Diganth Manchale (born 28 December 1983),
mononymously
A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
known as Diganth, is an Indian actor and former model who primarily works in
Kannada films
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'' directe ...
. Diganth made his acting debut in ''
Miss California
The Miss California competition selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America competition.
The pageant began in Santa Cruz in 1924 and was held there in 1925. During the years 1926 through 1946 in years when the Mi ...
'' in 2006. He is a recipient of one
SIIMA Award
South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appreci ...
along with four
Filmfare Award South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing f ...
nominations. Diganth's success pushed him to be among the top league actors of Kannada cinema.
Diganath had his first success with ''
Gaalipata
''Gaalipata'' () is a 2008 Indian romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat. It features an ensemble cast consisting of Ganesh, Anant Nag, Rajesh Krishnan, Diganth, Daisy Bopanna, Neethu and Bhavana Rao. The plot revolv ...
'' (2008), which earned him the title "Doodhpeda" and
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada
The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award is and award presented annually by the '' Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance ...
nomination. He then received praises for his performance in ''
Manasaare
''Manasaare'' is a 2009 Indian Kannada-language romantic psychological film directed by Yogaraj Bhat. It stars Diganth and Aindrita Ray in the lead roles. The film soundtrack and score was composed by Mano Murthy with lyrics by Yogaraj Bhat an ...
'' (2009), ''
Pancharangi
''Pancharangi'' is a 2010 Indian Kannada language romantic comedy film with philosophical overtones directed and produced by Yogaraj Bhat starring Diganth and Nidhi Subbaiah in the lead roles. The music has been composed by Mano Murthy, story an ...
'' (2010), ''
Lifeu Ishtene
''Lifeu Ishtene'' () is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language black comedy film written and directed by Pawan Kumar. It stars Diganth, Sindhu Lokanath and Samyukta Hornad in the lead roles. Sathish Ninasam, Achyuth Kumar and Veena Sundar feature in su ...
'' (2011) and ''
Parijatha
''Parijatha'' is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by Prabhu Srinivas starring Diganth, Aindrita Ray and Sharan.
The film is a remake of the Tamil film ''Boss Engira Bhaskaran'' starring Arya and Nayantara. The film ...
'' (2012), receiving
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada
The Filmfare Best Actor Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films The Award was first given in 1972. The 2018 winner of the award is Yash for ''K.G.F: Chapter 1.'' As of 2021, Rajk ...
nomination for the former two. His career saw a setback with few unsuccessful films including his
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
debut ''
Wedding Pullav
''Wedding Pullav'' () is an Indian romantic comedy film, directed by Binod Pradhan and produced by Shashi Ranjan and Anu Ranjan. The film stars debutants Kannada actor Diganth, Anushka Ranjan, Sonnalli Seygall and Karan V. Grover in lead roles ...
'' (2015). Diganath received further success with ''
Chowka
''Chowka'' is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Tharun Sudhir, making his debut, and produced by Dwarakish, marking his 50th production film. It features an ensemble cast of Vijay Raghavendra, Prem Kumar, Diganth, ...
'', ''
Happy New Year'', both (2017). He received
SIIMA Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination for the latter. His work in ''
Katheyondu Shuruvagide
''Katheyondu Shuruvagide'' (transl. A Story has blossomed) is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Senna Hegde and starring Diganth and Pooja Devariya (in her Kannada debut).
Plot
Tarun runs a resort on the coastal pa ...
'' (2018) earned him another Best Actor nomination.
Diganath is married to his frequent co-actor
Aindrita Ray
Aindrita Ray (born 3 March 1985) is an Indian actress, primarily appearing in Kannada films. She made her acting debut in 2007, starring in ''Meravanige'' and went on to appear in several commercially successful films, establishing herself as a ...
.
Early life and education
Diganth Manchale was born on 28 December 1983 in
Sagara, Karnataka
Sagara is a city located in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also a sub divisional and a taluk headquarters. Located in the Sahyadri Mountain range on the banks of river Varada, it is known for its proximity to Jog Falls and to the histori ...
. His father, Krishnamurthy, is a professor, and his mother Mallika, is a homemaker. Diganth has an elder brother, Akash Manchale.
Diganath completed schooling from Seva Bharathi and pre-university in
Tunga Mahavidyalaya,
Thirthahalli
Thirthahalli is a panchayat town located in the Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the bank of the river Tunga and is also the headquarters of the Thirthahalli Taluk of Shimoga district.
Geography
Thirthahalli i ...
. He completed his bachelor's degree in Commerce from
Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, a part of
Jain University in
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, and was a model before joining the Kannada film industry in 2006.
Personal life
Diganth is sometimes called "Doodhpedha" by his fans, referencing his popular role by that name.
Diganth married actress
Aindrita Ray
Aindrita Ray (born 3 March 1985) is an Indian actress, primarily appearing in Kannada films. She made her acting debut in 2007, starring in ''Meravanige'' and went on to appear in several commercially successful films, establishing herself as a ...
on 12 December 2018, after 10 years of courtship.
Career
Debut and early success (2006-2011)
Diganth made his acting debut with ''
Miss California
The Miss California competition selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America competition.
The pageant began in Santa Cruz in 1924 and was held there in 1925. During the years 1926 through 1946 in years when the Mi ...
'' in 2006. ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' mentioned, "Diganth is a big letdown and has not made any efforts to act." The same year, he acted in ''SMS 6260'', ''
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka. It is the headquarter of Mandya district and is located from Mysore and from Bangalore.
Sugar factories contribute to the major economic output. It is also called Sugar city (which in Kannada mean ...
'', ''
Kadala Mage
''Kadala Mage'' (Son of the Sea) is a 2006 Indian Tulu language film directed by Praveen Jain and produced by Sadhana N Shetty, starring Bhavya, Diganth (in his Tulu debut), Soorya, Sarita Jain, Rajesh Bantwal, Bhojaraj Vamanjoor, Lakshman Kumar ...
'' (his Tulu debut) and a noted cameo appearance in ''
Mungaru Male
''Mungaru Male'' () is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened t ...
'' opposite
Pooja Gandhi
Pooja Gandhi (born Sanjana Gandhi in 1983) is an Indian actress, who mainly works in Kannada, Hindi and Tamil films. Pooja Gandhi after starring in the commercially successful 2006 film ''Mungaru Male'', became one of the most popular and high ...
. In 2007, he portrayed a lecturer in ''
Meera Madhava Raghava
''Meera Madhava Raghava'' is a 2007 Indian Kannada language film directed by T. N. Seetharam starring Ramya, Diganth and Tilak Shekar.
Plot
Meera (Ramya) a singer and Madhava (Diganth) a lecturer get married. Meera sacrifices her dream of b ...
'' opposite
Ramya
Ramya (Sanskrit: रम्य) is a Sanskrit female given name, which means "pleasant" and "delightful".
Notable people
* Ramya (born 1982), Indian actress and politician
* Ramya Barna (born 1986), Indian actress
* Ramya Krishnan (born 1970), ...
.
Diganth first recognition came with the 2008 film ''
Gaalipata
''Gaalipata'' () is a 2008 Indian romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat. It features an ensemble cast consisting of Ganesh, Anant Nag, Rajesh Krishnan, Diganth, Daisy Bopanna, Neethu and Bhavana Rao. The plot revolv ...
''. He portrayed a medical student opposite
Neethu
Neethu, also known as Neethu Shetty, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Kannada-language films and a few Tulu and Malayalam films. She won acclaim and praise for movies like '' Joke Falls'' (2004), '' Beru'' (2005), ''Photographe ...
. The film received critical acclaim and was a box office success. ''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...
'' mentioned that Diganth has shown "maturity" in his act. While ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' noted, "The film's surprise element is Diganth who rocks with a vibrant performance." He received
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Kannada
The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award is and award presented annually by the '' Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance ...
nomination for his performance.
The same year, he made his Telugu debut with ''
Vaana'' and appeared in ''
Mast Maja Maadi
''Mast Maja Maadi'' is a 2008 Kannada comedy-romance film directed by R. Ananth Raju featuring Sudeep, Vijay Raghavendra, Diganth, Naga Kiran, Komal and Jennifer Kotwal in the lead roles. The film features background score and soundtrack compos ...
'', a remake of ''
Golmaal: Fun Unlimited''.
In 2009, Diganath had three releases. Firstly, he appeared ''
House Full
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
''. ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' said, "Diganth with his dimpled looks is much better than his comedy role in Masth Maja Maadi." Next, he portrayed orphaned unemployed Manohara in ''
Manasaare
''Manasaare'' is a 2009 Indian Kannada-language romantic psychological film directed by Yogaraj Bhat. It stars Diganth and Aindrita Ray in the lead roles. The film soundtrack and score was composed by Mano Murthy with lyrics by Yogaraj Bhat an ...
'' opposite
Aindrita Ray
Aindrita Ray (born 3 March 1985) is an Indian actress, primarily appearing in Kannada films. She made her acting debut in 2007, starring in ''Meravanige'' and went on to appear in several commercially successful films, establishing herself as a ...
. ''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printe ...
'' said Diganth shows "He can act". ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' mentioned, "Diganth is first class in his performance." He received
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada
The Filmfare Best Actor Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films The Award was first given in 1972. The 2018 winner of the award is Yash for ''K.G.F: Chapter 1.'' As of 2021, Rajk ...
. His final film of the year was ''
Male Bille''.
His first release of 2010 came with ''
Bisile'' opposite
Jennifer Kotwal. Next, he appeared in ''
Swayamvara
Svayamvara ( sa, स्वयंवर, svayaṃvara, translit-std=IAST), in ancient India, was a method of marriage in which a woman chose a man as her husband from a group of suitors. In this context, in Sanskrit means 'self' and means 'g ...
'' opposite
Srinagara Kitty and
Sharmiela Mandre
Sharmiela Mandre (born 28 October 1990) is an Indian actress and producer. She is well known for her works predominantly in Kannada cinema.
Career
Mandre was the third generation of a family with film connections. Her grandfather R. N. Mandre ...
. In his year's final release, he portrayed a carefree individual opposite
Nidhi Subbaiah
Nidhi Subbaiah (born 16 February 1987) is an Indian actress and model, who has appeared in various television advertisements and films, she is known for her performance in successful Kannada movies such as ''Pancharangi'' (2010) and ''Krishnan ...
in ''
Pancharangi
''Pancharangi'' is a 2010 Indian Kannada language romantic comedy film with philosophical overtones directed and produced by Yogaraj Bhat starring Diganth and Nidhi Subbaiah in the lead roles. The music has been composed by Mano Murthy, story an ...
''. It was a box office success. ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
'' noted, "Diganth outdoes his ''Manaasare'' act. He gets both his dialogues and expressions right." Diganth received another Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada nomination.
Diganth had six releases in 2011. Firstly, he appeared in ''
Jolly Boy'' with
Rekha Vedavyas
Rekha, also known as Akshara, is an Indian actress, who predominantly acts in Kannada films and also appears in Telugu and Tamil films. While pursuing modelling, she made her acting debut in the 2001 Kannada film '' Chitra'' and has since starre ...
. Next, he appeared in ''
Mr. Duplicate''. ''
News18
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
'' wrote that Diganth "shine well in his roles." In his third release, he portrayed a music lover in ''
Lifeu Ishtene
''Lifeu Ishtene'' () is a 2011 Indian Kannada-language black comedy film written and directed by Pawan Kumar. It stars Diganth, Sindhu Lokanath and Samyukta Hornad in the lead roles. Sathish Ninasam, Achyuth Kumar and Veena Sundar feature in su ...
'' opposite
Sindhu Lokanath
Sindhu known by her stage name Sindhu Loknath, is an Indian actress and model. She made her debut in films, with a cameo role in '' Parichaya'' (2009). She is recognized for her performances in '' Lifeu Ishtene'' (2011), ''Drama'' (2012), '' C ...
and
Samyukta Hornad. It emerged as a commercial success. ''
News18
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
'' noted, "Diganth natural dialogue delivery and lively performance are the plus point. He looks extremely handsome." He next appeared in ''Putra'' as Krishna and in ''Taare''. His final release of the year was ''
Kaanchaana'' with
Ragini Dwivedi
Ragini Dwivedi (born 24 May 1990) is an Indian actress and model who works primarily in Kannada films.
She made her entry to filmdom with ''Veera Madakari'' (2009). She rose to fame starring in successful Kannada language films, ''Kempe Gowda' ...
. ''
DNA India
''Zee Media Corporation Limited'' (abbreviated as ZMCL; formerly Zee News Limited) is the news broadcasting company of the Essel Group which is controlled by Subhash Chandra. The company is engaged mainly in the business of broadcasting of news ...
'' wrote, "Diganth steals the show with his quick comic timing."
Career progression and expansion (2012-present)
In 2012, he apoeared in ''
Parijatha
''Parijatha'' is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by Prabhu Srinivas starring Diganth, Aindrita Ray and Sharan.
The film is a remake of the Tamil film ''Boss Engira Bhaskaran'' starring Arya and Nayantara. The film ...
''. All of these films brought him much popularity and stardom. He went on to play the lead in director
Indrajith Lankesh
Indrajit Lankesh is an Indian filmmaker, producer, and director of Kannada and Hindi films. He is also the publisher of the weekly Kannada tabloid ''Lankesh Patrike''. He is the son of iconic writer, journalist and film maker P. Lankesh.
Lanke ...
's ''
Dev Son of Mudde Gowda
''Dev S/O Mudde Gowda'' is a 2012 Kannada romantic comedy film loosely inspired by the Bollywood film ''Wake Up Sid''. It stars Diganth and Charmee Kaur. Ananth Nag plays a prominent supporting role while the model-turned-actress Nathalia Kaur m ...
'' in 2012 which received mixed reactions.
In 2015, Diganth made his
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
debut with ''
Wedding Pullav
''Wedding Pullav'' () is an Indian romantic comedy film, directed by Binod Pradhan and produced by Shashi Ranjan and Anu Ranjan. The film stars debutants Kannada actor Diganth, Anushka Ranjan, Sonnalli Seygall and Karan V. Grover in lead roles ...
'' opposite
Anushka Ranjan
Anushka Ranjan is an Indian actress and model. She has modeled for designers like Manish Malhotra, Vikram Phadnis, Neeta Lulla, Pria Kataris Puri, Babita Malkani, Amy Billimoria and many others. She was the Brand Ambassador a jewellery bran ...
. ''
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
'' said, "Diganth fails to leave a strong impression on the audiences with his performance." He next appeared in ''
Minchagi Nee Baralu'' opposite
Kriti Kharbanda. ''
Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
'' saying that he's the "biggest plus point of the film". His final film of the year was ''
Sharp Shooter'' with
Sangeeta Chauhan.
In 2017, Diganth was part of ''Chowka'' which was a blockbuster hit. In that same year, he acted in Happy New Year for which he was nominated for SIMA best supporting role.
Under Pushkar films he acted in ''Katheyondu Shuruvagide'', a romantic movie for which he was nominated for the SIIMA award for best actor. He also played a supporting role in Puneeth Rajkumar starrer ''Yuvaratnaa''.
Later, he acted in suspense thriller movie ''Huttu Habbada Shubhashayagalu''. He played a village boy role in ''Kshamisi Nimma Khateyalli Hanavilla''.
He was also the part of Gaalipata 2 film where his "aghori" character was praised.
Filmography
Films
* ''All films are in Kannada, unless otherwise noted.''
Web series
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diganth
1983 births
Living people
People from Shimoga district
Indian male film actors
Kannada male actors
Male actors in Kannada cinema
Male actors in Hindi cinema
21st-century Indian male actors
Tulu people
Male actors in Telugu cinema