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.
Naagarahaavu (transl. Cobra) is a 1972 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on T. R. Subba Rao's three novels Nagarahavu, Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu and Sarpa Mathsara, and starring Vishnuvardhan, Aarathi, K. S. Ashwath and Shubha. The supporting cast features Leelavathi, M. Jayashree, M. N. Lakshmi Devi, Ambareesh, Shivaram, Dheerendra Gopal, Lokanath and Vajramuni. The film has a musical score by Vijaya Bhaskar. Cinematography was done by Chittibabu.
Galate Samsara is a 1977 Indian Kannada language comedy film directed by C. V. Rajendran and produced by C. Jayaram. It stars Dr.Vishnuvardhan, Manjula and Rajinikanth in the lead roles. It also stars Dwarakish, Dr. K S Ashwath, Balakrishna and Vajramuni in supporting roles. The movie is a remake of Tamil movie Veettuku Veedu, which was based on the play Thikku Theriyatha Veettil which in turn was an adaptation of the English comedy play Right Bed Wrong Husband.
Sumalatha Ambareesh is an Indian actress and politician. She has acted in over 220 films across multiple languages, primarily in Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada, with a few appearances in Tamil and Hindi cinema. She received the Nandi Award for Best Actress for her role in Sruthilayalu (1987).
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.
Ee Bandhana is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language drama film written, directed and co-produced by Vijayalakshmi Singh. This marks her debut directorial project. It stars Vishnuvardhan and Jayapradha. While Darshan, Ananth Nag, Tara, Sharmiela Mandre, Tarun Chandra and Jennifer Kotwal form the rest of the ensemble cast. The movie was produced by Jai Jagadish for Dakshath Combines.
Sipayi Ramu is 1972 Indian Kannada language film directed by Y. R. Swamy, based on the novel Barale Innu Yamune? by Nuggehalli Pankaja. It stars Rajkumar, Leelavathi and Aarathi. The supporting cast includes K. S. Ashwath, Shivaram, Vajramuni and Thoogudeepa Srinivas. At the 1971-72 Karnataka State Film Awards, the film was awarded the Third Best Film and Best Actress (Leelavathi).
Himapatha (transl. Snowfall) is a 1995 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Suhasini and Jaya Prada. The film was widely popular for the songs composed by Hamsalekha upon release. The film was extensively shot in Shimla and Bijapur. It is based on the Kannada novel of the same name, by T. K. Rama Rao.
Jayasimha is a 1987 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by P. Vasu and produced by K. C. N. Chandrashekhar and K. C. N. Mohan. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Mahalakshmi, Vajramuni and N. S. Rao. The film has musical score by Vijay Anand. The film was partially inspired by the 1971 Hindi movie Haathi Mere Saathi.
Police Matthu Dada is a 1991 Indian Kannada-language action film, directed by Thulasi-Shyam and produced by R. F. Manik Chand and K. Nithyanand. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Sangeeta Bijlani, Roopa Ganguly and Srinath. The film has musical score by Bappi Lahiri. The film was simultaneously made in Hindi as Inspector Dhanush with slightly different supporting cast. While the Kannada version made fair buck, the Hindi version was a major dud at box office.
Prachanda Kulla is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by P. S. Prakash and produced by Dwarakish. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Dwarakish, Radhika and Sudarshan. The film has musical score by G. K. Venkatesh. The movie is famous for the sequence involving the hero lifting the Shiva idol (linga). The movie was dubbed in Tamil as Veera Mandra Kullan.
Bhagya Jyothi is a 1975 Indian Kannada film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy and produced by Gopal-Lakshman. The movie, based on a novel by Mangala Satyan is a mirror to society's take on the caste system. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan and Shubha in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Vijaya Bhaskar. The Sanskrit song 'Divya Gagana Vanavasini' sung by P.B. Srinivas and Vani Jairam and picturized for a sequence from the Kalidasa play 'Vikramorvasheeyam' is a major highlight of the film. This was Bharathi Vishnuvardhan's 100th film.
Devaru Kotta Vara is a 1976 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by R. Ramamurthy and produced by R. Rama Sheshan and R. Kashi Vishwanathan. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Gangadhar, T. N. Balakrishna, and K. S. Ashwath. The film's musical score was done by M. Ranga Rao. The film was a remake of Tamil film Vazhaiyadi Vazhai (1972).
Shreemanthana Magalu or Shrimanthana Magalu is a 1977 Kannada film, directed by A. V. Sheshagiri Rao, starring actors Vishnuvardhan and Jayanthi.
Sose Tanda Soubhagya is a 1977 Kannada film written by P. B. Duttaragi, directed by A. V. Sheshagiri Rao, starring Vishnuvardhan and Manjula. It is the first CinemaScope movie made in Kannada.
Snehithara Saval is a 1981 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. R. Das and produced by A. R. Raju. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Ambareesh, Manjula and K. S. Ashwath.
Huli Hejje is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy (Ravee) and produced by Shashirekha. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Tiger Prabhakar, Vijayalakshmi Singh and Srigeetha. The film ran successfully for more than 100 days and became a super hit.The film has musical score by Vijaya Bhaskar.
Krishna Nee Begane Baro is a 1986 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by Amrutha Singh, Anuradha Singh and Dushyanth Singh. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Bhavya, Kim and Mukhyamantri Chandru. The film has musical score by Bappi Lahiri. The movie was a remake of the 1983 Hindi movie Souten whose Telugu remake Thene Manasulu was directed by the producer of this movie - Rajendra Singh Babu.
Mugiyada Kathe is a 1976 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Durai and produced by P. H. Rama Rao and R. Pandari Bai. The film stars Rajesh, Sumithra, Pandari Bai and Dinesh. The film has musical score by Rajan–Nagendra.
Ondagi Balu is a 1989 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. R. Das and produced by Vijaya Shankar Bhat. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Manjula Sharma, Avinash and Aruna. The film has musical score by Vijayanand. It is a remake of Hindi film Do Raaste.
