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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 among 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.
Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter and philanthropist who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He appeared as a lead in 32 films. As a child, he appeared in many films. His performances as a child actor in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984) and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth's first lead role was in 2002's Appu. In a career spanning three decades, he has won one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five SIIMA awards. He was conferred with the Doctorate by Mysuru University. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, to Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November 2022, posthumously.
Malavalli Huchchegowda Amarnath, known by his screen name Ambareesh, was an Indian actor, media personality, politician from the state of Karnataka. Alongside Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, he is counted in Kannada cinema's "triumvirate" as its most celebrated actor.
Yaragudipadi Venkata Mahalakshmi, known professionally as Lakshmi, is an Indian actress known for her works primarily in all 4 Southern Indian language film industries. 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.
Malashree is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Kannada cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Telugu and Tamil language films. In a career spanning three decades, she has appeared in about 70 films. She began her career as a child artiste in the 1979 Tamil film Imayam. She made her debut as a adult in the 1989 Kannada-language film Nanjundi Kalyana. In the following years, she established herself as one of Kannada cinema's top heroines. She had been called, by the media and fans, "Kanasina Rani". She is popular for playing diverse roles in women-centric movies many of which were highly successful at the box-office.
Vamshi is an Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Prakash and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar under Sri Chakreshwari Combines. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, alongside Lakshmi, Nikita Thukral, Ravi Kale, Avinash Yelandur and Rajendra Karanth. The music was composed by R. P. Patnaik, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Krishna Kumar and Deepu. S. Kumar respectively.
Bettada Hoovu is a 1985 Indian Kannada-language film directed by N. Lakshminarayan, based on the Shirley L. Arora's novel What then, Raman?. Produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar, it stars her son Puneeth Rajkumar in the lead role. Puneeth plays Ramu, a young boy born into a poor family, who is fond of reading books, but is forced to discontinue his studies and support his family financially. His performance earned him the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. Deccan Herald rated the film number one among the best "children's movies in Kannada". The film won three Filmfare Awards South. The movie was also screened at Tehran.
Hunsur Ramachandra Bhagyachandra, known mononymously as Bhargava, is an Indian film director who worked primarily in Kannada cinema. Originally a producer, he came to be considered one of the best directors in Kannada cinema, and he was awarded the Puttanna Kanagal Award, the highest award in Kannada cinema, in 2012. He has directed 50 films.
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 an industry hit and was the highest ever grossing Kannada movie at that time. The movie saw a theatrical run of 90 weeks.
Upendra Kumar was an Indian composer who predominantly worked in Kannada and Odia films. He was known for his strong association with Rajkumar and his family and scored some of his career best compositions for the films featuring Rajkumar and his sons. He had scored for 210 films including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Tulu films.
Bhavya is an Indian actress. She has acted in several Kannada and a few Tamil and Telugu movies. She was a top heroine of Kannada cinema during 1985–1992. She switched over to key supporting roles post 2000.
Parvathamma Rajkumar was an Indian film producer and distributor. She was the wife and cousin of veteran Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar. She produced successful films featuring him and their sons Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar under the production house named "Poornima Enterprises". Actresses who found fame in her productions include Malashri, Prema, Rakshita, Sudha Rani and Ramya. She was awarded a doctorate by Bangalore University.
Aasegobba Meesegobba is a 1990 Indian Kannada-language comedy film, directed by M. S. Rajashekar. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Lokesh and Sudha Rani, whilst Raghavendra Rajkumar appears in a cameo. Ambareesh and K. S. Ashwath are in guest roles. The music was composed by Upendra Kumar. The film is a remake of Amol Palekar's 1979 Hindi film Gol Maal. Actress Shruti debuted in this movie, playing Shiva Rajkumar's sister.
Hoovu Hannu is a 1993 Indian Kannada-language drama film based on the novel by Triveni of the same name. The film stars Lakshmi, Ajay Gundu Rao, Vyjayanthi and Baby Shamili. It was directed by Rajendra Singh Babu and produced by Vaibhava Lakshmi Productions. The music and lyrics were written and composed by Hamsalekha. The film was a musical hit and won many awards including the Karnataka State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards South. Veteran cinematographer V. K. Murthy worked in this film and won many accolades for his work. The film failed at box-office.
M. S. Rajashekar was an Indian Kannada film director based in Bangalore. He made his directorial debut with Dhruva Thare starring Rajkumar which earned the Karnataka State Award for Second Best Film. His second movie Anuraga Aralithu was remade in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. He went on to make successful films like Ratha Sapthami and Nanjundi Kalyana.
Hrudaya Geethe is a 1989 Indian Kannada-language romance film directed and produced by H. R. Bhargava. The story by Phani Ramachandra was loosely based on the 1970 movie Pagla Kahin Ka. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Bhavya and Khushbu.
Odahuttidavaru (transl. Siblings) is a 1994 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Dorai–Bhagavan and was jointly written by S. K Bhagavan and Chi. Udaya Shankar. The film stars veteran actors Rajkumar and Ambareesh in lead roles, along with Madhavi, Srishanti, Vajramuni and K. S. Ashwath in supporting roles. The film revolves around the two farmer brothers who undergo many traumas in their relationships due to external forces and fight them to reunite again.
Saptapadi is a 1992 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by H. R. Bhargava and based on the novel of the same name by Saisuthe The film stars Ambareesh, Rupini, Sudharani and Anjali Sudhakar. The film, produced by S. A. Srinivas, was widely appreciated for its songs tuned by Upendra Kumar and lead actors performances upon release.
Solillada Saradara is a 1992 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed and written by Om Sai Prakash and produced by K. Prabhakar. The film stars Ambareesh, Malashri and Bhavya.
Guttigeri Manappa, known mononymously as Maanu, was an Indian actor, television director and author. He was most noted for his work in Kannada cinema. For his performance in Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane (1977), he received the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada at the 25th Filmfare Awards South.