Sampath Kumar, known by his stage name Vishnuvardhan, was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Kannada cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam language films. Vishnuvardhan has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 220 films. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, and holds the status of a matinée idol amongst the Kannada diaspora. He is popularly called as Sahasa Simha, Dada and The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema. Vishnuvardhan's contributions to Kannada cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of Karnataka honoured him with the Rajyothsava Prashasthi in 1990 and the Dr. Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his contributions to Kannada cinema. He was called The Phoenix of Indian Cinema. In 2008, a poll conducted by CNN-IBN listed Vishnuvardhan as the most popular star in the Kannada film industry.
Suhasini Maniratnam is an Indian actress, director, producer and writer in the Tamil film industry. She has worked as an actress in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her cinematic debut with the 1980, Tamil film. Nenjathai Killathe. Suhasini then won National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Sindhu Bhairavi (1985).
Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, also known mononymously as Bharathi, is an Indian actress known primarily for her work in Kannada cinema and television serials. She began her career in 1966, as a lead actress, with the Kannada movie Love in Bangalore though Dudde Doddappa was her first release. In a career spanning over 50 years, Bharathi has appeared in 150 films. Apart from 100 films in Kannada, she has also acted in a handful of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. In the course of her career, she became known for portrayal of the roles mythological and historical characters, and also that of a student, a romantic and a rural belle. Her role in Sri Krishnadevaraya (1970) as Chennambike won her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress. In 2017, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India. She has the distinction of having paired with Dr.Rajkumar as a lead actress in all the 26 movies she acted with him and is also paired with him the most no. of times in those movies where he played multiple roles.
Bandhana is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu from a screenplay by H. V. Subba Rao and Rajendra Singh Babu, based on a novel of the same name by Usha Navaratnanram. The film revolves around the relationship between a surgeon, Harish and his student Nandini. The film stars Vishuvardhan as Dr. Harish and Suhasini as his protégé Nandini, along with Jai Jagadish, Roopadevi and G. K. Govinda Rao in supporting roles.
Hagalu Vesha is a 2000 Indian Kannada-language film directed, written and scripted by Baraguru Ramachandrappa starring Shiva Rajkumar and Reshma. It is the story of a man who revolts against the British rule and their taxation policy.
S. Narayan is an Indian filmmaker, director, actor and lyricist of Kannada films. After Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Narayan is the second director to direct Dr. Rajkumar and all his three sons. He has given many hits with Vishnuvardhan and also worked with many actors of Sandalwood. He has directed Tamil movie Jai.
Ranadheera is a 1988 Indian Kannada language musical action film starring Ravichandran and Khushbu. Directed by Ravichandran himself, the film was produced by his father N. Veeraswamy under Eshwari Productions. Khushbu gained popularity in Karnataka through this film. The music was composed by Hamsalekha.
Sathyam Shivam Sundaram is a 1987 Indian Kannada-language film directed by K. S. R. Das and produced by G. R. K. Raju. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Radhika, Sumithra and Vajramuni. The film has musical score by K. Chakravarthy. The movie is a remake of 1985 Telugu movie Jwala. However, while the hero played dual role in the original, Vishnuvardhan played a triple role including the father's role.
Chikkejamanru is a 1992 Kannada-language drama film directed by Om Sai Prakash. The cast includes V. Ravichandran, Gautami, Jai Jagadish, Shubha and Mukhyamantri Chandru among others. The film was a remake of Tamil film Chinna Gounder directed by R. V. Udayakumar and starring Vijayakanth and Sukanya. The film was also remade in Telugu as Chinarayudu starring Venkatesh and Vijayashanti.
Gopi Krishna is a 1992 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed and enacted by Ravichandran in the lead role. Also starring Rupini, Sumithra and Lokesh, the film was a remake of 1962 Hindi film Professor though the story is credited to P.Vasu who directed the Tamil remake Nadigan(1990).
Habba (transl. Festival) is a 1999 Indian Kannada-language drama film written and directed by D. Rajendra Babu. The film has an ensemble cast including Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Devaraj, Jayapradha, Urvashi, Shashikumar, Ramkumar, Vijayalakshmi, Kasthuri and Charulatha. The movie was produced by Bharathi Devi for Chinni Chitra productions. The movie became a blockbuster and ran for more than 25 weeks. The film was remade in Telugu in 2002 as Chandravamsam starring Krishna. The movie was loosely based on the Pandavas's exile episode in the Virata Parva of Mahabharata.
Karulina Kudi is a 1995 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by V. P. Sarathy and produced by P. Dhanraj. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh and Sithara. The film was widely popular for the songs composed by Rajan–Nagendra upon release.
Mannina Doni is a 1992 Indian Kannada-language romance drama film directed by M. S. Rajashekar based on a nvelof the same name written by T. K. Rama Rao. The film stars Ambareesh and Sudharani in the lead roles. Chi. Guru Dutt, Vanitha Vasu, Vajramuni, Jai Jagadish and Umashree feature in supporting roles. The film, produced by Sandesh Nagaraj, was widely appreciated for its songs tuned by Hamsalekha and lead actors performances upon release.
Mojugara Sogasugara is a 1995 Indian Kannada romantic drama film written and directed by Vijay. The film marks actor Vishnuvardhan's 150th film. Vishnuvardhan appeared in dual roles, along with Shruti and Sonakshi in other pivotal roles. The movie is a remake of 1964 Telugu movie Ramudu Bheemudu.
Suprabhatha is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed, written and filmed by Dinesh Babu, making his debut as a director. The film stars Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini in lead roles, along with Srividya, Maanu and Vijay Kashi in other supporting roles. The film revolves around the relationship between the mute Hema (Suhasini) and Vijay Kumar portrayed by Vishnuvardhan, a man with a stammering problem. The film explores the issue of relationships with the handicapped, revealing the emotional divide between their worlds.
Yaare Neenu Cheluve is a 1998 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by D. Rajendra Babu and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. The film stars Ravichandran, Sangita and Heera Rajagopal. Popular actors such as Vishnuvardhan, Ramesh Aravind, Jaggesh and Prakash Raj are seen in special appearances in the film.
Kalluveene Nudiyithu is a 1983 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Thipatur Raghu and produced by Smt Kalpana Pandu. The film stars Vishnuvardhan in a double role. The film has musical score by M. Ranga Rao.
Maha Purusha is a 1985 Indian Kannada-language film, produced and directed by Joe Simon, H. G. Raju, K. S. Nataraju and D. J. Nayak. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Gayatri, Jai Jagadish and Chandrashekar. The film has musical score by Satyam.
Prathap is a 1990 Indian Kannada-language action film written and directed by V. Somashekhar. It stars Arjun Sarja, Malashri and Sudharani. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Hamsalekha.
Buchi Babu is a 1980 Indian Telugu-language comedy film, produced by Venkat Akkineni, Nagarjuna Akkineni under the Annapurna Studios banner, and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Jaya Prada, with music composed by Chakravarthy.
