Karnataka is a state in the south western region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state corresponds to the Carnatic region. The capital and largest city is Bengaluru.
Kannada is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by people of Karnataka in Southwestern India and by linguistic minorities in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Goa and also by Carnatican expats abroad. The language has roughly 44 million native speakers, who are called Kannadigas. Kannada is also spoken as a second and third language by over 12.9 million non-Kannada speakers in Karnataka, which adds up to 56.9 million speakers. It is one of the scheduled languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka. Kannada was the court language of some of the most powerful empires of South and Central India, such as the Chalukya dynasty, the Rashtrakuta dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire and the Hoysala Empire.
Mangalore, officially known as Mangaluru, is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats mountain range about 352 km (219 mi) west of Bangalore, the state capital. Mangalore is the state's only city to have all four modes of transport—air, road, rail and sea. The population of the urban agglomeration was 619,664 according to the 2011 national census of India.
The Kannada people or Kannadigas, are speakers of Kannada language and trace their ancestry to Karnataka state of India and its surrounding regions. Kannada language belongs to Dravidian language family. Significant Kannada minorities are found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and in other Indian states. An alternate English demonym for Kannadigas in modern works of history is the Kanarese. Modern Kannada stands among 30 most widely spoken languages of the world as of 2001.
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood 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 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 Bengaluru.
Dakshina Kannada is a district in the state of Karnataka in India. Mangalore is the headquarters. It is sheltered by the Western Ghats on the east and surrounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Dakshina Kannada receives abundant rainfall during the monsoon. It is bordered by Udupi district to the north, Chikmagalur district to the northeast, Hassan district to the east, Kodagu to the southeast and Kasaragod district of Kerala to the south. According to the 2011 census of India, Dakshina Kannada district had a population of 2,083,625.
Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian novelist, poet, playwright, and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He was the first Kannada writer to be by decorated with the Jnanpith Award.
Upendra Rao, also known as Upendra, is an Indian filmmaker, actor and politician known for his work in Kannada cinema. He started his film career as a writer and an assistant director with actor and film director Kashinath. His first directorial venture was Tharle Nan Maga (1992). He is currently one of the highest paid directors and actors in the Kannada cinema industry.
Vishnuvardhan, born Sampath Kumar, was an Indian film actor predominantly in Kannada cinema. He appeared in over 220 films in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. He was called 'The Phoenix of Indian Cinema'. He made his debut in the 1972 film, Vamsha Vriksha, in a supporting role. The same year he played the lead role in Puttanna Kanagal's Naagarahaavu, and was recognized as 'The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema'. He has played a variety of roles in different genres.
Anant Nagarkatte known as Anant Nag, is an Indian actor, known primarily for his work in Kannada cinema, and in addition he appeared in Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi movies. He acted in Malgudi Days, directed by his younger brother Shankar Nag, based on the stories by R. K. Narayan. He is fluent in Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, English,and Hindi. He won six Filmfare Awards South and five Karnataka State Film Awards.
Prakash Raj is an Indian film actor, director, producer, thespian, television presenter, activist and politician who is known for his works in the South Indian film industry, and Hindi-language films. He acted in back-to-back stage shows for ₹300 a month in the initial stages of his career, when he joined Kalakshetra, Bengaluru, and he has 2,000 street theatre performances to his credit.
Sudeep Sanjeev, better known mononymously as Sudeep or as Kichcha Sudeep, is an Indian film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, television presenter and singer, who primarily works in Kannada language films, in addition to appearances in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil language films.
Narayana Swamy, known by his stage name Srinath, is an Indian actor and a film producer who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He also holds the position of vice-president of Kannada language television channel Udaya TV. He is also popularly known for his presenting in the Game Show, Adarsha Dampatigalu, meant for married couples competing on which pair is the ideal. Srinath is generally called with the nickname Pranaya Raja because of his success in various movies involving love stories. In 2003, he was conferred the Kalaratna Award by the Government of Karnataka.
The Pampa Award is a literary award in the Indian state of Karnataka. The award was established in 1987 by the government of Karnataka. It is the highest literary honor conferred by the Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka State, and recognises works written in the Kannada language.
Deve Gowda Javare Gowda was an Indian Kannada author, also known as De Ja Gou or simply Javare Gowda. He was disciple of authors T.N. Srikantaiah and Kuvempu. His literary career spans over decades in which he wrote over thirty-four biographies in Kannada language and other works including children's literature. He campaigned for the promotion of Kannada language. He had received Pampa Prashasti (1998), Padma Shri (2001) and the Karnataka Ratna (2008) awards for his contributions in literature and education. He became a centenarian in 2015 and died on 30 May 2016.
Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa is a Kannada novelist, whose work is popular in the state of Karnataka, India. He is widely regarded as one of modern India's popular novelists. His novels are unique in terms of theme, structure, and characterization. He has been among the top-selling authors in the Kannada language. His books have been translated to Hindi and Marathi and have also been top sellers.
The Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award, instituted in 2011 for the 2008–09 Karnataka State Film Awards is an award given by the government of Karnataka to long-serving film personalities in Kannada cinema. The award previously called Lifetime Contribution to Kannada Cinema Award, was named Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award in honour of Vishnuvardhan, one of Kannada cinema's most celebrated actors, after his demise in 2009. The award carries a purse of ₹200,000 and a gold-plated plaque.
Nandini Ramanna, better known by her stage name Bhavana Ramanna, is an Indian film actress who works predominantly in the Kannada film industry. A Bharatanatyam dancer, she has received three Karnataka State Film Awards and acted in Shanti, a film that entered the Guinness Book of Records. Bhavana Ramanna is the director of HomeTown Productions, a production house that conducts dance and music shows. In the run-up to the 2014 general elections, Bhavana Ramanna was named one of the star campaigners for the Congress party in Karnataka, a role she had performed in the 2013 assembly elections in the state. Bhavana Ramanna was reported as being among the contenders for a nomination to the upper house of the Karnataka legislature as an MLC.
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.
Padmaja Rao is an Indian film actress, TV serial Director and Producer in Karnataka, India. She is a versatile actor known for playing a wide variety of character roles in various film genres. Some of the notable films of Padmaja Rao as an actress include Hatavadi (2006) Mungaru Male (2006), Gaalipata (2008), Ugramm (2006). She has also forayed into tulu film industry with the blockbuster Chaali Polilu (2014)
