KOCHI: Several actors of Malayalam cinema paid tribute to lead Kannada actor and power Star Puneeth Rajkumar, who passed away on Friday.
"The loss of Puneeth Rajkumar has come as a terrible shock. I still find the news hard to believe. It feels as though I have lost a younger brother. My thoughts & prayers go out to his family with whom I share a close bond. I wish them strength & comfort to cope with this loss," actor Mohanlal tweeted.
"This hurts so much! Rest in peace superstar! May the family, friends and millions of fans have the strength to tide through this sorrow! PuneethRajkumar," said actor Prithviraj Sukumaran.
In his condolence message, actor Unni Mukundan remembered Puneeth as a great human being. "RIP. Gone too early. Such a warm person and a great human, PuneethRajkumar," said Unni Mukundan.
Actors including Jayaram, Suraj Venjaramood, Shalu Kurian and director Omar Lulu also paid tributes to the actor.
The demise of Puneeth Rajkumar has taken the entire South Indian film industry by shock as the actor was very recently seen promoting Shivarajkumar's 'Bajrangi 2'. The actor had even tweeted wishing the film luck today morning.
On the acting front, he was last seen in 'Yuvarathnaa', directed by Santhosh Ananddram. He had recently wrapped shooting for Chethan Kumar's 'James', alongside Priya Anand. He was about to begin shooting for 'Dvitva', directed by Pawan Kumar from November 1.
In a career spanning two decades as a hero, Puneeth, fondly called Appu and Power Star, acted in several successful films and had one of the largest fanbases in the Kannada film industry.
(With inputs from Cinema Express)