Halebeedu Ramachandra Shastry (2 November 1905 – 12 December 1976), was an Indian actor and

dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...

artist known for his work in

Kannada cinema 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 ...

. In his career spanning more than 40 years, Shastry played a variety of supporting roles. He is noted for his performances in ''

Bedara Kannappa ''Bedara Kannappa'' is a 1954 Indian Kannada-language Hindu mythological film directed by H. L. N. Simha and written by G. V. Iyer. The film stars Rajkumar playing the title character along with Pandari Bai, Kushala Kumari, G. V. Iyer, Sandh ...

'' (1954), ''

Rayara Sose ''Rayara Sose'' is a 1957 Indian Kannada-language film produced by Pandari Bai and directed by R. Ramamurthy and K. S. Murthy. It stars Rajkumar, Kalyan Kumar, Mynavathi, H. Ramachandra Shastry, Pandari Bai and Ramadevi. The music of the film ...

'' (1957), ''

Bhoodana ''Bhoodana'' is a 1962 Indian Kannada-language film jointly directed and produced by G. V. Iyer and P.S. Gopalkrishna. The film stars Dr. Rajkumar, Rajkumar, Kalyan Kumar, Udaykumar and K. S. Ashwath. The film has musical score by G. K. Venkate ...

'' (1962), '' Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'' (1974) and ''

Upasane ''Upasane'' ( kn, ಉಪಾಸನೆ; English: Worship) is a 1974 Kannada musical drama film, directed by Puttanna Kanagal. The film produced by Rashi brothers, is based on the novel of the same name, written by Devaki Murthy. The film mostly ha ...

'' (1974). Shastry's last movie was

Pavana Ganga Pavana Ganga is a 1977 Kannada-language film directed by Y. R. Swamy and produced by C. Jayaram. It is based on the novel of the same name by Krishnamoorthy Puranik. The film stars Srinath, Aarathi and Ashok. Ashok and Arathi were paired as br ...

Early life

Shastry was born on 2 November 1905 in Halebeedu village near

Melukote Melukote in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, in southern India, is one of the sacred places in Karnataka.It is built on rocky hills, known as Yadugiri, Yaadavagiri and Yadushailadeepa, overlooking the Cauvery valley. Melukote ...

, in the present-day

Mandya district Mandya District is an administrative district of Karnataka, India. The district is bordered on the south by Mysore district, Mysore and Chamarajanagar district, Chamarajangar districts, on the west by Hassan District, on the north by Tumkur Di ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. His father was an astrologer. At five, Shastry was sent to study under the tutelage of Narasimha Somayaji, where he developed interest towards the Kannada-language and culture and art. He was drawn towards theatre and acting during his secondary schooling at Sarada Vilas High School,

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. At 15, he started working at a railway workshop, while pursuing his acting interest alongside.

Career

Shastry went on to perform for A. V. Varadachar's Rathnavali theatre group and subsequently that of Mohammed Peer. He was noted for his performances as a shepherd in Peer's ''Gautama Buddha'', as Siddha in ''Samsara Nauke'' and Dildar in ''Shah Jahan''. He then joined H. L. N. Simha theatre group, Simha's Selected Artists, before starting his own troupe named Manjunatheshwara Nataka Mandali. He suffered financial losses with the troupe leading him to focus energies on his already-begun film acting career. Shastry made his film debut in Varadacharya's ''Bhakta Amabareesha'' which was made in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

. In 1941, he appeared in his first Kannada film ''

Subhadra Subhadra ( sa, सुभद्रा, Subhadrā) is a Hindu goddess mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. She is described as the favourite child of Vasudeva and the younger sister of de ...

'' produced by

Gubbi Veeranna Gubbi Hampanna Veeranna (1891 – 1972) was an Indian theatre director. He was one of the pioneers and most prolific contributors to Kannada theatre. He established the drama company, ''Gubbi Sree Channabasaveshwara Nataka Company'', which play ...

where he played the role of

Dharmaraya ''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first w ...

. Shastry played the role of deity

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

in ''

'' (1954), a film that won the Certificate of Merit for the Best Feature Film in Kannada at the

2nd National Film Awards The 2nd National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1954. Ceremony took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi ...

. He played the major role of a father-in-law who demands dowry, in 1957 social drama ''

'', which was a commercial success. The Rajkumar-starrer ''

Immadi Pulikeshi Pulakeshin II (IAST: Pulakeśin, r. c. 610–642 CE) was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka, India). During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in pe ...

'' was his 100th film.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1941)..

* '' Mahatma Kabir'' (1947) * ''

'' (1954)...

* ''

Ohileshwara ''Ohileshwara'' is a 1956 Kannada-language film directed by T.V. Singh Tagore. The film starred Dr. Rajkumar, Rajkumar and Kalyan Kumar. It had Narasimharaju (Kannada actor), Narasimharaju, G.V. Iyer and H. R. Shastry in supporting roles. The f ...

'' (1956) * ''

Shree Krishna Gaarudi ''Shree Krishna Gaarudi'' is 1958 Indian Kannada language film written and directed by Hunsur Krishnamurthy based on the story by Bellave Narahari Shastri. It narrates the tale of Bheema and Arjuna's pride being crushed by Krishna, after the Kur ...

'' (1958)...Dharmaraya * ''

Bhakta Kanakadasa ''Bhakta Kanakadasa'' ( kn, ಭಕ್ತ ಕನಕದಾಸ) is a 1960 Indian Kannada language film, directed by Y. R. Swamy. It depicts the spiritual journey of Kanakadasa, who was a devotee of the Hindu deity Krishna, and a poet belonging t ...

'' (1960) * ''

Mantralaya Mahatme ''Mantralaya Mahatme'' is a 1966 Indian Kannada-language film directed by T. V. Singh Thakur, based on the book ''Sri Raghavendra Vijaya'' written by Rajaguru Rajacharya, and stars Rajkumar in the role of Raghavendra Swami, a Hindu saint who ...

'' (1966) * ''

Naagarahaavu ''Naagarahaavu'' () is a 1972 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Puttanna Kanagal, based on T. R. Subba Rao's three novels ''Nagarahavu'', ''Ondu Gandu Eradu Hennu'' and ''Sarpa Mathsara'', and starring Vishnuvardhan (actor), Vishnuvardha ...

'' (1972)...Shyam Iyengar * ''

Doorada Betta ''Doorada Betta'' () is a 1973 Kannada-language film directed by Siddalingaiah. The film starred Rajkumar and Bharathi Vishnuvardhan. It had Balakrishna, K. S. Ashwath and Sampath playing supporting roles. The film, along with '' Mooruvare Vaj ...

'' (1973) * ''

Gandhada Gudi ''Gandhada Gudi'' () is a 1973 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Vijay and produced by M. P. Shankar. Rajkumar in his 150th film portrays an honest forest officer Kumar while Vishnuvardhan plays the antagonist, Anand, t ...

'' (1973)...Hanumayya * ''

'' (1974) * ''

Bhakta Kumbara ''Bhakta Kumbara'' () is a 1974 Indian Kannada-language biographical film directed by Hunsur Krishnamurthy. The film stars Rajkumar and Leelavathi. Actress Sridevi essayed the role of Muktha Bai (as a child artist), thereby the latter making ...

'' (1974) * ''

'' (1977)

References

External links

* Male actors in Kannada cinema 1905 births 1976 deaths 20th-century Indian male actors People from Mandya district People from Karnataka Kannada people Male actors in Tamil cinema {{India-actor-stub