Tulu is a Dravidian language whose speakers are concentrated in Dakshina Kannada and in the southern part of Udupi of Karnataka in south-western India and also in the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala. The native speakers of Tulu are referred to as Tuluva or Tulu people and the geographical area is unofficially called Tulu Nadu.
Suddha, also called The Cleansing Rites, is an Indian film, the first-ever Tulu language film shot in the digital format. The 105-minute film was shot in 2004 in a village called Marnad near Mangalore, Karnataka, and was released in 2005. The film is an adaptation of the Tulu Sahitya Academy award-winning Tulu play called Bojja written by Mumbai-based playwright, Narayana Nandalike. Suddha was produced by three Mumbai Tuluvas Mohan Marnad, Surendra Kumar and Ramchandra PN. It was directed by Ramchandra PN, a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, Poona. Suddha was his first feature-length film.
Suman is an Indian actor known for his work in South Indian films. He played the male lead and supporting characters mostly in Telugu and Tamil movies. He also featured in a few Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. In a career spanning almost 5 decades, he has acted in more than 700 movies in 10 languages. He was one of the most prominent actors of Telugu cinema during the 1980s and 1990s.
Tulu cinema, also known as Coastalwood, is a part of Indian cinema. The Tulu film industry produces five to seven films annually. The first Tulu film was Enna Thangadi released in 1971. Earlier, these films were released in theatres across the Tulu Nadu region. Tulu film industry has grown to such an extent that films are being released simultaneously in Mangalore, Udupi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Middle East. The critically acclaimed Tulu film Suddha won the award for the best Indian Film at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema held in New Delhi in 2006. In 2011, the Tulu film Industry got a second lease of life with the release of the film Oriyardori Asal. The film turned out to be the biggest hit in Tulu film history to date. Chaali Polilu is the longest running film in Tulu film industry. This movie is the highest-grossing film in the Tulu film industry. It has successfully completed 470 days at PVR Cinemas in Mangalore.
Pakkhi Hegde is an Indian actress from Mumbai who is active mainly in Hindi serials, Bhojpuri, Tulu and Marathi films.
Ashrita Shetty is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil language films.
Telikeda Bolli is a 2012 Tulu comedy film directed by P. H. Vishwanath and written by Devadas Kapikad. The film stars Arjun Kapikad and Ashrita Shetty in the lead roles along with Devadas Kapikad Naveen D Padil, Aravind Bolar, Gopinath Bhat, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, and Karnoor Mohan Rai. The movie, produced by Sudhir Kamath and Sharmila Kapikad under the banner of Central Cinemas, is released simultaneously at Mangalore, Udupi, Karkala, Belthangady and Moodabidri on 6 December 2012.
The Red FM Tulu Film Awards is an award ceremony for Tulu films presented by Red FM 93.5 radio station. The awards have been instituted to honour both artistic and technical excellence in Tulu Cinema.
Madime (Wedding) is a Tulu language film directed by Vijaykumar Kodialbail starring Likith Shetty and Ramya Barna in lead roles. Madime is produced by Megina Malady Balakrishna Shetty.
Brahmashri Narayana Guru Swamy is a Tulu Language film directed and produced by Rajashekhar Kotian under the banner of Thungabadra Films. Venkatadri has played the lead role of Brahmashri Narayana Guru and Vijaya Raghavendra in a supporting role. The film was released on 2 May 2014 at five theaters across Udupi and Mangalore.
Devadas Kapikad is a Tulu film and theatre actor, director, writer, producer, lyricist and singer. He has also acted in some Kannada films. He owns a drama troupe called Cha-parka.
Dhand is a Tulu film directed by Ranjith Bajpe and produced by Shodhan Prasad under the banner of Sandhya Creations. It stars Arjun Kapikad, Sandeep Shetty, Anoop Sagar, Deepak Paladka, Gopinath Bhat, Umesh Mijar, Ranjan Boloor, Shilpa Suvarna, Anvitha Sagar, and Subhash Bangera in the lead roles.
Oriyan Thoonda Oriyagapuji is an Indian Tulu-language comedy film directed by H.S. Rajshekhar starring Arjun Kapikad, Prajwal Pooviah in the lead roles and Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, Aravind Bolar, Rekhadas, Mitra, Chethan Rai, Sunder Rai, Saikrishna in supporting roles. Oriyan Thoonda Oriyagapuji is produced by Gangadhar Shetty and Ashok Kumar under the banner of Sri Mangala Ganesh Combines. The movie was released on 15 May 2015.
Chandi Kori is a 2015 Indian Tulu film directed by Devadas Kapikad also appearing in a supporting role. Arjun Kapikad and Karishma Amin star in lead roles, and Naveen D. Padil, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, Gopinath Bhat and Aravind Bolar feature in supporting roles. The film successfully completes 100 days in Mangalore and Udupi. The film was produced by Sharmila Kapikad and Sachin Sunder.
Aravind Bolar is an Indian actor who primarily works in Tulu and Kannada-language films. Bolar began his career in Yakshagana, and he has acted in more than 100 plays and 50 plus films.
Pattanaje is a 2017 Indian Tulu language film directed and Produced by Thonse Vijay Kumar Shetty, under the banner of KalaJagattu Creations. The film stars Shivadhwaj, Surya Rao, Reshma Shetty and Kaajal Kunder in main roles. Senior actors Chethan Rai, Mani, Sundar Rai, Mandara, Praveen Markame and Sita Kote also acted in the movie.
