Puneeth's first leading role came opposite Rakshita in Appu (2002), a highly successful romantic drama directed by Puri Jagannadh. This was followed by Abhi opposite Ramya in 2003, and Veera Kannadiga and Maurya in 2004. All these films were commercially successful and established him as one of the leading actors in Kannada cinema. He was known for his versatile stunts, especially his backflips. His superhuman flexibility was attributed by some to his Idiga background, who were agile toddy tappers.