bangarada Manushya. July 2005. A chronicle on Dr. Rajkumar, the book is a reference volume about the history of Kannada film industry in general and about the history, life and works of Rajkumar.

The English vertion of the book "Bangarada Manushya" -"Dr.Rajkumar:Inimitable Actor with a Golden Voice", was released by Smt Parvathamma Rajkumar, leading producer and wife of Rajkumar. The book is a translation of Bangaradha Manushya, a Kannada book on the actor by A.N. Prahallada Rao.This book has also relased at New Jercy in America in the month of May 2008. This is only book on Dr.Rajkumar in English and relesed out side India.

[edit] External links