# Raajakumara (ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ)
**Raajakumara** (ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ, transl. It stars [Puneeth Rajkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/puneeth-rajkumar) as Siddharth, a devoted son living in Australia who, after losing his family, cares for the elderly at an old age home while the antagonist [Jagannath](https://www.edgepedia.org/jagannath) tries to thwart his efforts.[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/raajakumara)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 24 March 2017, wide theatrical release in India; runtime 2 hours 28 minutes; certified U/A[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/raajakumara) • [1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/raajakumara) |
| Lead cast | Puneeth Rajkumar as Siddharth (Appu), Priya Anand as Nandini, R. Sarathkumar as Ashok, Prakash Raj as Jagannath[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/raajakumara) |
| Key crew | Santhosh Ananddram (director and writer), V. Harikrishna (music), Venkatesh Anguraj (cinematography)[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/raajakumara) |
| Screen count | Released in over 350 screens across Karnataka[15](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-film-is-not-about-appaji/article17459827.ece) |
| Audience rating | 7.9/10 on IMDb from about 10,000 votes[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359554/ratings/) |
| Streaming | Available on Sun Nxt, and in India free with ads on JioHotstar, MX Player, and Amazon MX Player[1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/raajakumara) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Siddharth, nicknamed Appu, is the son of a wealthy Indian-origin businessman in Australia and manages his father's business while defending his native country's pride. He falls in love with Nandini, a salsa instructor.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movie-reviews/raajakumara/movie-review/57808912.cms) A plane crash kills his entire family, and he learns he was an orphan adopted by the couple.[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290317/raajakumara-movie-review-power-saves-the-day.html) • [6](https://www.ratingraph.com/movies/raajakumara-ratings-218164/) Returning to India, he discovers that the orphanage where he grew up, run by a man named Krishna, has become an old age home whose residents are treated as burdens by their children.[6](https://www.ratingraph.com/movies/raajakumara-ratings-218164/) The story follows his efforts to reunite the elderly with their families, clear his deceased father's name in a scam, and confront Jagannath, who tries to obstruct him.[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290317/raajakumara-movie-review-power-saves-the-day.html) • [1](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/raajakumara) A Kannada-language review describes the film's frame story as a fairy tale of a good king, his treacherous minister, and the king's son, with the polio vaccine scam as the audience-facing conflict.[7](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/entertainment/movie-review-of-rajakumara-film)
## Production and title
The film was Santhosh Ananddram's second directorial venture, following *Mr and Mrs Ramachari*.[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290317/raajakumara-movie-review-power-saves-the-day.html) The title had been registered fifteen years earlier by the well-known producer Ramu, who was producing a film of his own under the name; he gave up the title for Puneeth Rajkumar's film.[8](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/news/rajakumara-title-became-debatable-topic-018217.html) The title invited discussion because it echoed the name of Puneeth's father, the matinee idol [Dr. Rajkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-rajkumar), though reviewers noted that the film's story, not the name, carried the allusion.[9](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/reviews/puneeth-rajkumar-starrer-raajakumara-movie-review-024225.html)
The film contains many references to Dr. Rajkumar's career. The Times of India review noted that these allusions are a treat for cinephiles and suggested the film could well have been Puneeth's 25th.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movie-reviews/raajakumara/movie-review/57808912.cms) A Kannada review compared its tone to the 1960s classic *Kasturi Nivasa*, noting that the film reuses that film's doll and its tune in the song "Bombe Helutaithe".[7](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/entertainment/movie-review-of-rajakumara-film) • [10](https://vijaykarnataka.com/entertainment/review/raajakumara-movie-review/articleshow/57814931.cms)
## Reception
**Critical response.** The Deccan Chronicle review called it an average outing apart from Puneeth's presence and the family sentiment, while The News Minute called it a predictable masala film, too heavy on self-righteous piety and too light on story.[5](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290317/raajakumara-movie-review-power-saves-the-day.html) • [11](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/raajakumara-predictable-masala-film-bleeding-heart-59183)
**Audience response.** The film drew strongly positive audience ratings: 7.9/10 on IMDb from about 10,000 votes, with an unweighted mean of 9.3,[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359554/ratings/) and 4.6/5 from 201 users on The Times of India.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movie-reviews/raajakumara/movie-review/57808912.cms) As a family entertainer it ran 6,000 multiplex shows in its first six weeks.[12](https://vijaykarnataka.com/entertainment/news/puneeth-rajkumar-priya-anand-starrer-raajakumara-movie-complete-5-years/articleshow/90444643.cms)
## Box office and profit sharing
The film set a new benchmark for [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema). It collected more than ₹500 million (₹50 crore) and was reported to have grossed about ₹750 million (₹75 crore), and it was described as the all-time number one film at the Kannada box office at the time.[13](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/news/raajakumara-film-producer-shares-profit-with-his-movie-team-025770.html) A year-end industry survey declared it an all-time industry hit for its collections and the size of its audience, and it was among the 2017 commercial films that completed 100 successful days.[14](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/trends/2017/Dec/30/kannada-cinemas-hits-and-misses-of-2017-3841.html)
[Hombale Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/hombale-films) marked the success by deciding to share the film's profits with everyone who worked on it, including the actors, technicians, and workers.[13](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/news/raajakumara-film-producer-shares-profit-with-his-movie-team-025770.html) A centenary celebration of the film's run was planned with several Kannada actors, including Sudeep, Yash, Ganesh, Jaggesh, and Upendra, taking part.[13](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/news/raajakumara-film-producer-shares-profit-with-his-movie-team-025770.html)
## Legacy
Raajakumara remained the highest-grossing Kannada film until *K.G.F: Chapter 1* surpassed it.[16](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/this-day-that-year-powerstar-puneeth-rajkumar-starrer-raajakumara-completes-five-years-of-its-release/articleshow/90413269.cms) It was the first major success for Hombale Films, the production house that later backed the *K.G.F* series, and it established director Santhosh Ananddram after his debut.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movie-reviews/raajakumara/movie-review/57808912.cms) The film's songs, composed by [V. Harikrishna](https://www.edgepedia.org/v-harikrishna), continued to be hummed years after release, and five years after its premiere the team marked the anniversary on social media.[12](https://vijaykarnataka.com/entertainment/news/puneeth-rajkumar-priya-anand-starrer-raajakumara-movie-complete-5-years/articleshow/90444643.cms)
## References
1. [Raajakumara streaming, JustWatch India](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/raajakumara)
2. [Raajakumara (2017), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/raajakumara)
3. [Raajakumara (2017) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6359554/ratings/)
4. [Raajakumara Movie Review {4/5}, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movie-reviews/raajakumara/movie-review/57808912.cms)
5. [Raajakumara movie review: Power saves the day, Deccan Chronicle](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290317/raajakumara-movie-review-power-saves-the-day.html)
6. [Raajakumara (2017) ratings, Rating Graph](https://www.ratingraph.com/movies/raajakumara-ratings-218164/)
7. [Movie review of Rajakumara, Asianet Suvarna News](https://kannada.asianetnews.com/entertainment/movie-review-of-rajakumara-film)
8. ['Rajakumara' title became debatable topic, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/news/rajakumara-title-became-debatable-topic-018217.html)
9. [Review: Dr. 'Rajakumar' hesaru ulisida cinemaa, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/reviews/puneeth-rajkumar-starrer-raajakumara-movie-review-024225.html)
10. [Raajakumara movie review, Vijaya Karnataka](https://vijaykarnataka.com/entertainment/review/raajakumara-movie-review/articleshow/57814931.cms)
11. [Review: 'Raajakumara' is a predictable masala film with a bleeding heart, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/raajakumara-predictable-masala-film-bleeding-heart-59183)
12. [Raajakumara completes 5 years, Vijaya Karnataka](https://vijaykarnataka.com/entertainment/news/puneeth-rajkumar-priya-anand-starrer-raajakumara-movie-complete-5-years/articleshow/90444643.cms)
13. [Raajakumara producer shares profit with his movie team, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/news/raajakumara-film-producer-shares-profit-with-his-movie-team-025770.html)
14. [Kannada cinema's hits and misses of 2017, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/trends/2017/Dec/30/kannada-cinemas-hits-and-misses-of-2017-3841.html)
15. [The film is not about Appaji, The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-film-is-not-about-appaji/article17459827.ece)
16. [This Day, That Year: Powerstar Puneeth Rajkumar starrer 'Raajakumara' completes five years of its release, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/this-day-that-year-powerstar-puneeth-rajkumar-starrer-raajakumara-completes-five-years-of-its-release/articleshow/90413269.cms)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Kannada films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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