Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and versatile actors in the history of Indian cinema, he is considered a cultural icon and holds a matinée idol status in the Kannada diaspora, among whom he is popularly called as Nata Saarvabhouma, Bangarada Manushya, Vara Nata, Gaana Gandharva, Rasikara Raja, Kannada Kanteerava and Rajanna/Annavru. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1983 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995. He is the only lead actor to win National Award for Playback singing. His 39 movies have been remade 63 times in 9 languages by 34 actors making him the first actor whose movies were remade more than fifty times and the first actor whose movies were remade in nine languages. He was the first actor in India to enact a role which was based on James Bond in a full-fledged manner. The success of his movie Jedara Bale is credited to have widely inspired a Desi bond genre in other Indian film industries. On the occasion of the "Centenary of Indian Cinema" in April 2013, Forbes included his performance in Bangaarada Manushya on its list of "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema". Upon his death, The New York Times had described him as one of India's most popular movie stars.
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.
Hassan is one of the 31 districts of Karnataka, India. The district headquarter is Hassan. It was part of Manjarabad Faujdari a.k.a Patnada Rayada between 1832-81. In 1882, it was reduced into a sub-division under erstwhile Kadur district. But in 1886, the Hassan district was restored to its current form.
Karnataka Rajyotsava, also known as Karnataka State Day, is a public holiday celebrated annually on 1 November in the Indian state of Karnataka. It commemorates the merger in 1956 of the Kannada-speaking regions of southwestern India under the States Reorganisation Act to form the state.
Bungle Shama Rao Dwarakanath, known by his stage name Dwarakish, was an Indian actor, comedian, director and producer who predominantly worked in Kannada cinema in addition to few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Starting his career as a supporting actor in Veera Sankalpa (1964) and co-producer for the film Mamatheya Madilu in 1966, Dwarakish went on to work over five decades in cinema. He debuted as a director with the film Nee Bareda Kadambari (1985).
Ramesh Bhat is a multiple-award–winning Indian actor. He has worked predominantly in Kannada films and television serials.
M. P. Shankar was an Indian actor in Kannada cinema. He acted in films like Satya Harishchandra as 'Veera Baahu', Naagarahaavu as 'Pailwan Basanna', Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu as Bhootayya, Ratnamanjari etc.
Umashree is an Indian actress and politician. She appears in Kannada cinema, particularly in character roles and supporting roles. She received the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role as Gulabi in the 2008 Kannada film Gulabi Talkies.
Lohithaswa T. S. was an Indian Kannada film actor and playwright and an English professor. He acted in more than five hundred Kannada movies, stage plays, and television serials. He was popularly known for his dominating voice in the Kannada film industry. His son is actor Sharath Lohitashwa.
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.
Jadalathimmanahalli Krishnappa Srinivasa Murthy, known popularly as Srinivasa Murthy, is an Indian actor and television director. He is mostly known for his work as a director having made many television series in Kannada, beginning in 2001, based on the lives of various Kannada philosophers and poets, and adaptations of the works of popular Kannada writers. As an actor, he is known for his work in Kannada cinema, appearing often in supporting roles. He began his career as a stage artiste in both professional and amateur theatre, before taking to films in 1977.
Gopal Rao, known by his stage name Dheerendra Gopal, was an Indian film and stage actor known for his work in Kannada films. After making his film debut with Subhadra Kalyana (1972), he received recognition for his performance in Puttanna Kanagal's Paduvaaralli Pandavaru (1978).
Yelandur Narayan Ravindra, known mononymously by his stage name Avinash, is an Indian actor who appears predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films. He has been working in films for more than three decades. Known for his authentic portrayal of complex characters and versatility, Avinash is one of the most sought actors in the supporting category. He is one of the few actors to enjoy both critical and commercial success.
Parvathamma Rajkumar was an Indian film producer and distributor. She was the wife and cousin of veteran Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar. She produced successful films featuring him and their sons Shiva Rajkumar, Puneeth Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar under the production house named "Poornima Enterprises". Actresses who found fame in her productions include Malashri, Prema, Rakshita, Sudha Rani and Ramya. She was awarded a doctorate by Bangalore University.
S. Shivaram, popularly known simply as Shivaram or Shivaramanna, was an Indian actor, producer and director whose Kannada cinema career has spanned six decades. He has played roles including lead hero performances, character roles, comedic roles, as well as supporting parts. He teamed up with his elder brother, S. Ramanathan and produced several films under the name Rashi Brothers apart from directing Hrudaya Sangama in 1972. They together produced movies directed by Puttanna Kanagal like Gejje Pooje and Upasane. They also produced Dr. Rajkumar 's 175th movie Nanobba Kalla and the Tamil movie Dharma Durai starring Rajinikanth which was a remake of the 1989 Kannada movie Deva. The brothers together produced few Bollywood films as well including the 1985 movie Geraftaar which is known to be the only Indian movie to star three stalwarts - Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth - in a single movie. As an actor, Shivaram has the distinction of working with many stalwart directors out of which his association with Puttanna Kanagal is much remembered. He has acted in all the seven Kannada movies directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao starring Rajkumar.
Mysore Srikantayya Umesh, popularly known as M. S. Umesh or simply Umesh, is an Indian Kannada cinema actor who has a career spanning over six decades. After having featured in several stage shows as an actor in his childhood, he was hired for the lead character in the film Makkala Rajya (1960). Since then, he has acted in over 350 feature films. Umesh is renowned for his unique dialogue delivery, facial expressions and comedy timing.
Mysore Lokesh was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. His films include Bandhana (1984), Gajapathi Garvabhanga (1989), S. P. Sangliyana Part 2 (1990), Mathe Haditu Kogile (1990). He did comedic and villainous roles in most films.
Bilalukoppa Krishnayya Sumitra, popularly known as B. K. Sumitra, is an Indian singer known for her work in Kannada films. She is also popular for her numerous devotional and folk songs.
Chidananda Parasappa Siddhashrama, known as CPS or Prof. Siddhashrama, is an Indian academic, writer, critic, and poet who is known for his works in Kannada. He is a retired professor of Mysore University where he served as the acting Vice Chancellor. In 2020, for his contributions to the field of literature, Siddhashrama has been awarded the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award by Government of Karnataka.
Rathnan Prapancha is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film written and directed by Rohit Padaki and produced by Karthik and Yogi G Raj under the banner KRG Studios. The film stars Dhananjay, Malayalam actress, Reba Monica John in her Kannada debut, Panju, Umashree, Ravishankar Gowda, It was released directly on the digital platform Amazon Prime Video on 22 October 2021. It received positive reviews from critics and audiences and was a streaming blockbuster on Amazon Prime Video
