Bengaluru, Mar 12 (IANS): Karnataka is under a spell now as scores of fans of late Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar are waiting eagerly for the release of the actor's last movie -- 'James' -- on March 17, which coincides with his birthday.

The fans have put up huge cutouts of Puneeth outside the theatres across the state with tickets of the film flying off the shelf even five days before its release. The film will release in about 4,000 screens worldwide.

Cutting across age groups, people are eagerly waiting to see their favorite actor in his last movie on big screen.

The philanthropic activities that Puneeth took up, which came to light after his demise, have given the superstar a larger than life image.

The film has got an U/A certificate from the Censor Board. The movie will be released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam languages. In Karnataka alone, the film will be released in more than 400 theatres.

The teaser and songs of 'James' have already become superhit with his fans.

Puneeth died on October 29, 2021 after suffering a massive heart attack. He is survived by his wife Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar and two daughters. Ashwini is presently involved in production activity.

In 'James' Puneeth plays the role of a manager in a security company. The military outfit donned by Puneeth has been loved by one and all in the teaser. Priya Anand plays the female lead opposite Puneeth.

Others playing key roles include Sarath Kumar, Srikanth Aditya Menon, comedian Sadhu Kokila and Anu Prabhakar.

Directed by Chetan Kumar and produced by Kishore Pathikonda, the late actor's elder brother Shivarajkumar has dubbed for Puneeth in the film.