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 actors in the history of Indian cinema and a versatile actor, 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 singing. His 35 movies have been remade 58 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. 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.
Puneeth Rajkumar, colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He was the lead in 29 films; as a child, he appeared in many films. His performances in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha, Yarivanu and Bettada Hoovu (1985) were praised. He won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for his role of Ramu in Bettada Hoovu. He also won Karnataka State Award Best Child artist for Chalisuva Modagalu and Eradu Nakshatragalu. Puneeth's first lead role was in 2002's Appu. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, on Puneeth Rajkumar in November 2021, posthumously.
Bedara Kannappa is a 1954 Indian Kannada-language film directed by H. L. N. Simha and written by G. V. Iyer. It stars Rajkumar and Pandari Bai. Bedara Kannappa started as a play produced by the Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company before it became a Kannada film. The film was a launch pad to Rajkumar's career. It also marked the debut of Narasimharaju, who went on to be named among Kannada cinema's finest actors, alongside Rajkumar. The success of this movie was reported to have spurred the pace of production of Kannada movies significantly.
Bhagyavantha is a 1981 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed and written by B. S. Ranga. The film featured Master Lohit, Aarathi and Jai Jagadish in pivotal roles. Veteran actor Rajkumar and Thoogudeepa Srinivas made brief appearances in the film.
Bhakta Kannappa is a 1976 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Bapu. The film is a remake of 1954 Kannada movie Bedara Kannappa starring Rajkumar which was based on the life of Shaiva devotee, Kannappa Nayanar.
Kalahasti Mahatyam is a 1954 Indian Telugu-language film directed by H. L. N. Simha starring Kannada Kantheerava Dr. Rajkumar. This is the only non-Kannada film starring Dr. Rajkumar.
B. Vijaya Reddy, better known as Vijay Reddy or Vijay, was an Indian film director who worked primarily in Kannada cinema with over 50 movies to his credit. His debut directorial venture was Rangamahal Rahasya (1970). He was known for his collaborations with leading Kannada actor Rajkumar for movies like Gandhada Gudi (1973), Mayura (1975), Naa Ninna Mareyalare (1976) and Sanaadi Appanna (1977) which are considered among the classic movies of Kannada cinema.
Dr.Parvathamma Rajkumar was an Indian film producer and distributor. She was the wife of veteran Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar. She produced successful films featuring Rajkumar 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 from Bangalore University.
Channapatna Ramaswami Simha, better known as C. R. Simha, was an Indian actor, director, dramatist and playwright. He was best known for his work in Kannada films and for his work in stage shows. Starting his career in Prabhat Kalavidaru, a theatre group based in Bangalore, he acted in numerous Kannada plays which reached the cult status. He started his own theatre group called "Nataranga" in 1972 and directed many successful plays such as Kakana Kote, Thughlaq and Sankranthi.
Shruthi Seridaaga is a 1987 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Chi Dattaraj. The film was produced by Raghavendra Rajkumar. The film starred Rajkumar, Madhavi and Geetha. The music for the film was scored by T. G. Lingappa and the cinematography was by V. K. Kannan. The movie is based on the novel Paluku Paluku Olavu by Kumuda. Director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao co-wrote the screenplay even though he didn't direct this movie.
Thayige Thakka Maga is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language sports action film directed by V. Somashekhar and produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar. It is based on the story written by Anjaneya Pushpanand.
Huliya Haalina Mevu is a 1979 Indian Kannada-language epic historical drama film directed by Vijay, based on a novel of the same name by Bharathisutha starring Rajkumar as Chengumani, the commander-in-chief of the 18th-century Kingdom of Coorg. Jayachitra and Jayapradha feature in pivotal roles. The movie was dubbed in Telugu as Prachanda Bheri. This was also Rajkumar's first cinemascope movie.
Kula Gourava is a 1971 Indian Kannada language romantic drama film directed by Peketi Sivaram and written by G. Balasubramanyam. It stars Rajkumar in triple roles along with Bharathi and Jayanthi. The film was produced under Sri Eswari Productions of N. Veeraswamy. It had a very successful soundtrack composed by T. G. Lingappa. Popular actor-director V. Ravichandran, son of the film producer Veerasamy, appeared in the film as a child artist. The film swept 5 awards at the 1970-71 Karnataka State Film Awards including the best film, best actor, and best editor categories.
Vasantha Geetha is a 1980 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film, directed by the Dorai–Bhagavan duo. The film stars Rajkumar, Gayathri and Master Lohith.
Gange Gowri is a 1967 Indian Kannada-language film, directed and produced by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Rajkumar, Bharathi, Leelavathi and K. S. Ashwath. The film has musical score by T. G. Lingappa. The movie was remade in Tamil by B. R. Panthulu himself in 1973 as Ganga Gowri.
Amma is a 1968 Indian Kannada-language film, directed and produced by B. R. Panthulu. The film stars Rajkumar, Bharathi, B. R. Panthulu and M. V. Rajamma. The film has musical score by T. G. Lingappa. In a small drama sequence, the tragic climax of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is adapted on - screen in English with Rajkumar playing the role of Romeo and Bharathi as Juliet.
Doddmane Hudga is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language action drama film co-written and directed by Duniya Soori, featuring Puneeth Rajkumar and Radhika Pandit. The film also features an ensemble cast of Ambarish, Sumalatha, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Krishna, Srinivasa Murthy, P. Ravi Shankar, Rangayana Raghu, Chikkanna and Avinash, with Shiva Rajkumar providing a voice-over. This film marks the 25th film of Puneeth Rajkumar in a lead role.
Anjani Putra is an Indian Kannada-language action film directed by A. Harsha and produced by M. N. Kumar. The film features Puneeth Rajkumar and Rashmika Mandanna in lead roles while Ramya Krishna, Mukesh Tiwari, P. Ravi Shankar and Chikkanna play supporting roles. Ravi Basrur composed the soundtrack and film score for the film, while cinematography and editing were handled by Swamy J. and Deepu S. Kumar respectively. The film was a remake of director Hari's Tamil film Poojai (2014).
Honnavalli Krishna is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. Some of the notable films of Honnavalli Krishna as an actor include Ratha Sapthami (1986), Aasegobba Meesegobba (1990), Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu (1974), Janumada Jodi (1996).
Halebeedu Ramachandra Shastry, was an Indian actor and dubbing artist known for his work in Kannada cinema. In his career spanning more than 40 years, Shastry played a variety of supporting roles. He is noted for his performances in Bedara Kannappa (1954), Rayara Sose (1957), Bhoodana (1962), Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974) and Upasane (1974). Shastry's last movie was Pavana Ganga.
