Dr. Rajkumar

Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the history of Indian cinema, he is considered a cultural icon and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly called as Nata Saarvabhouma (Emperor of Actors), Bangarada Manushya (Man of Gold), Vara Nata (Gifted actor), Gaana Gandharva (Celestial singer), Rasikara Raja (King of connoisseurs), Kannada Kanteerava and Rajanna/Annavru (Elder brother, Raj). He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. He is the only lead actor to win National Award for Playback singing. His 39 movies have been remade 63 times in 9 languages by 34 actors making him the first actor whose movies were remade more than fifty times and the first actor whose movies were remade in nine languages. He was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner. The success of his movie Jedara Bale is credited to have widely inspired an Indian bond genre in other Indian film industries. On the occasion of the "Centenary of Indian Cinema" in April 2013, Forbes included his performance in Bangaarada Manushya on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Upon his death, The New York Times had described him as one of India's most popular movie stars.

Rajkumar entered the film industry after his long stint as a dramatist with Gubbi Veeranna's Gubbi Drama Company, which he joined at the age of eight before he got his first break as a lead in the 1954 film Bedara Kannappa. He went on to work in over 205 films essaying a variety of roles and excelling in portraying mythological and historical characters in films such as Bhakta Kanakadasa (1960), Ranadheera Kanteerava (1960), Satya Harishchandra (1965), Immadi Pulikeshi (1967), Sri Krishnadevaraya (1970), Bhakta Kumbara (1974), Mayura (1975), Babruvahana (1977) and Bhakta Prahlada (1983). 13 of his films have received National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada (Rajat Kamal) within a span of 15 years from 1954 to 1968. 17 of his films have received Karnataka State Film Awards in five different categories.

Trained in classical music during his theatre days, Rajkumar also became an accomplished playback singer. He mostly sang for his films since 1974. The songs Yaare Koogadali, Huttidare Kannada, Hey Dinakara, Hrudaya Samudra, Manikyaveena and Naadamaya became widely popular. For his rendition of the latter song, he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.

He is the only Indian actor to be awarded the Kentucky Colonel, the highest honour bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the United States. Well known for his highly disciplined and simple lifestyle both personally and professionally, he was also an avid Yoga, Pranayama, and Carnatic music performer. In 2000, he was kidnapped from his farmhouse at Gajanur by Veerappan and was released after 108 days. He died of cardiac arrest at his residence in Bangalore on 12 April 2006 at the age of 76. His eyes were donated as per his last wish.

In his film career, Rajkumar received eleven Karnataka State Film Awards, including nine Best Actor and two Best Singer awards, eight Filmfare Awards South and one National Film Award. He holds the record of receiving Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada and Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor the highest number of times. He received the NTR National Award in 2002. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Mysore. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan (1983) and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1995) for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. He was also the first Indian actor to be bestowed with an honorary doctorate for acting.

A mega icon and a socio-cultural symbol for Kannadigas all over the world, he has been credited with redefining Kannada cinema and putting it on the national map. He was the first actor to play the lead role in 100 as well as 200 Kannada movies. His 1986 movie Anuraga Aralithu was the first Indian movie to be remade in seven other languages. He has the distinction of having played the highest number of devotional, mythological and historical characters (combined).

Early life

Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj was born on 24 April 1929 in Dodda Gajanur, a hamlet in the Talavady taluk. His father Puttaswamayya and mother Lakshmamma were impoverished theatre artists from Singanalluru. His mother tongue was Kannada. Puttaswamayya was good at playing mythological roles such as Kamsa, Ravana, and Hiranyakashipu. Muthuraj left school at eight and was later discovered by film producers, who cast him in small roles that he played till he was 25.

He was named Muthuraj, after Muthaththi Raya (a name for the Hindu deity Hanuman), which is a temple deity located in Muthathi, a settlement on the banks of river Kaveri in Malavalli taluk, Mandya District of Karnataka.

Career

As actor

Muthuraj started his acting career with his father in a drama troupe led by Gubbi Veeranna and later joined the drama company of Subbaiah Naidu. In 1953, he was spotted by film director H. L. N. Simha, who was on the lookout for well-built, pleasant-faced man for the starring role in film, Bedara Kannappa (1954). Simha eventually signed Muthuraj for the film and named him Rajkumar.

Prior to Bedara Kannappa, Rajkumar had appeared as a child artist in the 1942 film Bhakta Prahlada in a small role and also in the 1952 film, Sri Srinivasa Kalyana, as Sage Agasthya, one of the Saptarishis (seven sages). It was an insignificant role in which his scene was over even before he recognised himself.

He acted only in Kannada movies throughout his career apart from one Telugu film, Kalahasti Mahatyam (1954), which was a remake of his debut Kannada movie Bedara Kannappa.

He had lead roles in 205 movies. He owned a production company called Sri Vajreshwari Combines under the banner Dakshayani Combines. Bhagyada Bagilu (1968) was his 100th film, Devatha Manushya (1988) was his 200th film and Shabdavedhi (2000) was his last film.

His character depictions ranged from mythological, historical, devotional, James Bond styled spies to romantic, rural, action roles and portrayals of contemporary social causes in the span of over five decades. Rajkumar along with his contemporaries Udaya Kumar and Kalyan Kumar were referred as the Kumara Thrayaru of Kannada cinema. He acted in 36 films with Udaya Kumar and in 5 films with Kalyan Kumar.

His historical movies such as Ranadheera Kanteerava, Immadi Pulikeshi, Sri Krishnadevaraya and Mayura presented a populist version of Karnataka's history, focusing on the Karnataka kingdoms such as Mysore royalty, The Chalukyas, Vijayanagara Empire and The Kadambas respectively - thereby making him the only Indian actor to have portrayed the role of four prominent kings of Indian history - Kanthirava Narasaraja I, Pulakeshin II, Krishnadevaraya and Mayurasharma. He also appeared as Bijjala II in Jagajyothi Basveshwara and as Raja Mallasarja in Kittur Chennamma.

The other prominent historical characters portrayed by him include Purandara Dasa in Navakoti Narayana, Kanaka Dasa in Bhakta Kanakadasa, Tukaram in Santha Thukaram, Kabir Das in Mahathma Kabir, Kālidāsa in Kaviratna Kalidasa, Gora Kumbhar in Bhakta Kumbara, Sri Raghavendra Swamy in Mantralaya Mahatme, Sarvajna in Sarvagna Murthy, Chetha in Bhakta Chetha, Kaivara Narayanappa in Kaiwara Mahathme, Pundarika in Hari Bhakta, Appanna in Sanaadi Appanna and Santhoba Pavar in Bhakta Vijaya.

He also has the rare distinction of having portrayed the mythological roles of both Devas and Asuras in an almost equal number on the Indian on-screen. While he has played Lord Ram in Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddha, Lord Vishnu in Sri Srinivasa Kalyana, Lord Krishna in Sri Krishna Rukmini Satyabhama, Lord Shiva in Gange Gowri, Narada in Mooroovare Vajragalu, he has also played the role of Ravana in Bhookailasa, Hiranyakashipu in Bhakta Prahlada, Shishupala in Dashavathara, Bhasmasura in Mohini Bhasmasura and Mahishasura in Mahishasura Mardini. His other prominent mythological characters include Kannappa in Bedara Kannappa, Chandrahasa in Chandrahasa, Harishchandra in Satya Harishchandra, Satyavan in Sathi Savithri, Vasishtha in Mahasathi Arundathi, Valmiki in Valmiki, Chyavana Maharshi in Sathi Sukanya and Dushyanta in Kaviratna Kalidasa. Further, he also holds the distinction of being the only actor to play the role of Arjuna and his two sons. While he appeared as Arjuna in Shree Krishna Gaarudi, he appeared in the role of Nagarjuna in Nagarjuna and as Babruvahana in Babruvahana.