Ghantasala Venkateswararao, known mononymously by his surname as Ghantasala, was an Indian playback singer and film composer known for his works predominantly in Telugu and Kannada cinema and also in Tamil, Malayalam, Tulu and Hindi language films. He is considered one of the greatest singers of Telugu cinema. In 1970, he received the Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian award for his contribution to Indian cinema. According to The Hindu and The Indian Express, Ghantasala was 'such a divine talent and with his songs he could move the hearts of the people'. 'Ghantasala's blending of classical improvisations to the art of light music combined with his virtuosity and sensitivity puts him a class apart, above all others in the field of playback singing'. Gifted with what Indian film historian V. A. K. Ranga Rao called 'the most majestic voice', Ghantasala helped Telugu film music develop its own distinct character which remains unparalleled. He is referred to as the 'Gaana Gandharva' for his mesmerising voice and musical skills.
Upendra is an Indian actor, filmmaker, producer, screenwriter and politician who worked primarily in Kannada films. He has also worked in a few Telugu films. Upendra was known for his thematic representation of Indian politics and society in his 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 Prajakiya. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Angkor University in 2015.
Bindiganavile Srinivas Iyengar Ranga was an Indian photographer, actor, producer and director who has made many landmark movies in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. He was also the owner of Vikram Studios. He has directed and produced about 87 films in these three languages with a maximum of 18 films in Kannada alone starring matinee idol Rajkumar.
Srinivasa Sarja, better known by his stage name Arjun Sarja or simply Arjun, is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu and Kannada films and a few Malayalam and Hindi films. Referred to by the media and his fans as "Action King" for his roles in action films, Arjun has acted in more than 160 films, most of them being lead roles. He is one of few South Indian actors to attract fan following from multiple states of India. He has directed 12 films and also produced and distributed a number of films.
Prakash Raj is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu, Tamil, English, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi-language films, he is the recipient of several accolades, including five National Film Awards, eight Nandi Awards, eight Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards South, four SIIMA Awards, three CineMAA Awards, and three Vijay Awards. Apart from his mother tongue Kannada, Raj's fluency in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English, Tulu and Marathi has placed him among the most sought after actors in Indian cinema.
Manavoori Pandavulu is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Bapu and written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, dealing with the struggle against the feudal system in their own unique way. The film is remake of Kannada movie Paduvaaralli Pandavaru directed by Puttanna Kanagal. In 1980, he also remade it in Hindi as Hum Paanch starring Mithun Chakraborty.
Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi, known professionally as Lakshmi, is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in the South Indian film industry. She has also acted in some Hindi films. Her debut as a full fledged actress happened with the Tamil film Jeevanaamsam in 1968. In the same year, she acted in the Kannada film Goa Dalli CID 999 and Telugu film Bandhavyalu.
Mugur Sundar is a dance choreographer in South Indian cinema.
Pudipeddi Sai Kumar is an Indian actor, dubbing artist and television presenter who works predominantly in Telugu and Kannada films.
Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with having revolutionised the South Indian cinema with experimental films. He has directed about sixty films in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and English languages across multiple genres. He has garnered two National Film Awards, five Nandi Awards, three Karnataka State Film Awards, and three Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, Rao was honored with Life Achievement Award from the Film Federation of India.
Chellapilla Satyanarayana Sastry, known mononymously as Satyam, was an Indian music composer. He was popular in the Telugu and Kannada film industries in the 1960s to 1980s. Sathyam is best remembered as "Andhra R. D. Burman". He also composed a handful of Bengali, Bhojpuri, and Hindi films.
School Master is a 1958 Indian Kannada-language film produced and directed by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Panthulu himself in the lead role along with Dikki Madhava Rao, M. V. Rajamma, Udaykumar, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and B. Saroja Devi in important roles. This was the first Kannada film to complete a silver jubilee. The film had its children's dance drama in Gevacolor, taken by cinematographer W. R. Subba Rao. It was later remade in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi in spite of it being dubbed in Tamil and Telugu as Engal Kudumbam Perisu and Badi Pantulu respectively.
Nanjundi Kalyana is a 1989 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film, directed by M. S. Rajashekar, starring newcomers Raghavendra Rajkumar and Malashri, with Girija Lokesh and Sundar Krishna Urs as the lead cast. The film was a major blockbuster of the year and was one among the biggest grossing Kannada films of 1989. The movie saw a theatrical run of 90 weeks.
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam, shortened as S. P. Balasubrahmanyam or SPB, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian singers of all time. He predominantly worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films and sang in a total of 16 languages.
M. Ranga Rao was a prominent Indian composer who predominantly worked in Kannada cinema. Rao was known for his mellifluous scores and lilting tunes backed with strong classical nuances. "Ranga Rao" composed tunes for approximately 100 films in Kannada cinema.
Pudipeddi Ravi Shankar, also known as Sai Ravi, is an Indian actor, dubbing artist, director and a writer. As an actor, he predominantly appears in Kannada films, in addition to Telugu and Tamil films. As a dubbing artist, he has dubbed for over 3500 films, with more than 1000 of those each in Telugu and Tamil, and over 150 in Kannada.
Relangi Narasimha Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominently works in Telugu cinema. He is well known for his comedy films, especially his collaborations with actors Chandra Mohan and Rajendra Prasad. His notable films include Gundammagari Krishnulu (1987), Dabbevariki Chedu (1987), Samsaram (1988), Chinnodu Peddodu (1988), Mama Alludu (1990), Police Bharya (1990), Iddaru Pellala Muddula Police (1991), Edurinti Mogudu Pakkinti Pellam (1991).
Mailasandra Hanumappa Manjunatha Reddy, known popularly as Thriller Manju, is an Indian stunt coordinator, filmmaker, actor known for his work in Kannada cinema. He has occasionally also served as screenwriter and choreographer. Apart from Kannada, Manju has also worked in a handful Telugu- and Tamil-language films. He ventured into film direction with the film, Police Story (1996).
Prashanth Neel is an Indian film director and screenwriter who in Kannada and Telugu language movies. He made his debut with the 2014 Kannada film, Ugramm and later directed the two-part film series: K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018), K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022), which became the highest-grossing Kannada film, and Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023), his first and only Telugu film.
P. N. Ramchandar Rao is an Indian film director, producer who has worked on Telugu and few Kannada films.
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