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.
Puneeth Rajkumar, affectionately known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter and philanthropist who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of legendary actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar. He was one of the most popular actors in Kannada cinema. He appeared as a lead in 32 films. As a child, he appeared in many films. His performances as a child actor in Vasantha Geetha (1980), Bhagyavantha (1981), Chalisuva Modagalu (1982), Eradu Nakshatragalu (1983), Bhakta Prahaladha (1983), Yarivanu (1984) 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. In a career spanning three decades, he has won one National Film Award, four Karnataka State Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards South and five SIIMA awards. He was conferred with the Doctorate by Mysuru University. The Karnataka Government conferred the state's highest civilian award, Karnataka Ratna, to Puneeth Rajkumar on 1 November 2022, posthumously.
Divya Spandana, better known by her screen name Ramya, is an Indian actress, producer and politician. She served as the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Mandya, Karnataka. She primarily works in Kannada, and Tamil language films. Ramya was the recipient of two Filmfare Awards South, an Udaya Award, and a Karnataka State Film Award.
H.L. Nagegowda was a prominent Kannada folklorist and author. He received a number of awards in his lifetime, both for his writing and for his work in conserving and propagating folk traditions.
Sumalatha Ambareesh is an Indian actress, politician who was served as Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Mandya, Karnataka from May 2019 to 04 June 2024. She has acted in more than 220 films in Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi. She gained popularity in Telugu cinema and Malayalam cinema and later married Kannada actor-politician Ambareesh and has a son Abhishek Gowda.
Radhika Pandit is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Kannada films. Considered as one of the most popular and highest-paid Kannada actress, Pandit is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South, one Karnataka State Film Award and one South Indian International Movie Award.
Janumada Jodi is a 1996 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by T. S. Nagabharana and written by Baraguru Ramachandrappa, based on Pannalal Patel's 1941 Gujarati novel Malela Jeev. The film was scripted by T. S. Nagabharana. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar and Shilpa in lead roles, while Pavithra Lokesh, Mukhyamantri Chandru and Honnavalli Krishna plays supporting roles. The film's plot follows Krishna and Kanaka (Shilpa), who fall in love despite belonging to different castes. The film follows the troubles they face in their love story.
Naveen Kumar Gowda, known by his screen name Yash, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada films. He is a recipient of three Filmfare Awards South and two SIIMA awards.
Devegowda Javaregowda, known as De Ja Gou or simply Javaregowda, was an Indian Kannada writer, folklorist, researcher, scholar and academic. He was disciple of authors T.N. Srikantaiah and Kuvempu. His literary career spans over decades in which he wrote over thirty-four biographies in Kannada language and other works including children's literature. He campaigned for the promotion of Kannada language. He had received Pampa Prashasti (1998), Padma Shri (2001) and the Karnataka Ratna (2008) awards for his contributions in literature and education. He became a centenarian in 2015 and died on 30 May 2016.
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actor is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honours Kannada language films.
Shiva, known by his screen name Sathish Ninasam, is an Indian actor who appears in Kannada films. Having made his film debut with Madesha (2008), Sathish appeared in small but significant roles in films like Manasaare (2009), Pancharangi (2010), Lifeu Ishtene (2011) and Anna Bond (2012). He shot to fame after his performance in Drama (2012). Sathish marked his debut as a hero in his 2013 film Lucia, which received critical acclaim nationally and internationally. His performance received rave reviews all over India.
Kendasampige is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller film directed by Duniya Soori from a story written by Surendranath and produced by Parimala Film Factory. The film stars Vikky Varun and Manvita Kamath, Rajesh Nataranga, Prakash Belawadi and Chandrika. The film is the sequel to forthcoming film Kaage Bangara and also exposes the nexus between the latter and influential persons. V. Harikrishna composed the soundtrack and background score, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Satya Hegde and Deepu. S. Kumar.
Raam Reddy is an Indian film director, writer and photographer. He made his directorial debut with the 2016 Kannada film Thithi, which premiered at the 68th Locarno International Film Festival on 8 August 2015, where it won the Golden Leopard in the "Filmmakers of the Present" category as well as the First Feature award.
Happy Birthday is a 2016 Indian Kannada language romantic action film written, directed and co-produced by Mahesh Sukhadhare. It stars Sachin, making his debut, and Samskruthy Shenoy in the lead roles along with guest appearances by actors Ambareesh and Srinagar Kitty. The music of the film is composed by V. Harikrishna whilst the cinematography is by Suresh Jayakrishna.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy, also known as Nikhil Gowda is an Indian actor and politician known for his work in Kannada films. He made his acting debut with the Kannada-Telugu bilingual film Jaguar (2016).
Ere Gowda is a Kannada film director known for his award-winning Kannada movie Balekempa. He was also the screenwriter of the award-winning Kannada film Thithi directed by Raam Reddy.
Rustum is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language action crime film directed by Ravi Varma in his directorial debut. It was produced by Jayanna and Bhogendra under the banner of Jayanna Combines. The film features Shiva Rajkumar, Vivek Oberoi, Shraddha Srinath, Rachita Ram and Mayuri Kyatari in the lead roles, while Harish Uthaman, Mahendran, Arjun Gowda and Shatru appear in supporting roles.
Nathicharami is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language film written by Sandhya Rani, directed by Manjunatha Somashekara Reddy (Mansore) and produced by M. Ramesh, under the banner Tejaswini Enterprises. Jaganmohan Reddy and Shivkumar Reddy are the other producers. The music of the film is scored by Bindhu Malini. The film stars Sruthi Hariharan and Sanchari Vijay with Sharanya, Poornachandra Mysore, Balaji Manohar and Gopal Deshpande in key roles. The sound design is done by Mahavir Sabbanavar and cinematography by Guruprasad Narnad. Manasa Mustafa has designed the costumes for the film.
Yuvarathnaa is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Santhosh Ananddram and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. The film stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Sayyeshaa, Dhananjay, Prakash Raj, Diganth and P. Sai Kumar. The music was composed by S. Thaman, while the cinematography and editing was handled by A. Venkatesh and Jnaanesh B. Matad respectively.
Kalidasa Kannada Meshtru is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film directed by Kaviraj and starring Jaggesh and Meghana Gaonkar.
