For the past eight years, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar has dedicated herself to developing the production company she co-founded with her late husband, Puneeth Rajkumar. Her goal has been to create a space that identifies, supports, and cultivates fresh talent in the Kannada film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. With ten films already released and more on the way, Ashwini continues to lead the banner in line with Puneeth's vision.

In recognition of her hard work, Ashwini received the award for Pioneering Contributions to New Age Cinema at the OTTplay Awards 2025 in Mumbai on March 22, 2025. After accepting her award from Helly Shah, she expressed, “It feels great to be recognized. This award only encourages the Kannada film industry. I hope we continue doing that."

For the third consecutive year, Kannada cinema has been acknowledged for its innovative contributions and its role in advancing cinema as an art form. Previous recipients include the Shetty trio: Rishab, Raj, and Rakshit.

As the youngest daughter-in-law of the Rajkumar family, Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar was greatly inspired by her late mother-in-law, Parvathamma Rajkumar. Parvathamma was the driving force behind the family's film production and distribution, overseeing projects that included stars like Dr. Rajkumar, Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar, and Puneeth Rajkumar himself.

When Puneeth decided to carry on the family legacy by starting his own production company, PRK Productions, he felt confident leaving it in Ashwini's capable hands. Established in 2017, the company kicked off with the neo-noir thriller Kavaludaari, directed by Hemanth M Rao. This was followed by Mayabazar 2016 and Law and French Biriyani, the latter two being part of a five-film deal with Amazon Prime Video. The lineup continued with One Cut Two Cut, Family Pack, and Man of the Match, all available on the OTT platform.

One of the standout projects from PRK Productions is Gandhada Gudi, released in 2022 on Puneeth's first death anniversary. This documentary, which Puneeth worked on with Amoghavarsha, showcases the stunning landscapes of Karnataka and is considered one of the company's finest works.

In 2023, Ashwini brought filmmaker Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy into the spotlight with Aachar & Co, and later introduced the director duo Raghav Nayak and Prashant Raj in O2, aligning with the company's mission to nurture new talent and innovative ideas in the Kannada film industry. Looking ahead, Ashwini is collaborating with KRG Studios for Yuva Rajkumar’s second project, Ekka.

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