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 Tripuramba, 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 Bangalore.
Minchina Ota is a 2008 Kannada film directed by A. M. R. Ramesh. It stars Vijay Raghavendra, Sri Murali and Lakshmi Rai in the lead roles. The music was composed by V. Manohar and background score by Dharma Vish. The film released on 10 July 2008. The film is inspired by the 1971 film, Duel.
Rajadhani is a 2011 Indian Kannada action crime film directed by debutante Sowmya Sathyan N. R., starring Yash, Prakash Raj, Chetan Chandra, Sathya It also stars Umashree and Sheena Shahabadi, a Mumbai-based model-turned-actress.
A. Harsha is an Indian film director and choreographer who works in Kannada cinema. Harsha has choreographed many popular songs.
Ranga SSLC is a 2004 Indian Kannada-language action comedy drama film directed by Yogaraj Bhat and produced by N. Kumar. Music was composed by Sandeep Chowta. It stars Sudeep and Ramya in lead roles. The film was later dubbed into Hindi as Ranga Dada in 2013.
Swathi Muthu is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by D. Rajendra Babu and written by K. Vishwanath. This film stars Sudeep and Meena. It is an official remake of Telugu film Swati Mutyam (1986). Doddanna, Pavitra Lokesh and Leelavathi feature in supporting roles.
Chandu is a 2002 Kannada romantic-drama film directed by Arun Prasad P.A. in his Kannada debut, featuring Sudeep and Sonia Agarwal. The film features background score and soundtrack composed by Gurukiran and lyrics by K. Kalyan, Anant Kumar and V. Nagendra Prasad. The film was released on 10 May 2002.
Vaalee is a 2001 Indian Kannada-language romantic psychological thriller film directed by S. Mahendar starring Sudeep in a dual role and Poonam Singar. The film features background score and soundtrack composed by Rajesh Ramanath and lyrics by K. Kalyan. It is a remake of the 1999 Tamil film of the same name.
Maanikya is a 2014 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Sudeepa featuring himself, V. Ravichandran, Ranya Rao, Ramya Krishna, Varalaxmi Sharathkumar and P. Ravi Shankar in the lead roles. The film is a remake of 2013 Telugu film Mirchi. It was released on 1 May 2014. Upon its release, Maanikya got an excellent response from the critics and audience and had a good run at the box office. The satellite rights of the movie was sold for a huge amount. The film was later dubbed into Hindi under the same name by RKD Studios in 2015.
Bhoomi Thayiya Chochchala Maga is a 1998 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed and written by Rajendra Singh Babu. It features Shiva Rajkumar and Ramesh Aravind along with Vijayalakshmi and Shilpa in other pivotal roles. The film won several laurels and awards upon release including the Karnataka State Film Awards. The film featured an original score and soundtrack composed and written by V. Manohar.
Katthegalu Saar Katthegalu is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language comedy film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu. The film stars Ramesh Aravind, S. Narayan, Komal Kumar, Meghana Naidu and Urvashi. This is the third film in the "Saar" series directed by Babu and was released on 28 March 2003 and received generally positive reviews from the critics.
Africadalli Sheela is a 1986 Indian Kannada-language fantasy-adventure film, written, directed and produced by Dwarakish. Made on the similar lines as the Hollywood film Sheena, the film was extensively shot in the forest ranges in the African continent. This film was the first Indian film to have been shot in the African forests.
Case No.18/9 is a 2013 Indian Kannada language film directed by Mahesh Rao, a remake of the Tamil film Vazhakku Enn 18/9 (2012). The film stars Niranjan Shetty and Sindhu Lokanath. The supporting cast features Abhishek, Shweta Pandit and Rangayana Raghu.
Lodde is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by S. V. Suresh Raj and written by Shrinath. It stars Komal Kumar and Akanksha Puri. The film is produced by Manjunath. The music is composed by Charan Banzo, who had worked in Telugu films under the name Chinni Charan. The film marks the Kannada debut for the lead actress Akanksha Puri. The principal photography of the film began in 2013 and took a long period to complete.
V. Nagendra Prasad is a lyricist, composer and director who predominantly works for Kannada Cinema. He has penned more than 3000 songs, particularly for Kannada cinema.
Hemanth Subramanya known by his stage name as Hemanth, is a playback singer in Kannada cinema.
Tagaru (transl. Ram) is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language action crime film directed by Duniya Soori and produced by K. P. Srikanth. The film features Shiva Rajkumar, Bhavana and Manvitha Kamath, Dhananjaya, Vasishta N. Simha and Devaraj, while Shivakumara Swami, Jayanth Kaikini and Charan Raj makes a guest appearance. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Charan Raj while the cinematography and editing were handled by Mahendra Simha and Deepu. S. Kumar.
Mahira is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language crime action film written and directed by Mahesh Gowda and produced by Vivek Kodappa and his friends under the banner The Jackfruit Productions. It features Raj B. Shetty and Virginia Rodrigues along with Chaitra Aachar in the lead roles. The supporting cast includes Balaji Manohar, GopalKrishna Deshpande, K P Sridhar, Babu Hirannaiah, Apoorva Soma Saakre, Shaukat Ali and Dileep Raj. The soundtrack of the film is composed by rapper Nilima Rao and Rakesh U.P and the cinematography is by Keerthan Poojary. The editing for the film is done by Ashik Kusugolli, who is currently working on the highly anticipated Kichcha Sudeep starrer Vikrant Rona. The film released on 26 July 2019.
Mani is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language romance film written and directed by debutant Yograj Bhat. It features Mayur Patel and Radhika in the lead roles. The supporting cast includes Umashree, Kashi, Avinash, Rangayana Raghu and Karisubbu. The score for the film is by Rajesh Ramanath and soundtrack for the film is by Raja. The film was dubbed in Tamil as Sollattuma with a few reshot scenes.
