This is a list of films produced by the Sandalwood (Kannada language film industry) based in Bangalore in 2008. [1]
This year sought good numbers for many movies, some of the top movies includes Gaalipata , Gaja, Gulabi Talkies , Moggina Manasu , Mussanje Maatu, Navagraha, TajMahal and Accident , however Buddhivanta became the highest grossing film of the year.
Umashree clinched the National Award for Best Actress this year. Pooja Gandhi became the golden girl with back to back superhits while Ganesh continued his success with Gaalipata. Sudeep, Darshan, Upendra, Ramya reprised their success streak as usual. [2]
This year also witnessed a breakthrough for actors, Diganth, Shubha Poonja and Neethu and new talents like Radhika Pandit and Yash who went on becoming the biggest stars of the industry. [3]
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.
Bangalore Saroja Devi is an Indian actress who has acted in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films over seven decades. She is known by the epithets "Abhinaya Saraswathi" in Kannada and "Kannadathu Paingili" in Tamil. She is one of the most successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema.
Divya Spandana, better known by her screen name Ramya, is an Indian actress, producer and politician. She served as the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Mandya, Karnataka. She primarily works in Kannada, and Tamil language films. Ramya was the recipient of two Filmfare Awards South, an Udaya Award, and a Karnataka State Film Award.
Priya Mani Raj, known by her stage name Priyamani, is an Indian actress. She is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards South. She predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Kannada films.
Mungaru Male is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened the careers of Ganesh; Pooja Gandhi; director Yograj Bhat; lyricist Jayant Kaikini, choreographers A. Harsha and Imran Sardaria; composer Mano Murthy; and made Bollywood playback singers Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjawala and Udit Narayan popular in Karnataka.
Ganesh Kishan, known mononymously as Ganesh, or Comedy time Ganesh is an Indian actor, director, producer and television presenter known for his work in Kannada cinema. Through his career in films and television shows, he has become one of the most popular celebrities and highest-paid actors in Kannada cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including two Filmfare Awards.
Yogaraj Bhat is an Indian film-maker, director, screenwriter, lyricist and producer who primarily works in Kannada cinema. He is most known for the 2006 film Mungaru Male. The film recorded the highest box-office collections in the history of Kannada cinema at the time of its release and the longest running film at a multiplex.
Gaalipata (transl. Kite) is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat. It features an ensemble cast consisting of Ganesh, Anant Nag, Rajesh Krishnan, Diganth, Daisy Bopanna, Neethu and Bhavana Rao. The plot revolves around three friends who, debilitated of city life, decide to spend some time in the paternal house of one of them, at a picturesque location atop a hill station. Spending a gala time there, they become romantically involved with the three daughters of an avid Hunter.
Diganth Manchale, mononymously known as Diganth, is an Indian actor and former model. His works are primarily seen in Kannada cinema. Diganth made his acting debut in Miss California in 2006. He is perhaps best known for his performance as "Doodhpeda" paired opposite Neethu in Gaalipata (2008). His performances for the films such as Pancharangi (2010), Lifeu Ishtene (2011) and Parijatha (2012) earned him fame.
Aindrita Ray is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Kannada films. Ray has established herself as one of the leading actresses in Kannada cinema and is a recipient of two South Indian International Movie Awards, along with nominations for five Filmfare Awards South.
Sharmiela Mandre is an Indian actress and producer who primarily works in Kannada films. She made her acting debut with Sajni (2007) and then received success with Krishna, the same year. Mandre turned producer with the Tamil film Evanukku Engeyo Matcham Irukku (2018).
Naveen Kumar Gowda well known by his stage name Yash is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada films. His career began in Television and landed in cinema. He is a recipient of three Filmfare Awards South and two SIIMA awards.
Dayal Padmanabhan is an Indian film writer, director and producer, mainly working in Kannada cinema who is a two times Karnataka State award winner and one time Indian Panorama, IFFI( Golden Jublee edition)entrant.
Sanju Weds Geetha is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Nagashekar and produced by Pramod Narayan and Murali Mohan. The film stars Srinagar Kitty and Ramya in the lead roles. Jassie Gift composed the soundtrack, while Sadhu Kokila composed the background score.
Thirupathi Narasimhalunaidu Venkatesh, better known by his stage name Rockline Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works in Kannada, Tamil and Hindi cinemas. He is the founder and owner of the production and distribution company, Rockline Entertainments which has directed over five films as of 2012. In 2015 he co-produced Bajrangi Bhaijaan which earned the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment at the 63rd National Film Awards.
Rakshit Shetty is an Indian actor and filmmaker working predominantly in Kannada cinema. He is the recipient of one National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards South, two Karnataka State Film Awards and five SIIMA Awards. He debuted with the film Namm Areal Ond Dina (2010) and got his breakthrough in the cult Blockbuster Ulidavaru Kandanthe (2014) and further established himself as a lead actor in Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2015), Kirik Party (2016), Avane Srimannarayana (2019), 777 Charlie (2021), and Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A (2023), with 777 Charlie becoming the highest-grossing film of his career.