Rajkumar

This page relates to the Kannada actor, Rajkumar; for other uses see Raj Kumar.
Padmabhushan Dr. Rajkumar ‌
ಡಾ. ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ್

Rajkumar
Born Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju
April 24, 1929(1929-04-24)[1]
Gajanur, Madras Presidency Now Tamil Nadu
Died April 12, 2006(2006-04-12) (aged 77)
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Occupation Actor, singer
Years active 1954 - 2000
Spouse Parvathamma Rajkumar

Rajkumar (Kannada: ಡಾ. ರಾಜ್‍ಕುಮಾರ್), also rendered as Raj Kumar or Raja Kumar; born Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju, April 24, 1929 - April 12, 2006)[1] was an actor and singer in the Kannada film industry. He acted in more than 200 Kannada movies. He worked primarily in Karnataka.

He was sometimes referred to as "Dr. Raj" or "Natasarvabhouma" (meaning "emperor of acting") and was hugely popular in Karnataka, where he was also known as "Annavaru", meaning "beloved elder brother". Of his fans, he once said, "I don't know whether I will ever see God. But for me all my fans are my Gods."[2][3] Rajkumar entered the film industry at the age of eight and got his first break as a hero in the film Bedara Kannappa in 1954. Thereafter, he went on to work in over 220 films and became a household name in the Kannada-speaking world.[4]

Contents

Early life

Raj Kumar was born on April 24, 1929[1] in Gajanur, Tamil Nadu, India.[5][6] His mother tongue was Kannada. His father, Singanalluru Puttaswamayya, was a theater artist. His mother's name was Lakshmamma, and his original name was Mutturaju, named after Lord Muthathi Raya.[7]

Career

Film

A painting of Rajkumar in a streetboard in Bangalore

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. Later, along with his father, Rajkumar joined M S Subbayya Naidu Drama Company. Bedara Kannappa, a 1954 Kannada language movie, marked his entry into the film world. This movie was directed by H L N Simha, who 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. The famous song "Shivappa Kaayo Tande" originated in his first movie.

with MGR

With the exception of one Telugu movie called Kalahasti Mahathyam, he acted only in Kannada movies. In his lifetime, 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. He participated in several protest marches, such as Gokak Chaluvali.

He produced and starred in Kaviratna Kalidasa and Shankar-Guru. He produced movies based on famous Kannada novels. He also made many movies against perceived social evils, such as Shabdavedi, which addressed drug abuse.

Singing

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 performed a song in the movie Mahishasura Mardini with G. K. Venkatesh as the music director. However, he 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 P. B. Srinivas. He used to call Srinivas 'Shaareera' while he referred to himself as 'Shareera'. After "Yare Koogadali", he sang in most of his movies and in many private albums, which were mainly devotional albums. His song renditions ranged 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. P. B. Srinivas continued singing for him in many of the movies in which Rajkumar starred in double/triple roles.

In his final years, Rajkumar lent his voice to a few other actors and sang many background solos. One such song, which holds a unique distinction, was for the 1993 movie Muddina Maava, wherein he provided playback to the legendary singer S. P. Balasubramaniyam, who acted in the movie. This was a rare occasion where an actor sang for a singer, probably unmatched in the world of cinema. He sang many devotional songs on Hanuman and Sri Raghavendra Swamiji. One of his most famous songs was "Huttidare kannada nadalli hutta beku".

Rajkumar’s voice had a smoothness and depth comparable to that of playback singer P. B. Sreenivas. His voice was also capable of great vivacity, noticeable in songs like "Sigivem Kshanadali", "Thai Thai Bangari", "Naa Ninna Mareyalare", "Le le Appana Magale" and "Aradhisuve". His childhood theatrical background helped him in acting as well as singing. He was adept at rendering his voice to different genres: 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. "Naadamaya", a classical song in Raga Thodi, which won him the national award for best playback singing, demonstrates 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 like a professional.

Kalidasa’s shlokas (songs), which are based on ghazals like Sadaa Kannali, Kanneera Dhaare, Gelathi Baradu and Yaava Kaviyu, have also become very popular. In addition to his film work, he rendered his voice for many devotional songs.[8]

Personal life

Family

Rajkumar married Parvathamma, with whom he had 5 children. Three of his children—Shivrajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneet Rajkumar—have become successful actors.

Kannada language movement

Rajkumar was asked to lead a movement about making Kannada a compulsory language for primary education based on the "Gokak report", popularly known as "Gokak varadhi". He became actively involved in the movement and soon became the force behind the Gokak movement. He took a rally from Belgaum to Bangalore and gave speeches about the importance of Kannada. Lakhs of people gathered only to have a glimpse of Rajkumar and listen to his speech. The movement became such a rage that the government relented and made Kannada a compulsory language of education in Karnataka.

Discipline

Rajkumar was a highly disciplined man. He would wake up and perform yoga and pranayama at 4 am. He practiced Carnatic music for one hour each in the morning and in the evening. He never smoked or drank alcohol both in real life and in movies. He never uttered swear words on screen. He seldom ate food outside except for tender-coconut. He was always punctual for any shooting and programmes. His dress code consisted of only white dhoti and white shirt, with sandals. He was always clean-shaven. He spent most of his vacations in his hometown, Gajanur, near the forest area where he was later abducted. During shooting he insisted that all the members of the unit should have the same menu and food must be of high quality.

Charity work

Rajkumar donated the proceeds from his devotional albums to charity and toward the building of an ashram for young widows and orphan girls. He toured Karnataka extensively to send donations to Kargil war victims. He donated money to eye donation camps and conducted many blood donation camps on the occasion of his birthday. He was an eye donor and as per his wish, his eyes were donated after his death.[9]

Abduction

On July 30, 2000, at the age of 71, Rajkumar, his son-in-law Govindaraju and two others were abducted from the actor's palatial house at Gajanur in Tamil Nadu by 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 abduction and the manner in which his release were secured are a mystery to this day.[10] [11][12]

Death and aftermath

Rajkumar died at his home in Sadashivanagar, Bangalore, on April 12, 2006 following a cardiac arrest.

His death precipitated a statewide reaction. Following the news of his death, there was major unrest in the city of Bangalore. The then Chief Minister, H. D. Kumaraswamy, later claimed that the violence was instigated by vested political interests. However the opposition blamed it on lack of timely arrangements by responsible organizations. An unofficial bandh (closure of all shops and other establishments) was announced. More than 1000 vehicles were burnt and eight people were killed in police firing. Several people attempted suicide after hearing of Rajkumar's death; most of them were rescued. Around two million people followed his remains.[13]

Some of the unrest was caught on film during the "Outsourcing" episode of the Morgan Spurlock show 30 Days.

The Karnataka government announced its intention to make a Rs 10 crore memorial in memory of Rajkumar at Kanteerava Studios.

Filmography

Awards and honours

Rajkumar was awarded numerous state, national and international awards. He was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award, a doctorate from Mysore University, and the Karnataka Ratna, the highest civilian honour of the State of Karnataka, recognising him as a "jewel of Kannada films". In 1995 he received the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his outstanding contribution to the Kannada film industry.

Book on Rajkumar

A book named Bangarada Manushya ("Golden Man"), written by A. N. Prahlada Rao, chronicles Rajkumar achievements on and off the screen. This book is rich in details on the growth and evolution of the Kannada film industry. It has been translated to English as Dr. Rajkumar: The Inimitable Actor with Golden Voice.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dr. Raj Kumar Memorial Website
  2. ↑ The Hindu : Friday Review Bangalore : Raja bequeaths empire
  3. ↑ News | TimesDaily.com | TimesDaily | Florence, Alabama (AL)
  4. ↑ Dr. Rajkumar
  5. ↑ Rajakumar, king of Kannada cinema
  6. ↑ Untitled-1
  7. ↑ http://deccanherald.com/Archives/Apr122006/update103482006412.asp
  8. ↑ [1]
  9. ↑ http://www.4to40.com/legends/index.asp?p=Dr._Raj_Kumar
  10. ↑ [2]
  11. ↑ Times
  12. ↑ [3]
  13. ↑ http://deccanherald.com/Archives/Apr142006/index2050442006413.asp

External links