Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, Kannada Film Industry 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. The 1934 film Sati Sulochana directed by Y. V. Rao was the first talkie film in the Kannada language. It was also the first film starring Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba, and was the first motion picture screened in the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. The film was produced by Chamanlal Doongaji, who in 1932 founded South India Movietone in Bangalore.
Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth was a film and theatre personality from India. Throughout his life he was director, actor and musician of modern Indian theatre both in Kannada as well as Hindi, and one of the pioneers of Kannada and Hindi new wave cinema. He was born in Dakshina Kannada.
Gubbi Veeranna was an Indian theatre director and artist and a recipient of the Padmashree conferred by the President of India. He was one of the pioneers and most prolific contributors to Kannada theatre. He established the drama company, Gubbi Sree Channabasaveshwara Nataka Company, which played a crucial role in promoting the Kannada theatre field. He has been conferred the title Nataka Ratna meaning "A Precious Jewel" in the theatre world.
Sharatchandra Lohithaswa, known popularly as Sharath Lohithaswa, is an Indian actor mostly known for his work in Kannada cinema. He has had a successful career in theatre, where he continues to work, and television. After working as a lecturer for a brief period, Sharath took to acting as a full-time profession and worked on stage following the footsteps of his father Lohithaswa. He began working in films in 1995 and has today established himself as a character actor.
Talakadu Srinivasaiah Nagabharana, commonly known as T. S. Nagabharana, is an Indian film director, in the Kannada film industry and a pioneer of the parallel cinema. He is one of the few film directors to have straddled the mainstream and parallel cinema worlds. He achieved success both in television and cinema. He has made 36 films in Kannada which have earned him 10 national awards, 23 State awards, 8 films entered into Indian Panorama in International Film Festivals.
Kotturu Chikkarangappa Raghunath, known by his screen name Rangayana Raghu, is an Indian film and stage actor, known for his work in Kannada cinema. Portraying mostly comic and negative-shaded characters, he has appeared in over 250 films. Prior to acting in films, he worked as a stage actor with B. V. Karanth's theatre group Rangayana, from 1988 to 1999. He made his debut in films in 1995 with Suggi, which got shelved.
Tirumakudalu Narasipura Balakrishna, commonly known an T. N. Balakrishna or Balanna, was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. He was said to have a hearing problem and some say that he was totally deaf. However, he would catch the lip movements of the artists and would narrate the dialogues spontaneously. He was popular for his comic and villainous roles in films like Muriyada Mane (1964), Bangaarada Manushya (1972), Gandhada Gudi (1973) and Kaamana Billu (1983) and appeared in over a hundred films that starred Rajkumar in the lead role.
Aditya is an Indian film producer and actor, primarily appearing in Kannada films. He made his acting debut in 2004, starring in Love and went on to appear in several commercially successful films. He is the son of Kannada director Rajendra Singh Babu.
Kaddipudi is a 2013 Indian Kannada language crime drama directed by Duniya Soori and produced by M. Chandru. The screenplay was written by Soori and Rajesh Nataranga and the film stars Shivrajkumar as Anand alias Kaddipudi, a rowdy in Bangalore who vows to relinquish his life of crime and lead a normal life. The film also features Radhika Pandit, Rangayana Raghu, Anant Nag, Rajesh Nataranga, Balu Nagendra, Sharath Lohitashwa, Renuka Prasad and Avinash in pivotal roles.
Rattihalli Nagendra Rao was an Indian theatre actor, film actor and director in South Indian cinema. Following his career in theatre, Rao turned to film a where he became an actor, director, producer, screenwriter and occasional composer. He is considered one of the most influential personalities in the history of South Indian cinema.
Shiva, known by his screen name Sathish Ninasam, is an Indian actor who appears in Kannada films. Having made his film debut with Madesha (2008), Sathish appeared in small but significant roles in films like Manasaare (2009), Pancharangi (2010), Lifeu Ishtene and Drama (2012). He shot to fame after his performance in the 2013 film Lucia received critical acclaim.
Dhananjaya , also known as Daali Dhananjay is an Indian actor who works in Kannada films and theatre. After acting in a host of theater acts, he made his feature film debut in Director's Special in 2013. He fetched the debut actor award at the SIIMA Awards for his performance in the film. He is endearingly referred to as "Special Star" for his appearance in Director's Special and "Classical Star" for his theatre work and classical selection of movies.
Baadal Nanjundaswamy is an Indian painter. An alumnus of Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA), he is most popular for his street art and 3D paintings. He lives in Bangalore.
Prakash Belawadi is an Indian theater, film, television and media personality, teacher, activist and journalist from Bangalore. Belawadi has participated in many seminars, conferences and festivals in India and abroad. He has been a motivational speaker at events and TEDx conferences. He is also a mentor with the founding team of BISFF since 2010.
Mandya Ramesh is an Indian actor, comedian, director and theatre personality who mainly works in the Kannada films and theatre. He is the founder secretary of Natana Rangashaale, Mysore, one of the eminent theatre training institutions of India.
Tagaru is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language action film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by K. P. Srikanth. It features Shiva Rajkumar, Bhavana and Manvitha in the lead roles along with Dhananjay, Vasishta N. Simha and Devaraj in key supporting roles. Shivakumara Swami of the Sree Siddaganga Mutt appears for three seconds in the film while lyricist Jayanth Kaikini and composer Charan Raj make a guest appearance in a song sequence.
Sanchari Theatre is a cultural organization located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Sanchari Theatre is a drama troupe which is dedicated to the growth of drama. “Sanchari” is one of the Bhavas. Bhava or to emote is the ‘becoming’. Sanchari Bhavas are those always crossing feelings which are ancillary to a permanent mood. Thus the name Sanchari Theatre is fabricated. Sanchari is the brainchild of acclaimed dramatists N. Mangala, Rangayana Raghu and Gajanana T Naik. Mangala and Rangayana Raghu were resident actors of Rangayana before starting Sanchari Theatre. Sanchari produced plays that included Kannada writers and Kannada translations of plays written by William Shakespeare and other foreign writers.
Dayavittu Gamanisi is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language satirical film written, directed by Rohit Padaki, making his debut in direction. krishna Sarthak is the main producer. It stars an ensemble cast including Raghu Mukherjee, Samyukta Hornad, Sukrutha Wagle, Vasishta N. Simha, Prakash Belawadi, Rajesh Nataranga, Bhavana Rao, Sangeetha Bhat and Poornachandra Mysore. The film score and soundtrack for the film are composed by Anoop Seelin, and the cinematography was handled by Aravind Kashyap. It was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Kannada at the 65th Filmfare Awards South.
Nathicharami is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language film written by Sandhya Rani, directed by Mansore and produced by M. Ramesh, under the banner Tejaswini Enterprises. Jaganmohan Reddy and Shivkumar Reddy are the other producers. The music of the film is scored by Bindhu Malini. The film features Sruthi Hariharan and Sanchari Vijay in the lead roles with Sharanya, Poornachandra Mysore, Balaji Manohar and Gopal Deshpande in key roles. The sound design is done by Mahavir Sabbanavar and cinematography by Guruprasad Narnad. Manasa Mustafa has designed the costumes for the film.
H. G. Somashekar Rao was an Indian Kannada-language theatre artist and actor. He acted in over 300 plays and 60 films over a career that spanned 50 years. He was a recipient of the Karnataka State Government's award for his role in Mithileya Seetheyaru (1988).
