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. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar, Bengaluru. The 1934 film Sati Sulochana directed by Y. V. Rao was the first talkie film released in the Kannada language. It was also the first film starring Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba, and the first screened in the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. It was produced by Chamanlal Doongaji, who in 1932 founded South India Movietone in Bengaluru.
Shankar Nagarakatte was an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in Kannada-language films and television. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, Nag is often referred to as Karate King. He directed the teleserial Malgudi Days, based on novelist R. K. Narayan's short stories and acted in some episodes as well. He won two National Film Awards, four Karnataka State Film Awards and two Filmfare Award South.
Honnasandra Narasimhaiah Chandrashekar, known popularly as Mukhyamantri Chandru, is an Indian actor and politician. As an actor, he is known for his work in Kannada theatre and cinema. The sobriquet Mukhyamantri stuck to his name after the play of the same name that sees him portray the title role became widely popular. Having portrayed mostly comic and negative roles throughout his career, Chandru is a character actor, and has acted in over 500 films since making his debut in 1983.
Tarka (transl. Logic) is a 1989 Indian Kannada-language mystery-thriller film, produced by Praveen and directed and written by Sunil Kumar Desai in his directorial debut which is based on Agatha Christie's 1958 play The Unexpected Guest. It is the first film noir in Kannada cinema, and the first Kannada film to be made without songs, dance, or stunt sequences. The film stars Shankar Nag, Vanitha Vasu and Devaraj. The film also features Avinash, Shivaraj and Praveen Nayak in supporting roles. The film revolves around an escaped convict who finds the body of a man in his childhood friend's house.
Sajni,, is a 2007 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Murugesh. The film stars Dhyan, Sharmila Mandre and Anant Nag in lead roles. lead actress Sharmila Mandre makes her Kannada debut through this film. The film is produced by Sonali Nikhil and Sunanda Murali Manohar. The film is the Kannada remake of Tamil film Jodi which was released in 1999. For the first time in Kannada cinema, the film featured a soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman with all compositions re-used from Rahman's Tamil film Jodi which in turn had re-used some of the tracks from Rahman's Hindi movie Doli Saja Ke Rakhna. The film was released statewide on 23 February 2007.
C.B.I. Shankar is a 1989 Indian Kannada language drama film directed by P. Nanjundappa. It stars Shankar Nag in the title role as Shankar, an officer with the CBI, who investigates a murder case closed down by the local police. The supporting cast features Devaraj, Doddanna, Vajramuni, Suman Ranganathan and Shashikumar. The film was a blockbuster and further established Nag as a leading actor in Kannada cinema.
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.
Manjunath Nayaker is a former Indian actor and public relations professional. He is better known by his screen name, Master Manjunath and "Swamy" for his lead role in the television series Malgudi Days (1987) directed by Shankar Nag and in its film version, Swami And Friends.
Bhavya is an Indian actress who predominately works in Kannada films apart from a few Tamil and Telugu films. She was a top heroine of Kannada cinema during 1985–1992. She switched over to key supporting roles post 2000.
Belli Kalungura is a 1992 Indian Kannada language film directed by K. V. Raju, starring Sunil and Malashri. The supporting cast features Tara, Chi. Guru Dutt, Avinash, Doddanna, Rockline Venkatesh and Girija Lokesh. The music was composed by Hamsalekha, also writing lyrics to four of its soundtracks. The film was a success during its time and is seen as a milestone in the career of Malashri, who would go on to appear in many successful films in the 1990s.
Devaraj is an Indian actor and theatre actor who works in Indian film industry. He has largely featured in Kannada films performing various roles as a lead character, supporting character and villainous character. He has also featured in Telugu and Tamil films.
Aavesha is a 1990 Indian Kannada-language action film written and directed by Perala. It was produced by Ravikrishna under the Ravikrishna films banner. Shankar Nag, Geetha, Devaraj and Bhavya star. This was the debut movie of Ramkumar and Shivaranjini.
Sangliana is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed, co-produced and written by P. Nanjundappa. The film, loosely inspired by the life story of H. T. Sangliana, stars Shankar Nag, alongside Bhavya, Tara, Lohithaswa, Vajramuni, Devaraj, Sudheer, with actor Ambareesh making a special appearance. The music was composed by Hamsalekha, while cinematography and editing were handled by Mallikarjun and K. Balu. A. R. Rahman had worked as an assistant in the film.
Thavarige Baa Thangi is a 2002 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by Om Sai Prakash and written by Ajay Kumar. The film cast includes Shiva Rajkumar, Anu Prabhakar, Radhika, Adarsh, Hema Choudhary and Komal Kumar among others. The film was produced by R. S. Gowda while the original score and soundtrack were composed by Hamsalekha.
Hosa Jeevana is a 1990 Indian Kannada film, directed by H. R. Bhargava and produced by S. Shailendra Babu. The film stars Shankar Nag, Deepika, Ramesh Bhat and Sudheer. The film has a musical score composed by Hamsalekha. The film was a remake of 1989 Tamil film Pudhea Paadhai.
Sundarakanda is 1991 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by K. V. Raju and produced by Sridevi under Sri Vijayalakshmi Cine Arts. The film stars Shankar Nag and Shivaranjini, with Devaraj, Jaggesh and Avinash playing supporting roles. This film was the last movie of Shankar Nag as an actor, and it was released posthumously.
...Re is a 2016 Indian Kannada comedy film written and directed by Sunil Kumar Desai. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of veteran actors: Ramesh Aravind, Anant Nag, Master Hirannaiah, Loknath, Shivaram, Tennis Krishna, Ramesh Bhat, Vaijanath Biradar, Sharath Lohithaswa, Suman, G. K. Govinda Rao among others. Harshika Poonacha and debutant actress Suman play female leads in the film. Ananth Nag had revealed that the movie is thematically similar to Badal Sircar's play Ballabpurer Roopkatha.
Jaguar is a 2016 Indian vigilante action film directed by A. Mahadev from a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad and produced by H. D. Kumaraswamy under Channambika Films. The film, shot simultaneously in Kannada and Telugu languages, stars Nikhil Kumaraswamy, alongside Deepti Sati, Jagapathi Babu, Aadarsh Balakrishna, Ramya Krishnan, Rao Ramesh, Sampath Raj, Adithya Menon, Ravi Kale, Supreeth and Saurav Lokesh in supporting roles. The music was composed by Thaman S, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Manoj Paramahamsa and Ruben respectively.
Kunigal Nagabhushan was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. His films include S.P. Sangliyana 2 (1990), C.B.I. Shankar (1989), Daari Tappida Maga (1975).
Shankar Nag was an Indian film actor, director, screenwriter and producer known for his work in Kannada cinema. He directed seven Kannada films and one Marathi film. He also wrote the story and screenplay of many of these including a few films that he did not direct. After beginning his acting career in theatre, Nag took to films making his debut in a bit role in the 1978 Marathi anti-superstition drama Sarvasakshi. His Kannada film debut came in the same year with Ondanondu Kaladalli directed by Girish Karnad, in which Nag played the lead, a mercenary named Gandugali. The role that fetched him the Silver Peacock for the Best Actor Award (Male) at the 7th International Film Festival of India. Other than Minchina Ota, he also co-produced two of his directorial ventures — Janma Janmada Anubandha (1980) and Geetha (1981).
