Rajkumar
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- This page relates to the Kannada actor, Dr. Rajkumar; for other usages of the name see Raj Kumar.
Dr.Rajkumar (born April 24, 1929) is the most famous actor in the history of Kannada film industry. He has acted in more than 200 movies over 45 years and is held is high esteem by the people of Karnataka.
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Career
Not only is Dr. Rajkumar an actor, but he is also a singer (and has been a playback singer for himself and others). Some of his popular movies include Bangaaradha Manushya (The Golden Man), Gandhadha Gudi (The Temple of Sandalwood) and Jeevana Chaitra.
Recognition
He has received many titles (e.g., Nata Saarvabhowma - or the "Emperor of Acting") from many organizations and an honorary doctorate from Mysore University. He has received the Padmabhushan award from the Government of India and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1995, in recognition of his contributions to the Kannada film industry.
Family
He is married to film producer Parvathamma. Rajkumar's sons Shivaraj, Raghavendra and Puneet are also established actors in Kannada films.
Kidnapping
Rajkumar was abducted on July 30, 2000, from his ancestral home by forest brigand Veerappan. This was an event that put the Karnataka government in a political dilemma. The government shut down all (government and central board) schools in the state for 28 days. He was released without harm on November 15, 2000, after 109 days of captivity.
External links
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- Dr.Rajkumar's Fan site (http://members.tripod.com/~arvintripod/raj.html) - has information about his films, biography in both English and Kannada
- Newsarchives of Dr. Rajkumar kidnap incident (http://newsarchives.indiainfo.com/spotlight/rajkumar)