Veteran journalist and writer Patil Puttappa had described Rajkumar as a natural strength of Kannada whose mass appeal was much more than any leader in Indian politics. He was also praised for confining himself to the Kannada cinema through a conscious decision. His movies were praised for showing consistent interest in building a Kannada society and not a Kannada nation as such. His presence was reported to have filled the void between the state and the nation which neither the littérateurs nor the politicians could accomplish.