Late actor Puneeth Rajkumar's last film 'James' has hit the theatres on Thursday - March 17 on his birth anniversary. The ardent fans of the ace actor have gone emotional as they can't celebrate the moment in his absence. Along with fans, several actors and fraternities had also remembered Puneeth Rajkumar on his birth anniversary, which had shown how the cinema industry misses him dearly. 

The movie 'James' had made it to the big screens after several deferments and the movie team has announced that James will be released on the actor's birth anniversary. Recently, the pre-release event for the movie was held in Bengaluru. On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of fans had thronged to the theatres in Karnataka to watch the movie in the midst of the curfew that was imposed under section 144.

The teaser of the movie was released on February 11 and it was unveiled by the actor's wife Ashwini. James is the story of Santhosh 'James' Kumar, who works as a manager in J-Wings Security Agency, who suddenly enters into the world of the dark market where he meets power brokers and businessmen who are active in the crime syndicates. 

James is bankrolled by Kishore Pathikonda under the banner Kishore Productions and it is directed by Chethan Kumar. While Puneeth Rajkumar plays the lead role, Priya Anand, Anu Prabhakar, Srikanth, Sarathkumar, Mukesh Rishi, and Aditya Menon play important roles. Charan Raj has composed the music and recently, visuals were rampant where Puneeth's brother Shiva Rajkumar was giving dubbing for the late actor in the character of Santhosh Kumar.

Puneeth Rajkumar has passed away on October 29, 2021, at the age of 46 in Bengaluru due to a heart attack. He had breathed his last at Vikram Hospital in the city and his demise has become a huge loss to the Indian cinema industry. His body was laid to rest at the Kanteerava Studio with full state honours as the actor has been remembered for leaving a remarkable legacy. His eyes were donated in the footsteps of his father, the legendary Rajkumar. 

On Thursday, as the movie 'James' got released, several actors had remembered Puneeth Rajkumar. Popular Kannada actor-director Rakshit Shetty took to Twitter and wrote, "His persona mirrored his name. Remembering Dr Puneeth Rajkumar, our beloved Appu sir on his birth anniversary. I hope James is as loved as he is. My best wishes to the team." 

On Wednesday, a day ahead of the movie release, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal wrote, "Dear Puneeth, I'm sure your film James is going to be a great one. It will have a special place in all our hearts. We miss you..." Actor Varun Tej Konidela wrote, "Puneeth Rajkumar sir will live forever through his work. My wishes to the entire team of James. Appu anna, your countless fans and all of us really miss you."