The death of a thespian

Bangalore, April 12 (IANS) The death of matinee monarch Rajkumar Wednesday has plunged his fans and most Kannadigas - to whom he was a living legend - into the blackness of mourning.

The veteran actor's rise to fame was indeed the stuff of legends.

Born Muthuraj in a poor toddy-tapper's family in Singanallur in 1928, he was to become the uncrowned king of Kannada cinema for over four decades.

Muthuraj inherited his histrionic talents from his father, Singanallur Puttaswame Gowda, a theatre personality. As a little boy, he joined the Gubbi Veeranna theatre company, playing hero Ramakantha in the play "Bhakta Ambareesha".

The performance fetched him a lead role in "Bedara Kannappa", his first film, when he was still in his 20s. Rajkumar did not look back after that. Other films followed, including "Bangarada Manushya", "Gandhadha Gudi", "Kasturinivasa", "Sannadi Appanna", "Babruvahana, Shankar Guru" and "Akasmika".

Cutting through a career that saw no lean trot, he played a remarkably wide variety of roles, ranging from the mythological to the modern and the comical to the romantic in 205 films.

Some 11 years ago, when he announced his plan to retire, it provoked a barrage of fan protests. He gave in and acted in his last film, "Shabdavedhi", released five years later. And the film, to no one's surprise, proved a smashing hit.

The Kannadigas gave the country proof of the special place he held in their hearts during the 108 days in 2000 that he spent in a jungle as a hostage of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan.

Karnataka is proud of the laurels their idol brought them through his illustrious career, including the Karnataka Ratna, the Padma Bhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke awards, besides an honorary doctorate.

Dr. Rajkumar, as he was called in his later years, was unwell for the past year, but no one expected his end to come quite so soon. After each health check-up, his fans, media and well-wishers were assured that the star's health problems were age-related and that he did not face any complications.

He had two surgical operations in Mumbai and then visited many prestigious Bangalore hospitals, before a cardiac arrest claimed his life Wednesday at the age of 77.

At the news of his death, his fans rushed to his residence at the posh Sadashivanagar, where his body was brought from the hospital. Many sobbed inconsolably and screamed slogans like "Annavaru Jai" and "Rajkumar zindabad" (long live Rajkumar).

His body was later shifted to the sprawling Bangalore Palace grounds to enable people to pay homage in an orderly manner.

The city police were forced to make elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order and hundreds of policemen were rushed to Rajkumar's residence to regulate the crowds.

For hundreds of his grieving fans, a demigod has died.