Girish Kasaravalli | |
---|---|
![]() Girish Kasaravalli in 2010 | |
Born | Kesalur | 3 December 1950
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
Spouse | |
Children | Apurva (son) Ananya (daughter) |
Awards | Padma Shri (2011) |
Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. [1] Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including four Best Feature Films; Ghatashraddha (1977), Tabarana Kathe (1986), Thaayi Saheba (1997) and Dweepa (2002). [2] [3] In 2011, he was awarded with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award by Government of India. [4]
A gold medalist from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, The film he made to fulfill his diploma, Avashesh, was awarded the Best Student Film and the National Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film for that year. He has received fourteen National Film Awards. [5]
Girish Kasaravalli was born in Kesalur, a village in the Tirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district on 3 December 1950 [6] to Ganesh Rao, an agriculturist, as well as a freedom fighter, and Lakshmidevi, a homemaker, one of 10 children (five brothers and four sisters). He had his primary education in Kesalur and middle school education in Kammaradi. Hailing from a family of book lovers, he was initiated to reading from a young age by his father. His father was a patron of Yakshagana, a folk system of dance native to Karnataka.
He was attracted to the touring talkies which visited his village once in a while to screen popular Kannada films. This was his first exposure to the world of cinema. Another relative who supported his love for creative arts was his maternal uncle K.V.Subbanna, a Magsaysay award winner who founded Neenasam, a critically acclaimed and popular drama company.
He shifted to Shimoga where he graduated from Sahyadri College. College was transformative for Kasaravalli as poets G S Shivarudrappa and Sa Shi Marulaiah were his Kannada teachers. [7] He then enrolled for the B.Pharma course in the College of Pharmacy, Manipal. The college was a common place for many cultural activities and kept Kasaravalli's creative interests alive. After completing his degree, he went to Hyderabad for training. But, due to his pre-occupations in cinema and art, he found it difficult to manage his profession and interest together. He decided to quit the career in Pharmacy and join the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
Kasaravalli graduated from FTII Pune in 1975, with a specialisation in film direction. The world of Kurosawa, Ray, Ozu, Fellini and Antonioni inspired him, and his conviction in neo-realist cinema deepened. In an interview many years later, he recollected how he was inspired by these filmmakers, especially Ozu. While in his final year, he was chosen to be the assistant director for B. V. Karanth for the film Chomana Dudi . He passed out of the FTII with a gold medal to his credit. His student film Avasesh won the President's Silver Lotus award for the best experimental short film of the year.
His first film as an independent director was Ghatashraddha in 1977; it won him the Golden Lotus and a few international awards. This film was followed by many more masterpieces. For a short while, he served as the principal of a film institute in Bangalore.
He has worked as associate director for T. S. Nagabharana's Grahana movie during 1981 He won his second Golden Lotus for Tabarana Kathe in 1987. Considered one of the best edited films in India, it deals with the futile efforts of a retired government servant to earn his pension. In 1997, he came up with another masterpiece, Thaayi Saheba which won him his third Golden Lotus award. Thaayi Saheba is considered to be the most mature work of the director, dealing with the transition in the Indian society from the pre- to the post-independence periods.
The narrative structure was unique, and it had a powerful way of depicting a social situation. He repeated his success with Dweepa in 2002 starring late actress Soundarya. It won his fourth Golden Lotus award. Dweepa was different from his earlier films: It used music extensively and was visually stunning. Apart from these four films winning Golden Lotus awards, Kasaravalli directed Akramana in 1979, Mooru darigalu in 1981, Bannada Vesha in 1988, Mane in 1990, Kraurya in 1996, Hasina in 2004 and Naayi Neralu in 2006.
Naayi Neralu dealt with a very intense and bizarre concept of reincarnation, based on the novel with the same name by S.L. Bhyrappa. Kasaravalli has given a different interpretation of the subject. It won the Best Film award at KARA film festival, Karachi thus making it the first ever Kannada film to win the top honour in any international festival.
In 2008 he directed Gulabi Talkies based on a short story of the same name by Vaidehi. It was shown in many international film festivals, winning awards and accolades. In 2010, he made Kanasemba Kudureyaneri (Riding the Stallion of Dreams) which, too, won him many international awards. He has finished his Koormavatara (The Tortoise, an Incarnation) which won the National film award for the best Kannada film of 2011. In 2015 he made a documentary film on Adoor Gopalakrishnan named Images/Reflections . [8] [9]
The International Film Festival of Rotterdam held a retrospective of Kasaravalli's films in 2003. In August 2017, the Entertainment Society of Goa organized a film festival in Goa in his honour. [10]
Kasaravalli married actress Vaishali on 21 April 1978. [7] They have two children: son Apoorva and daughter Ananya. Vaishali died of illness in 2010, aged 59. [11]
Kasaravalli is a voracious reader and counts the works of K. Shivaram Karanth, Kuvempu and U. R. Ananthamurthy among his influences.
Year | Film | Functioned as | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Screenplay | |||
1977 | Ghatashraddha | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film |
1980 | Akramana | Yes | No | |
1981 | Mooru Darigalu | Yes | Yes | |
1987 | Tabarana Kathe | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film |
1988 | Bannada Vesha | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada |
1990 | Mane | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada |
1991 | Ek Ghar | Yes | Yes | Hindi film |
1992 | Kubi Matthu Iyala | No | Yes | Screenplay and Dialogues only |
1996 | Kraurya | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada |
1997 | Thaayi Saheba | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film |
2002 | Dweepa | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film |
2003 | Grihabhanga | Yes | Yes | Tele Series |
2004 | Hasina | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Costumes National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues Karnataka State Award for Best Film on Social Issues |
2006 | Naayi Neralu | Yes | Yes | |
2008 | Gulabi Talkies | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada |
2010 | Kanasemba Kudureyaneri | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Screenplay |
2012 | Koormavatara | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada |
2020 | Illiralare Allige Hogalare | Yes | Yes | |
2024 | Akasha Mattu Bekku | Yes | Yes |
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar, Bengaluru. The 1934 film Sati Sulochana directed by Y. V. Rao was the first talkie film released in the Kannada language. It was also the first film starring Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba, and the first screened in the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. It was produced by Chamanlal Doongaji, who in 1932 founded South India Movietone in Bengaluru.
Shivaramaiah Ramachandra Aithal, popularly known as S. Ramachandra, was a National Award winning Indian cinematographer. In 2006, he was honoured with Lifetime Contribution to Kannada Cinema Award at the Karnataka State Film Awards. He was recognised as a gifted cinematographer and as a force behind the offbeat films in Kannada cinema.
Dweepa is a 2002 Indian Kannada-language film by Girish Kasaravalli, based on the novel of the same name by Na D'Souza. It stars Soundarya, Avinash and M. V. Vasudeva Rao in the lead roles. The film deals with the raging issue of building dams and the displacement of natives. It won two National Film Awards, four Karnataka State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South.
Thaayi Saheba is an Indian Kannada language film released in 1997 directed by Girish Kasaravalli. The film was an adaptation of Kannada novel of same name written by Ranganath Shyamrao Lokapura.
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 has Pavitra Lokesh in the lead role.
Jayamala is an Indian actress and politician. She served as the Minister for Women and Child Development and Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens in the Government of Karnataka, by virtue of being a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council. She served as the female president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce between 2008 and 2010. Her popular Kannada films include Premada Kanike, Shankar Guru, Antha and Chandi Chamundi among several others. She has produced and acted in the award-winning Thaayi Saheba.
Ramchandra P. N. is a filmmaker making feature films, short films, documentaries and TV programs. in India. He is a Tuluva based in Mumbai.
Ghatashraaddha is a 1977 Indian Kannada language film directed by Girish Kasaravalli starring Meena Kuttappa, Narayana Bhat and Ajith Kumar in lead roles. It is based on a novella by eminent Kannada writer U. R. Ananthamurthy. The film was Girish Kasaravalli's first feature film as a director, and marked not only the arrival of a promising new filmmaker but also that of Kannada cinema in the India's 'New Cinema' horizon.
Vaishali Kasaravalli was a noted Kannada actress, television serial director, and costume designer.
Saheba may refer to:
Yelandur Narayan Ravindra, known mononymously by his stage name Avinash, is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films. He has been working in films for more than three decades. Known for his authentic portrayal of complex characters and versatility, Avinash is one of the most sought actors in the supporting category. He is one of the few actors to enjoy both critical and commercial success.
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honors Kannada language films. This award is presented to the Director of First Best Film award-winning film. This award is named after H. L. N. Simha. The first director of Kannada Cinema who was brought First National Award to Kannada Cinema.
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Editor is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honors Kannada language films.
Koormavatara is a 2011 Indian Kannada drama film directed by Girish Kasaravalli, based on short story of the same name written by Kum. Veerabhadrappa. It stars Shikaripura Krishnamurthy, Jayanthi and Apoorva Kasaravalli in the lead roles, and Harish Raj, Cheswa, Rashmi Sumukha, Goa Dattu and Sumukha Bharadwaj feature in supporting roles. The story revolves around a government employee cast in a play to portray Mahatma Gandhi, who, on course, realizes that playing Gandhi is easier than imbibing and implementing his principles in real-life.
Isaac Thomas Kottukapally was an Indian film score composer, music director and script writer working mainly in Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. He scored music for several English documentaries and commercials.
Hemanth M. Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Kannada cinema. He rose to fame following the success of his directorial debut Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2016).
Naayi Neralu(meaning: Shadow of the Dog) is a novel written by S.L. Bhyrappa, which was first published on 1968. As of May 2018, it had 17 reprints and has been translated into Hindi and Gujarati languages. Based on the novel, a movie Naayi Neralu, in Kannada language was released in 2006, directed by Girish Kasaravalli.
Ananya Kasaravalli is an Indian actress and director in the Kannada film industry, and a theatre artist in Karnataka, India. Born into a family of filmmakers, she had a successful acting career in films, television and theater before taking up filmmaking at LV Prasad Film and TV Academy, Chennai.
Gauribidanur Suryanarayan Bhaskar familiarly known as G.S. Bhaskar is an Indian cinematographer. His work is predominantly seen in films belonging to the Indian languages, Kannada and Hindi. He is a member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers. Known for his prominent work as a second camera assistant in the magnum opus Gandhi (1980). Karnataka State Film Award for Best Cinematographer has been bestowed upon him twice for Nagamandala (1997) and Koormavatara (2011).