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, Bangalore. 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 Bangalore.
Rakshit Shetty is an Indian actor and filmmaker working predominantly in Kannada cinema. He is the recipient of one National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards South, two Karnataka State Film Awards and five SIIMA Awards. He debuted with the film Namm Areal Ond Dina (2010) and got his breakthrough with Simple Agi Ondh Love Story and further shot to fame with the cult Blockbuster Ulidavaru Kandanthe (2014) and further established himself as a lead actor in Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu (2015), Kirik Party (2016), Avane Srimannarayana (2019), 777 Charlie (2021), and Sapta Saagaradaache Ello – Side A (2023), with 777 Charlie becoming the highest-grossing film of his career.
Rachita Ram is an Indian actress who primarily works in Kannada films. Rachita is a recipient of various accolades including one Filmfare Award South and three South Indian International Movie Awards.
Achyuth Kumar is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada cinema, alongside few Tamil and Telugu films. He is well known for his performances in the KGF, Kantara, Sidlingu, and Lucia. He is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards and two Karnataka State Film Awards, one each in Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor categories.
B. Ajaneesh Loknath is an Indian music composer who works predominantly in Kannada and Tamil films besides few Telugu films. His film music career began with the 2009 Kannada film Shishira. He rose to fame with the film Ulidavaru Kandanthe (2015) for which he received the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director. He is known for his works in films such as Kirik Party (2017), Kurangu Bommai (2017), Avane Srimannarayana (2019), Dia (2020), Vikrant Rona (2022) and Kantara (2022). He is noted for his frequent collaborations with filmmakers Rakshit Shetty, Rishab Shetty and Anup Bhandari.
Prashanth Shetty, known professionally as Rishab Shetty, is an Indian actor, film director and film producer who works in Kannada cinema. He is known for his critical and commercial blockbuster, Kantara, which he directed and also starred in as the main lead. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards.
SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Telugu is presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards, for the best acting done by an actor in Telugu films. The award was first given in 2012 for films released in 2011. Mahesh Babu is the most nominated with 8 nominations and most awarded, winning four times.
Kirik Party is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy drama directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by G. S. Guptha and Rakshit Shetty. It stars Rakshit Shetty, Rashmika Mandanna, Samyuktha Hegde, Achyuth Kumar, Aravinnd Iyer, Dhananjay Ranjan, Chandan Achar and Pramod Shetty play prominent roles. Rakshit Shetty wrote the story and co-wrote the script with a team called "The Seven Odds", which consisted of Rakshit Shetty, Rishab Shetty, Abhijith Mahesh, Dhananjay Ranjan, Kiranraj K, Chandrajith Belliappa. The film marks the acting debut of Rashmika Mandanna and Samyuktha Hegde.
Samyuktha Hegde is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Kannada and Tamil films. She made her film debut with the Kannada film Kirik Party opposite Rakshit Shetty, directed by Rishab Shetty. She played the role named Arya, for which she won Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannada. She made her debut in Tamil language through Comali opposite Jayam Ravi and Kajal Agarwal.
Raj B. Shetty is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works predominantly in Kannada films and a few Malayalam films.
Ambi Ning Vayassaytho is a 2018 Indian Kannada language film directed by Gurudattha Ganiga in his directorial debut. The film features Ambareesh in the lead role, while Sudeepa plays the role of Ambareesh during his young age. It is the last acting assignment of Ambareesh before his death. Actress Suhasini Maniratnam plays lead role opposite Ambareesh, marking their collaboration after 14 years. Sruthi Hariharan, Dileep Raj, Rockline Venkatesh and others play the key supporting roles. The title of this film was suggested by Sudeepa himself. The film is a remake of 2017 Tamil film Pa Paandi which was directed by actor Dhanush.
Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Kodugé: Raamanna Rai is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language socio-political comedy film written, directed and produced by Rishab Shetty, presented by Sudeep. The film stars Anant Nag, Pramod Shetty, Ranjan, Sampath, Saptha Pavoor, Mahendra, Sohan Shetty, Prakash Thuminad, Manish Heroor and others.
Hombale Films is an Indian film production company mainly known for the K.G.F franchise, Kantara and Salaar. It was founded by Vijay Kiragandur and named by Puneeth Rajkumar, who collaborated with the company on 3 films.
Chaithra J Achar, also known as Chaithra Achar, is an Indian actress and singer of Kannada cinema. She was born in Bangalore. She made her acting debut in the Kannada film Mahira (2019). For her performance in Taledanda, Chaithra won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada.
Kantara is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur, under Hombale Films. The film stars Rishab Shetty in a dual role with Kambala champion who is at loggerheads with an upright forest officer, Murali.
The 11th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event that took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 15–16 September 2023. The ceremony recognized and honored the best films and performances from Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada films and music released in 2022, along with special honours for lifetime contributions and a few special awards.
The Vaccine War is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language medical docudrama film directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Pallavi Joshi. It tells about the development of Covaxin during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, shedding light on the efforts of scientists involved in its creation. It is based on the book "Going Viral" by Prof Balram Bhargava of Indian Council of Medical Research.
Bachelor Party is a 2024 Indian Kannada-language comedy film written and directed by Abhijit Mahesh and produced by Rakshit Shetty under Paramvah Studios. It stars Diganth, Achyuth Kumar and Yogesh in the lead roles. The music was composed by Arjun Ramu, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Arvind S. Kashyap and Abhishek M.
