Remembering Dr Rajkumar: Annavru films to stream on Sun NXT on his 95th birth anniversary

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Kannada cinema’s matinee idol Dr Rajkumar has such a vast and variety-filled filmography that it is literally impossible to pick only a handful as recommendations. Not all of his films are available to stream but a few platforms have fairly good prints of the late thespian’s classics. Sun NXT, for instance, has a library of about 26 films, which is only a tenth of his 200+ filmography, but the fact that these are readily available should be good news to fans of the actor.

Here's OTTplay's pick of films that we think you ought to stream as part of the celebrations of Dr Rajkumar’s 95th birth anniversary.

Operation Diamond Racket

One of the earliest Kannada films to be shot outside India, Operation Diamond Racket was set in Nepal. The film was an instalment in the CID 999 franchise. Directed by the Dorai-Bhagavan duo, the action spy thriller Operation Diamond Racket had Dr Rajkumar in the lead, along with Padmapriya. The cast also included Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Tiger Prabhakar, Vajramuni, Rajanand, among others.

Daari Tapida Maga

Dr Rajkumar is seen in a double role in the film directed by Peketi Sivaram. A commercial success, the film starred Kalpana, Arathi, Manjula, Jayamala, MV Rajamma, KS Ashwath, Vajramuni, Sampath, Balakrishna, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, among others. Raghavendra Rajkumar had a role as a child artiste in the film.

Thayige Thakka Maga

This is a sports action drama directed by V Somashekhara, based on a story by Anjaneya Pushpanand. Dr Rajkumar played a boxer in the film, which also starred Padmapriya, Savitri, Sowcar Janaki, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Shakti Prasad, among others. One of Puneeth Rajkumar’s child appearances, he is credited as Master Lohith.

Bhagyada Lakshmi Barammma

One of the biggest hits of 1986, Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma paired Dr Rajkumar with Madhavi. The film won the Karnataka State Award for Best Screenplay. It was released in Hyderabad and later remade in Telugu with Krishna and Sridevi in the lead. The film follows the lead pair pretending to be a couple for monetary gains.

Devatha Manushya

Dr Rajkumar’s milestone 200th film is based on the English novel Silas Marner. Directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Devatha Manushya also stars Geetha, Sudharani, Hema Choudhary, Balakrishna, KS Ashwath, among others.

Stream 26 of Dr Rajkumar's films on Sun NXT with OTTplay's Simply South pack.