Sampath Kumar, known by his stage name Vishnuvardhan, was an Indian actor predominantly in Kannada cinema. He is regarded as one of the popular cultural icon of Karnataka. Vishnuvardhan is often referred to as Sahasa Simha and The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema. He appeared in more than 220 films all together in Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. He was called The Phoenix of Indian Cinema. He made his debut in the 1972 National Award winning film, Vamsha Vriksha, in a supporting role. The same year he played the lead role in Puttanna Kanagal's Naagarahaavu which was his breakthrough and he had won Filmfare Special Jury Award. He won Karnataka State Film Awards & Filmfare Awards South for best performance.
Apthamitra is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language horror film directed by P. Vasu, and stars Vishnuvardhan in lead role while, Ramesh Arvind, Soundarya, Prema, Dwarakish and Avinash in supporting roles. This was Soundarya's last film in her career which ended with two posthumous releases - the other being the Telugu movie Shiva Shankar which released few days before Apthamitra. The movie is a remake of the 1993 Malayalam classic film Manichithrathazhu with a few scenes borrowed from the 1997 Malayalam film Aaraam Thampuran. The film was released on 27 August 2004 to highly positive reviews. It ran for one year in the main theaters across Karnataka and was one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Apthamitra was later followed by its sequel, Aptharakshaka (2010). P. Vasu also remade the film in Tamil in 2005 as Chandramukhi with Jyothika in titular role. Late actress Soundarya is remembered for her performance in this film.
Girija, known by her screen name Shruti, is an Indian actress, television personality and politician. As an actress, she predominantly appears in Kannada film industry. She is currently serving as chief secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party's women's wing in its Karnataka cadre.
Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter and a lyricist who predominantly works in Kannada Cinema. He made his film debut as a screenplay writer in Kadina Benki (1986) which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and the Karnataka State Award. His directorial debut was Undu Hoda Kondu Hoda (1991) for which he won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Story.
Naayi Neralu is a 2006 Indian Kannada language film directed by Girish Kasaravalli, based on a novel of the same name by writer S. L. Bhyrappa, and starring Pavitra Lokesh and Rameshwari Varma in the lead roles.
Ramesh Aravind is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada films and television. In a career of over 34 years, Aravind has been appeared in over 140 films in six languages, including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films.
Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige, is a 2007 Kannada-language film directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar starring Vishnuvardhan. The film depicts the challenges faced by the people living in rural areas of India.
Amruthadhare is a 2005 Kannada-language film directed and co-produced by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar and written by actor Ramesh Aravind. The film was released on 7 October 2005 starring Ramya and Dhyan in lead roles. The music was composed by Mano Murthy. Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has made a guest appearance as himself in this movie. The film ran for twenty-five weeks, thereby becoming a silver jubilee film. The movie was dubbed in Telugu as Amrutha Varsham and included additional scenes with Jayasudha, Nassar, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam and Sunil.
Amruthavarshini is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film written, photographed and directed by Dinesh Baboo. It stars Ramesh Aravind, Suhasini and Sharath Babu, with Nivedita Jain appearing in a cameo role. It features Ramesh Arvind playing a negative role for which he was widely praised. The film revolves around the three central characters of a husband (Sharath), wife (Suhasini) and a friend (Ramesh) who intrudes into the couple's life and turns their life into tragic events.
Olave Jeevana Lekkachaara! is a 2009 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar. with Srinagar Kitty and Radhika Pandit in the lead roles. Chandrashekhar has brilliantly handled the subject in the film which is laced with humour and sarcasm. It's a sentimental family entertainer, with a message for all. With excellent control over the script and neat narration, Nagathihalli has presented his point of view based on his short story Bhoomi Gundagide.
Chandramukhi Pranasakhi is a 1999 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Seetharam Karanth, starring Ramesh Aravind, Prema and Bhavana. It's one of the highest grossing Kannada films of the year 1999. The movie is considered one of the best movies in the career of Ramesh Aravind. At the 1999–2000 Karnataka State Film Awards, the film won two awards, Third Best Film and Best Music Director. The film was later remade in Telugu language as Naalo Unna Prema.
Neethu, also known as Neethu Shetty, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada-language films and a few Tulu and Malayalam films. She won acclaim and praise for movies like Joke Falls (2004), Beru (2005), Photographer (2006), Koti Chennaya (2007), Gaalipata (2008), Krishna Nee Late Aagi Baaro (2009) and many others.
Hoomale is a 1998 Indian Kannada language film directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar and written by Ramesh Aravind. The film, besides Ramesh, stars Suman Nagarkar, H. G. Dattatreya, Sorat Ashwath and B. V. Radha in prominent roles. Produced by K. S. Usha Rao, the film was highly appraised by critics upon release and went on to win many awards and accolades including the much coveted National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada. Actor Ramesh won in the Best Actor category at the Karnataka State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards South.
Cheluveye Ninne Nodalu is a 2010 Indian Kannada-language film written and directed by D. P. Raghuram. It stars Shiva Rajkumar and Sonal Chauhan. The film was notable in that it had scenes shot in the seven wonders of the world.
Super Star is a 2002 Kannada film written by Upendra and directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, starring Upendra and Keerthi Reddy. Though initially it was started as a remake of the Hindi film Agnisakshi, the story was modified after the Nepalese royal massacre involving Dipendra- the tragedy that struck the family of the Nepal king. The movie is noted for having four climaxes which the audience could select according to their mindset. All these climaxes were based on the thought process of the character Sigaev found in Anton Chekhov's 1887 short story An Avenger. As of 2021, this was Keerthi Reddy's only Kannada film. Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar had mentioned in an interview that, although he was credited as the director, he was not given much freedom on the sets and Upendra was the one who took decisions regarding the shoot of the movie. It was dubbed into Telugu as Stupid, which was a lot more successful than the Kannada version.
Prathyartha is a 1999 Kannada suspense-thriller film directed by Sunil Kumar Desai featuring Ramesh Aravind, Raghuvaran, Girish Karnad and Sudeep in the lead roles. The film features background score composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The concept of this movie is based on the 1995 movie Nick of Time.
Katthegalu Saar Katthegalu is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language comedy film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu. The film stars Ramesh Aravind, S. Narayan, Komal Kumar, Meghana Naidu and Urvashi. This is the third film in the "Saar" series directed by Babu and was released on 28 March 2003 and received generally positive reviews from the critics.
Game is a 2016 Indian mystery thriller film directed by A. M. R. Ramesh. Shot as a bilingual in Kannada and Tamil languages, the latter as Oru Melliya Kodu, it is a remake of the 2012 Spanish film The Body. It features Arjun Sarja, Shaam and Manisha Koirala in the lead roles. With music composed by Ilayaraaja, the Kannada version released first on 26 February 2016 while the Tamil version released on July 1, 2016.
Hema Prabhath, also known professionally as Hema Panchamukhi, is an Indian actress known for her work in Kannada cinema. Some of the films of Hema Prabhath as an actress include America America (1997), Dore (1995), Ravimama (1999), Golibar (1993).
H. G. Somashekar Rao was an Indian Kannada-language theatre artist and actor. He acted in over 300 plays and 60 films over a career that spanned 50 years. He was a recipient of the Karnataka State Government's award for his role in Mithileya Seetheyaru (1988).
