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.
Suman Nagarkar is a Kannada film actress, known for her work in Nishkarsha, Nammura Mandara Hoove, Ammavara Ganda, Hoomale, Beladingala Baale and BABRU.
Kanasembo Kudureyaneri is a 2010 Indian Kannada language film directed by noted Kannada film director Girish Kasaravalli, based on an anthology of short stories written by Amaresh Nugadoni titled Savari, and starring Vaijanath Biradar, Umashree and Sadashiv Brahmavar in lead roles.
Gayathiri Venkatagiri is an Indian actress and model from Tamilnadu, and was bought up in Kochi, Kerala, who has acted predominantly in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Bengali films.
Sruthi Hariharan is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Kannada language films also worked in few Tamil and Malayalam films. Sruthi is a recipient of a National Film Award, three Filmfare Awards South and one Karnataka State Film Awards.
Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah is an Indian producer best known for his Kannada films. His debut film Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu was a blockbuster hit which was released in 2016 followed by another collaboration with actor and producer Rakshit Shetty in Kirik Party which is now all-time top three hit movies in Kannada. He co-produced the multiple award-winning Kannada film Jeerjimbe.
Railway Children is a 2016 Indian Kannada feature film written and directed by Prithvi Konanur. It is inspired from Rescuing Railway Children written by Lalitha Iyer and Malcolm Harper that describes the lives of children that run away from their homes, live in railway stations and trains, and grow up as criminals, despite their intentions being harmless and seeking only to earn a living.
Charan Raj is an Indian composer and singer known for his work in Kannada cinema. For his work in Jeerjimbe (2016), he was awarded the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director.
Humble Politiciann Nograj is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language satire comedy film written and directed by Saad Khan. The film stars Danish Sait, who plays the title character of Nograj, a narcissistic politician. The film was produced by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah, Hemanth M Rao and Rakshit Shetty under the banners Pushkar Films, Lost & Found Films, and Paramvah Studios, respectively. The movie was inspired by the 2012 American movie The Campaign.
Avane Srimannarayana is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language western fantasy adventure comedy film directed and edited by Sachin B. Ravi in his directorial debut. Jointly produced by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah and H.K.Prakash, the film features Rakshit Shetty and Shanvi Srivastava in lead roles. B. Ajaneesh Loknath and Charan Raj composed the soundtrack, with the former composing the score, whereas Karm Chawla handled the cinematography. Described by Shetty as "Southern Odd Fiction", the film follows a corrupt police officer who takes on a bandit chief in order to recover a missing treasure in the 1980s.
Tagaru (transl. Goat) is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language action crime film co-written & directed by Duniya Soori and produced by K. P. Srikanth under Venus Entertainers. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, alongside Dhananjaya, Bhavana, Manvitha Kamath, Vasishta N. Simha and Devaraj. The music was composed by Charan Raj, while cinematography and editing were handled by Mahendra Simha and Deepu. S. Kumar.
Priyanka Thimmesh is an Indian actress who mainly works in Kannada films. She has also debuted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She made her debut in the 2015 Kannada film Ganapa.
Bheemasena Nalamaharaja is a 2020 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by Karthik Saragur and produced by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah, Rakshit Shetty, and Hemanth M. Rao. It stars Aravinnd Iyer and Aarohi Narayan along with Priyanka, Aadya, and Achyut Kumar.
Katheyondu Shuruvagide is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Senna Hegde and starring Diganth and Pooja Devariya.
Sanjith Hegde is an Indian playback singer. Hegde has sung songs in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. His rendition of "Gunu Gunuguva" from the film Dalapathi composed by Charan Raj topped the music charts for a year. Sanjith won the Mirchi Music Awards South Best Upcoming Male Vocalist for the song "Kush Kush" from the film Chamak.
Gantumoote (transl. Baggage) is a 2019 Indian Kannada language coming of age drama film written and directed by Roopa Rao and produced by Rao and Sahadev Kelvadi. Having previously directed short films and web series', this is Rao's debut feature film. Set in the 90s in Bangalore, this film follows the life of Meera, a high school teenager and her first tryst with love and the story that ensues. It had its world premiere in New York Indian Film Festival on May 11, 2019, and later released in India on October 18, 2019, and in USA on November 8, 2019.
Karthik Saragur is an Indian film director, screenwriter and lyricist who works primarily in Kannada cinema.
KRG Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company based in Bengaluru, India. It primarily deals with the production and distribution of Kannada-language and non-Kannada films across Karnataka.
Avatara Purusha Part 1: Ashtadighbandhana mandalakam or simplyAvatara Purusha is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language supernatural comedy thriller film written and directed by Suni. The film is produced by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah under his studio Pushkar Films. It stars Sharan and Ashika Ranganath in the lead roles. P. Sai Kumar, Bhavya, Balaji Manohar and Srinagar Kitty feature in supporting roles. Arjun Janya composed the music while William David served as the cinematographer. The film was theatrically released on 6 May 2022.
