Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar’s untimely demise on October 29 left many in shock, with fans, colleagues and friends grieving the death of the actor. Actor Vishal, who was a good friend of Puneeth made an announcement that he would take care of the 1,800 students whose education was being funded by the late actor.
Vishal announced this at the pre-release event of his upcoming film Enemy, which co-stars Arya in the lead. “Puneeth Rajkumar was not just a good actor but was a good friend too. I haven’t seen such a down-to-earth superstar like him. He was doing lots of social activities. I promise to take care of the 1,800 students who are getting free education from Puneeth Rajkumar from next year,” Vishal was quoted saying at the pre-release event of Enemy that took place in Hyderabad.
Puneeth Rajkumar, son of legendary Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar, was laid to rest with state honours in the presence of family, friends, elected representatives and fans at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on October 31.
The superstar was known for endorsing several social causes free of cost. Education being a cause close to his heart, he sponsored the fees of thousands of students every year and also extended financial assistance to several Kannada medium students in the state.
In 2013, the actor along with actor Radhika Pandit was roped in as a brand ambassador to urge students to utilise the vacant seats available in the Right to Education (RTE) quota. As brand ambassador for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Puneeth also worked towards reducing drop-out rates in schools.
Meanwhile, Vishal and Arya starrer Enemy is set to release on November 4 in Tamil and Telugu, on the occasion of Deepavali. Helmed by Anand Shankar, the film also has actors Mamta Mohandas, Prakash Raj and Mrinalini Ravi in major roles.
