His production house PRK Productions had emerged as a hope for many indie film-makers, as he was approachable. Several other projects were in the discussion stage. Since 2019, as a producer, Puneeth had produced eight films - three under production, including a documentary on marine life off the Karnataka coast, and all new-wave indie films providing a platform for new talents such as Danish Sait and Hemanth Rao. Puneeth was also on the cusp of challenging and reinventing himself as an actor, collaborating with independent film-maker Pawan Kumar of Lucia fame, he pointed out. вЂњI donвЂ™t see anyone who can fill this vacuum just now,вЂќ he said, adding that this also meant a further hit on the business prospects and the baseline of the industry. In some ways, Puneeth filled the vacuum after the death of Vishnuvardhan, who had a similar cross-sectional appeal and an ability to bring family audiences to cinemas, a senior producer said. Chandrashekhar, president of Karnataka Film ExhibitorsвЂ™ Association. His death has left a big vacuum in this space,вЂќ said K.V. While there was immense craze about him among the youth, family audiences and even senior citizens came to theatres for his films. Among the present crop of heroes, Puneeth had an appeal across centres, age groups and regions. вЂњOver The Top platforms have accentuated the difficulty of drawing audiences to theatres for Kannada cinema. The death of Puneeth Rajkumar, considered one of the most bankable stars of Kannada cinema, is a big hit to an industry already floundering from the impact of the pandemic.

Heroes 3 the shadow of death