Upendra Rao is an Indian actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, playback singer, lyricist and politician who worked primarily in Kannada films. He has also worked in a few Telugu and Tamil films. In 2017, He joined the political party Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha, before quitting the party in 2018 due to internal differences and formed another party named Uttama Prajaakeeya Party (UPP), which was based on the principles of Prajākīya. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Angkor University in 2015.
Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter and philanthropist who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He appeared as a lead in 32 films. As a child, he appeared in many films. His performances as a child actor in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised.He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth's first lead role was in 2002's Appu. In a career spanning three decades, he has won one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five SIIMA awards. He was conferred with the Doctorate by Mysuru University. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, to Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November 2022, posthumously.
Petla "Puri" Jagannadh is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, who works primarily in the Telugu film Industry. He made his directorial debut with the Telugu film Badri starring Pawan Kalyan, Renu Desai and Ameesha Patel. In 2006, he directed the Telugu film Pokiri, premiered at the 7th IIFA Film Festival held in Dubai. The film was later re-made into several Indian languages, and brought Puri widespread Indian recognition. He made his Hindi film debut in 2004, with the film Shart: The Challenge. In 2011, he directed the Hindi film Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap starring Amitabh Bachchan, which was archived in the Oscar library.
South Asian cinema refers to the cinema of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The broader terms Asian cinema, Eastern cinema and Oriental cinema in common usage often encompass South Asia as well as East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Kunal Ganjawala is an Indian playback singer whose songs are mostly featured in Hindi, Bengali, and Kannada films. He has also sung in Marathi, and other official languages of India. Kunal began his career by singing jingles. He came to limelight in Hindi cinema with the song "Bheege Honth Tere" from the film Murder in 2004. It was his first biggest hit. The song earned him Zee Cine Award as Best Playback Singer in 2005. He came to limelight in Kannada cinema with the song "Neene Neene" from the film Aakash in 2005.
Nuvvu Naaku Nachav is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Vijaya Bhaskar who co-wrote the script with Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore under the Sri Sravanthi Movies banner, the film stars Venkatesh and Aarthi Agarwal, marking Agarwal's debut in Telugu cinema. The music was composed by Koti. The film follows Venky, a graduate from Anakapalli, who moves to Hyderabad and develops feelings for Nandini, the daughter of his father's friend, despite her being engaged, leading to a complex interplay of love and familial bonds.
Priya Mani Raj, known professionally as Priyamani, is an Indian actress who works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. She is the recipient of a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards South.
Mozhi (transl. Language) is a 2007 Indian Tamil language musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Radha Mohan and produced by Prakash Raj. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jyothika, Prakash Raj, and Swarnamalya. The film's plot is about Karthik (Prithviraj), who falls in love with a deaf and mute girl, Archana (Jyothika), but she considers him her friend and disapproves of his love. The rest of the story revolves around Archana accepting Karthik's love.
Mungaru Male is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened the careers of Ganesh; Pooja Gandhi; director Yograj Bhat; lyricist Jayant Kaikini, choreographers A. Harsha and Imran Sardaria; composer Mano Murthy; and made Bollywood playback singers Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjawala and Udit Narayan popular in Karnataka.
Milana (transl. Rendezvous) is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy drama film co-written and directed by Prakash, starring Puneeth Rajkumar and Parvathy in lead roles. The film was Parvathy's debut in Kannada cinema. The movie also features Pooja Gandhi, Dileep Raj, Sumithra and Mukhyamantri Chandru in prominent roles. Music for the film was composed by Mano Murthy.
Aindrita Ray is an Indian actress who primarily works in Kannada also appeared in Bengali and Hindi films. Ray is a recipient of two South Indian International Movie Awards, along with nominations for five Filmfare Awards South.
Radhika Pandit is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Kannada films. Considered as one of the most popular and highest paid Kannada actress, she is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South, one Karnataka State Film Award and one South Indian International Movie Award.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, starring Silambarasan and Trisha. Jointly produced by Elred Kumar, Jayaraman, VTV Ganesh and P. Madan under the banner Escape Artists Motion Pictures and RS Infotainment, the film was distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies. The story was simultaneously shot in Telugu as Ye Maaya Chesave, starring Naga Chaitanya and Samantha.
Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language fantasy comedy film written and directed by K. Chandru. The film revolves around four men, played by Jai, VTV Ganesh, Sathyan and Rajkumar. Niveda Thomas was paired opposite Jai. The film was produced by Kalpathi S Aghoram and has cinematography by Anand Jeeva; songs were composed by Prem Kumar. The film went on floors on 29 November 2013. It is not a sequel of the 1966 film Saraswathi Sabatham.
Mungaru Male 2 is a 2016 Indian Kannada romantic drama film co-written and directed by Shashank. It stars Ganesh, Neha Shetty and Ravichandran with Shilpa Manjunath, Aindrita Ray, P. Ravi Shankar and Sadhu Kokila in supporting roles. It is not a sequel to the film Mungaru Male (2006). The film found its theatrical release worldwide on 9 September 2016, while in Karnataka, the release was pushed to 10 September 2016 because of the Cauvery water dispute. It was a commercial success at the box office by collecting over ₹20 crore in its lifetime theatrical run.
Nayagi is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language family drama series. It premiered on 19 February 2018 on Sun TV, replacing Deivamagal, and was replaced by Anbe Vaa and it ended on 31 October 2020. The show was produced by Vikatan Televistas Pvt Ltd and directed by S Kumaran. Nayagi was also re-aired on Kalaignar TV from 1 March 2021 to 9 July 2022.
