Resul Pookutty: No one will ever be able to fill in the void after Puneeth Rajkumar’s demise

Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar’s sudden demise on Friday has shaken up the world of showbiz. For Resul Pookutty, the Oscar-winning sound designer and editor, this unfortunate incident is no less than a nightmare.

“For somebody who was so fit, young and productive in his creative life, to be just gone one fine morning, is like a bad dream. He was such a nice guy, and honest. I knew his father (legendary south actor Dr Rajkumar) well,” says Pookutty.

Though he hadn’t worked with Puneeth but knew him personally. “I have met him (Puneeth) a couple of times at several award functions. There was no one like him. I can’t forget the smile on his face. It was so humble and so heartwarming. He was someone who one would instantly like. There are no two ways about it. His smile stays with me, and will stay with me forever,” he shares.

The sound designer further notes, “People down South South look at stars as demigods. But Puneeth didn’t have any air about who his father was, or what a great legacy he was carrying forward. He was such a nice guy; so honest.”

Still in a state of shock, Pookutty says Puneeth’s passing away is unfathomable. “For someone like him going in a jiffy… it also reminds you that life is short, and nothing is in your hands. He survived the pandemic, but couldn’t survive a heart attack. It is really unfortunate,” says the sound designer, while praising the late star, fondly called Appu, for touching people’s lives in many different ways.

Terming Puneeth’s demise as a “big loss” for the Indian film industry, and a “personal tragedy” for Kannada film industry, Pookutty adds, “For the Kannada industry, the loss is something which can never be filled. And for the Indian film industry and the business, it is a huge loss. It is a void that is going to take a lot of time to fill up, or probably will never ever be filled. He left a huge vacuum behind.”

The 46-year-old was working out in the gym on Friday when he complained of chest pain, following which he was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru, where he breathed his last.

ott:10