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.
Gangaraju, professionally known as Hamsalekha, is an Indian film composer and songwriter who works in South Indian cinema, predominantly in the Kannada film industry since the late 1980s. He is also a screenplay writer, dialogue writer, instrumentalist and conductor, having composed and written over 500 albums.
Shiva Rajkumar is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Kannada and has received several awards, including four Karnataka State Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South and six South Indian International Movie Awards.
Neravanda Chetticha Prema is an Indian actress known for her work predominantly in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and a few Tamil language films. She ruled Kannada industry in the 90s and early 2000s and she has appeared in many commercially successful feature films. She was a leading Kannada actress at the turn of the century and has received the Karnataka State Film Award and Filmfare Best Actress awards for her performances in Kannada films. She has featured in Om and Yajamana, which are the two major blockbuster and highest-grossing films of their time in Kannada cinema. After an eight-year hiatus, she returned to films with Upendra Matte Baa in 2017.
Girija, known by her screen name Shruti, is an Indian actress, television personality and politician. She is the Winner of Bigg Boss Kannada Season 3, as an actress, she predominantly appears in Kannada film industry. She is currently serving as chief secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party's women's wing in its Karnataka cadre.
Sudeep Sanjeev, also known as Sudeepa or Kichcha Sudeep, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, television presenter and singer, who primarily works in Kannada films. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He is one of the most celebrated stars and one of the highest paid actors of Kannada cinema. He is also one of the first Kannada actors to be listed in the Forbes list of top 100 celebrities of India since 2013. He has received several awards including four Filmfare Awards South, one Karnataka State Film Award and one Nandi Award.
Tarka 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.
Utkarsha is a 1990 Indian Kannada psychological crime thriller film by Sunil Kumar Desai, starring Devraj, Ambareesh and Vanitha Vasu in the lead roles. The film was the second directorial venture of Sunil Kumar Desai after the 1989 film Tarka retaining much of the cast especially Devaraj and Vanitha Vasu. Just like Tarka, Utkarsha didn't have any songs and had a thriller theme. The background music of the film was scored by Guna Singh. The film received critical appraisal for Devaraj's portrayal of the psychopathic Rajesh.
Pudipeddi Sai Kumar is an Indian actor, dubbing artist, and television presenter who works primarily in Telugu and Kannada cinema. He has received three Filmfare Awards, two Nandi Awards, and two South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA). His performance in Prasthanam (2010) was included in the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by Film Companion. In addition to acting, he has worked extensively as a dubbing artist.
J. Anoop Seelin is an Indian film music director and playback singer associated with the Kannada film industry. He has composed musical scores for films such as Gooli, Eddelu Manjunatha, I Am Sorry Mathe Banni Preethsona, Sidlingu, Parari, Madarangi, Naanu Avanalla... Avalu, and Aatagara.
Kiran Kumar, known by his screen name Prem❤️s, is an Indian film director 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.
Sparsha is a 2000 Indian Kannada-language romance film written and directed by Sunil Kumar Desai. It stars Sudeep, Rekha and Sudha Rani. Naveen Mayur, Sihi Kahi Chandru, Kashi, Umashree and Vanishree feature in supporting roles.
Prathyartha is a 1999 Kannada suspense-thriller film directed by Sunil Kumar Desai featuring Ramesh Aravind, Raghuvaran, Girish Karnad and Sudeep in the lead roles. The film features background score composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The concept of this movie is based on the 1995 movie Nick of Time.
Anubhava (transl. Experience) is a 1984 Indian Kannada-language drama film starring Kashinath, Abhinaya and Umashree. Actresses Abhinaya and Umashree made their debut with this film. The film is directed, co-produced and written by Kashinath and produced under Sri Gayatri Productions banner. It was remade in Hindi twice - first in 1986 as Anubhav starring Shekhar Suman, Richa Sharma and Padmini Kolhapure directed by Kashinath himself and second as Chadti Jawaani. The film was dubbed in Malayalam as Aadhyate Anubhavam and in Telugu as Anubhavam. Sunil Kumar Desai worked as an assistant to Kashinath on this movie.
Taj Mahal is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed and written by R. Chandru, starring Ajay Rao and Pooja Gandhi. Produced by T. Shivashankar Reddy, the film is Chandru's directoral debut. The film was released on 25 July 2008, and had a 200-day run in Karanataka. Music director Abhiman Roy was awarded the Best Music Director accolade at the Karnataka State Film Awards for his film score. Taj Mahal was one of the most successful Kannada-language films of 2008. It was remade in Telugu under the same title Taj Mahal in 2010.
Nagappa Sunil Kumar, known professionally as Darling Krishna, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Kannada films. Krishna has established himself as one of the leading actors in Kannada cinema. He is a recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Awards South and a South Indian International Movie Award.
Prashanth Shetty, known professionally as Rishab Shetty, is an Indian actor, film director, film producer and screenwriter 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.
Udgharsha is a 2019 Kannada language action thriller film, written and directed by Sunil Kumar Desai. The film was also dubbed in Telugu and Malayalam with the same title and in Tamil language as Uchakattam. The film is produced by Devaraj under the banner D Creations and is touted to be a suspense thriller. The film features a multi-lingual ensemble cast of Thakur Anoop Singh, Sai Dhansika, Harsihka Poonacha, Kishore, Dr Kingmoohan, Tanya Hope, Kabir Duhan Singh, Prabhakar, and Shraddha Das in the lead roles.
Karthik Saragur is an Indian film director, screenwriter and lyricist who works primarily in Kannada cinema.
