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.
Apthamitra is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language horror comedy film directed by P. Vasu and produced by Dwarakish. It stars Vishnuvardhan, Soundarya and Ramesh Arvind in the lead roles, while Prema, Dwarakish and Avinash appear in supporting roles. The film is a remake of Malayalam film Manichithrathazhu with some plot changes. The film was released on 27 August 2004 on Varalakshmi festival to positive reviews.
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. Through the course of her career, she became known for her portrayal of roles of 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.
Aaptharakshaka is a 2010 Kannada horror film directed by P. Vasu and written by V. R. Bhaskar. The film stars Vishnuvardhan in his 200th Kannada film and posthumous film, along with an ensemble cast including Vimala Raman, Sandhya, Bhavana Ramanna, Avinash, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, and Komal Kumar. The film is a sequel to the 2004 Kannada blockbuster film Apthamitra also directed by P. Vasu.
B. Vijaya Reddy, better known as Vijay Reddy or Vijay, was an Indian film director who worked primarily in Kannada films, besides few Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. He had directed over 50 films and also produced a few. His debut directorial venture was Rangamahal Rahasya (1970). He was known for his collaborations with leading Kannada actor Rajkumar for movies like Gandhada Gudi (1973), Mayura (1975), Naa Ninna Mareyalare (1976) and Sanaadi Appanna (1977) which are considered among the classic movies of Kannada cinema.
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.
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.
Nishabdha (transl. Silence) is a 1998 Indian Kannada thriller film directed and written by Dinesh Babu and stars Vishnuvardhan, Sumanth, Mohini and Revathy in the lead roles. The film was produced by Jayashri Devi for the "Chinni Films" banner and the music is composed by Stephen-Dharma. This was Revathy's second and final Kannada film to date.
Taj Mahal is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed and written by R. Chandru, starring Ajay Rao and Pooja Gandhi. Produced by T. Shivashankar Reddy, the film is Chandru's directoral debut. The film was released on 25 July 2008, and had a 200-day run in Karanataka. Music director Abhiman Roy was awarded the Best Music Director accolade at the Karnataka State Film Awards for his film score. Taj Mahal was one of the most successful Kannada-language films of 2008. It was remade in Telugu under the same title in 2010.
Himapatha 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.
Krishna Rukmini is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by Smt Suvarna Channanna. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Ramya Krishna, Hema Choudhary, Devaraj and Mukhyamantri Chandru in the lead roles. The film has musical score by K. V. Mahadevan.
Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari is a 2014 Indian Kannada romantic drama film written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram and produced by the duo Jayanna and Bhogendra under the banner Jayanna Combines. It stars Yash and Radhika Pandit in the lead roles. The supporting cast features Srinath, Achyuth Kumar and Malavika Avinash. The story revolves around two characters: a tearaway and hot-headed youngster, Ramachari, who is a diehard fan of Vishnuvardhan, and his love interest, the sophisticated Divya.
Maduve Madu Thamashe Nodu is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Sathya and produced by Dwarakish. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Aarathi, Dwarkish, Mahalakshmi and Jai Jagadish. The film is a remake of Tamil film Dowry Kalyanam (1983).
Kunthi Puthra is a 1994 Indian Kannada-language film, directed and produced by Vijay. Cinematography by T. Surendra Reddy. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Shashikumar, Sonakshi and Rajanand in lead roles. This was the debut movie of actress Sonakshi. The film had musical score by Vijayanand.
Shruthi (ಶೃತಿ) is a 1990 Indian Kannada-language musical-drama film directed and produced by Dwarakish. The story is a remake of the successful Tamil film Pudhu Vasantham (1990) directed and written by Vikraman. The film starred Sunil, Indudhar, Honnavalli Krishna, Srivatsa, Dileep and Shruti. It was through this film Shruti got her screen name which became her identity throughout her career. The music was composed by S. A. Rajkumar to the lyrics of Chi. Udaya Shankar, M. N. Vyasa Rao and R. N. Jayagopal.
Samrat is a 1994 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by Naganna, making his debut, and produced by M. Rajashekar. The film starred Vishnuvardhan, Sowmya Kulkarni and Vinaya Prasad. The film's music is scored by Hamsalekha whilst the cinematography is by J.G. Krishna.
College Kumar is a 2017 Indian Kannada language romantic comedy film written and directed by Hari Santhosh. It stars Vikky Varun and Samyuktha Hegde, with P. Ravishankar, Shruti and Achyuth Kumar in supporting roles. The score and soundtrack for the film are by Arjun Janya and the cinematography is by A. Azhagan.
Karnataka Suputra is a 1996 Indian Kannada film written and directed by Vijay, his final film as director. The film stars Vishnuvardhan and Rituparna Sengupta in her Kannada debut.
