Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...

widely spoken in the state of

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 ...

. The 1934 film ''

Sati Sulochana ''Sati Sulochana'' is a 1934 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Y. V. Rao. The film was released on 3 March 1934 and is the first talkie film in Kannada language.

'' directed by

Y. V. Rao Yaragudipati Varada Rao (Telugu: యెర్రగుడిపాటి వరదరావు; 30 May 1903 – 13 February 1979) was an Indian director, producer, actor, screenwriter, and editor known for his works primarily in Telugu, Kannada, ...

was the first talkie film in the Kannada language. It was also the first film starring Subbaiah Naidu and

Tripuramba Tripuramba (1910–1979) was an Indian actress and singer who worked in Kannada films. She is best remembered for her role Sulochana in the first Kannada talkie Sati Sulochana, released in 1934, which made her the first heroine of Kannada cinema. ...

, and was the first motion picture screened in the erstwhile

Mysore Kingdom The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary alliance with Brit ...

. The film was produced by Chamanlal Doongaji, who in 1932 founded ''South India Movietone'' in

Bangalore 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 ...

. Major literary works have been adapted to the Kannada screen such as

B. V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (Kannada: ಬಾಬುಕೋಡಿ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ ಕಾರಂತ) (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, co ...

's ''

Chomana Dudi Chomana Dudi ( kn, ಚೋಮನ ದುಡಿ, ''Choma's Drum'') is a feature film in the Kannada language. It is based on a novel of the same name, written by Shivaram Karanth. The film was released in the year 1975 and won the ''Swarna Kamal' ...

'' (1975), (based on ''Chomana Dudi'' by

Shivaram Karanth Kota Shivaram Karanth (10 October 1902 – 9 December 1997), also abbreviated as K. Shivaram Karanth, was an Indian polymath, who was a novelist in Kannada language, playwright and an ecological conservationist. Ramachandra Guha called him th ...

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

's '' Kaadu'' (1973), (based on ''Kaadu'' by Srikrishna Alanahalli), Pattabhirama Reddy's '' Samskara'' (1970) (based on ''Samskara'' by

U. R. Ananthamurthy Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy (21 December 1932 – 22 August 2014) was an Indian contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language. He was born in Thirtahalli Taluk and is considered one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. In 199 ...

), which won the Bronze Leopard at

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...

, and

T. S. Nagabharana Talakadu Srinivasaiah Nagabharana (born 23 January 1953), commonly known as T. S. Nagabharana, is an Indian film director, in the Kannada film industry and a pioneer of parallel cinema. He is one of the few film directors to have straddled t ...

's Mysuru Mallige (based on the works of poet K. S. Narasimhaswamy). Kannada cinema is known for producing experimental works such as

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...

's ''

Ghatashraddha ''Ghatashraaddha'' () is a 1977 Indian Kannada language film directed by Girish Kasaravalli starring Meena Kuttappa, Narayana Bhat and Ajith Kumar in lead roles. It is based on a novella by eminent Kannada writer U. R. Ananthamurthy. The film wa ...

'' (1977), which won the Ducats Award at the Manneham Film Festival Germany, ''

Dweepa ''Dweepa'' () is a 2002 Indian Kannada-language film by Girish Kasaravalli, based on the novel of the same name by Na D'Souza. It stars Soundarya, Avinash and M. V. Vasudeva Rao in the lead roles. The film deals with the raging issue of buildin ...

'' (2002), which won Best Film at

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...

Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (born 21 September 1931), commonly known as Singeetam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, composer, and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile directors of India. He is credited with hav ...

's silent film ''

Pushpaka Vimana Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The "Pushpaka Vimana" of Ravana (who took it from Kubera; Rama returned it to Kubera) is the most quoted example of a vimana. Vimanas are also menti ...

'' (1987),

Ram Gopal Varma Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.** * ...

's docudrama ''

Killing Veerappan ''Killing Veerappan'' is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language biographical crime film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, who co-wrote the film with K. Balaji. The film is based on the events leading to Operation Cocoon to capture or kill Indian bandit Veer ...

'' (2016), and

Prashanth Neel Prashanth Neelakantapuram (born 4 June 1980) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in the Kannada film industry. He made his debut with the 2014 Kannada film, '' Ugramm'' and later directed the two-part film series: ' ...

's action franchise '' K. G. F. series'' being the highest-grossing Kannada film. Kannada cinema is reported to have 8% market share in the gross domestic box office collections for the period January to August 2022 making it the fourth biggest Indian film industry. The share rose to 9% by October 2022. The total gross collections of the top five Kannada movies of 2022 in first ten months was reported to be ₹1800 crores. The year 2022 witnessed the beginning of new era for the industry in terms of exposure to worldwide attention, box office collection and delivering quality content.

History

Early history

In 1934, the first Kannada

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

, ''

Sati Sulochana ''Sati Sulochana'' is a 1934 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Y. V. Rao. The film was released on 3 March 1934 and is the first talkie film in Kannada language.

'', appeared in theatres, followed by '' Bhakta Dhruva'' (aka ''Dhruva Kumar''). ''Sati Sulochana'', starring Subbaiah Naidu and

, was shot in

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

at the Chatrapathi studio; most filming, sound recording, and post-production was done in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. In 1949,

Honnappa Bhagavathar Chowdasandra Honnappa Bhagavathar (14 January 1915 – 2 October 1992; kn, ಹೊನ್ನಪ್ಪ ಭಾಗವತರು) was an Indian theatre and film actor, producer, musician and singer. He was best known as a singer and as one of the pio ...

, who had earlier acted in Gubbi Veeranna's films, produced '' Bhakta Kumbara'' and starred in the lead role along with

Pandaribai Pandari Bai (1930 – 29 January 2003) was an Indian actress who worked in South Indian cinema, mostly in Kannada cinema during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. She is considered Kannada cinema's first successful heroine. She has acted as both heroi ...

. In 1955, Bhagavathar again produced a Kannada film, ''

Mahakavi Kalidasa ''Mahakavi Kalidasa'' is 1955 Indian Kannada-language film directed by K. R. Seetharama Sastry, in his debut direction. The movie is based on the legends of the poet Kālidāsa. It stars Honnappa Bhagavatar as Kālidāsa, a Sanskrit poet who ...

'', in which he introduced actress

B. Saroja Devi Bangalore Saroja Devi (born 7 January 1938) is an Indian actress who has acted in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films in over six decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abhinaya Saraswathi''" (Saraswathi of ...

B. S. Ranga Bindiganavile Srinivas Iyengar Ranga (11 November 1917 – 12 December 2010) was an Indian photographer, actor, producer and director who has made many landmark movies in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. He was also the owner of Vikram Studios. He ...

was an Indian photographer, actor, writer, producer and director made many landmark movies in

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, under Vikram Studios.

Mainstream

Matinee idol, Rajkumar entered Kannada cinema after his long stint as a dramatist with

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 ...

's ''Gubbi Drama Company'', which he joined at the age of eight, before he got his first break as a lead in the 1954 film ''

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 ...

''. He went on to essay a variety of roles and excelling in portraying mythological and historical characters in films such as ''

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 to ...

'' (1960), '' Ranadheera Kanteerava'' (1960), '' Satya Harishchandra'' (1965), ''

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 ...

'' (1967), '' Sri Krishnadevaraya'' (1970), '' Bhakta Kumbara'' (1974), '' Mayura'' (1975), '' Babruvahana'' (1977) and '' Bhakta Prahlada'' (1983). His wife

Parvathamma Rajkumar Dr.Parvathamma Rajkumar (6 December 1939 – 31 May 2017) was an Indian film producer and distributor. She was the wife of veteran Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar. She produced successful films featuring Rajkumar and their sons Shiva Rajkumar, Pune ...

founded Film production and distribution company, Vajreshwari Combines. Vishnuvardhan entered Kannada cinema with the National Award-winning movie ''

Vamsha Vriksha Vamsha Vriksha (The genealogy tree), is a 1971 Indian Kannada-language film directed by B. V. Karanth and Girish Karnad, based on S. L. Bhyrappa's novel of the same name. The film won the National Film Award for Best Direction.Shampa Banerjee, ...

'' (1972) directed by

based on the novel written by S. L. Bhyrappa. His first lead role was in ''

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, Aarathi , K. S. As ...

'', directed by

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

and based on a novel by T. R. Subba Rao. It was the first in Kannada film history to complete 100 days in three main theatres of Bangalore. In his 37-year career, he has played a variety of roles in more than 200 films. Vishnuvardhan 2013 stamp of India

With his debut in

's National Award-winning Kannada film ''

'' (1972),

Ambareesh Malavalli Huchchegowda Amarnath (29 May 1952 – 24 November 2018), known by his screen name Ambareesh, was an Indian actor, media personality, politician from the state of Karnataka. Alongside Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, he is counted in ...

's acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic and supporting characters. After establishing himself as a lead actor portraying rebellious characters on screen in a number of commercially successful films, he earned the moniker "rebel star". He also earned the nickname ''Mandyada Gandu'' ( Man of

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 ...

) Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh are collectively known as Kannada cinema's triumvirate. Method actor

Shankar Nag Shankar Nagarakatte (9 November 1954 – 30 September 1990) was an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in Kannada-language films and television. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, Nag is often referred to as ...

received the inaugural IFFI Best Actor Award (Male): Silver Peacock Award" at the 7th International Film Festival of India for his work in the film ''

Ondanondu Kaladalli ''Ondanondu Kaladalli'' () is a 1978 Indian Kannada-language epic film co-written and directed by Girish Karnad with soundtrack by Bhaskar Chandavarkar, starring Shankar Nag and Akshatha Rao in their debut. Through this movie, Kavita Krishnamur ...

''. He is the younger brother of actor

Anant Nag Dr Anant Nagarkatte (born 4 September 1948) is an Indian actor whose predominant contribution has been in Kannada cinema. He has acted in over 300 films which include over 200 Kannada films as well as Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and En ...

. M. V. Vasudeva Rao, the first Kannada actor to win

National Film Award for Best Actor The National Film Award for Best Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actor (), is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performanc ...

, was starred in over 200 films in his career; however, post ''

'', he only played minor roles.

is One of the most successful female leads in the history of Indian cinema, she acted in around 200 films in over six decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abinaya Saraswathi''" (

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...

of acting) in Kannada and "''Kannadathu Paingili''" (Kannada's Parrot) in Tamil.

Neo-realistic cinema

Kannada Cinema majorly contributed to the

parallel cinema Parallel cinema, or New Indian Cinema, is a film movement in Indian cinema that originated in the state of West Bengal in the 1950s as an alternative to the mainstream commercial Indian cinema. Inspired by Italian Neorealism, Parallel Cinema ...

movement of India. Directors like

G. V. Iyer Ganapathi Venkataramana Iyer (3 September 1917 – 21 December 2003) was a well-known Indian film director and actor. He was nicknamed "Kannada Bheeshma", and was the only person who made films in Sanskrit. His film ''Adi Shankaracharya'' (1983 ...

were the early names to join the movement.

and

were also popular names in the movement.

's films were however considered a bridge between Mainstream and Parallel Cinema.

Modern era

Prakash Raj began his acting career with Doordarshan serials such as ''Bisilu Kudure'' (Kannada) and ''

Guddada Bhootha Guddada Bhootha (1991) is a thriller, Indian television mini-series which has a suspense storyline based on a Tulu drama shows the country life of Tulu Nadu region of India. The art and technical direction of the series was done by popular Kanna ...

'' ( Tulu and Kannada). He later took up supporting roles in

films such as ''Ramachari'', ''

Ranadheera ''Ranadheera'' ( kn, ರಣಧೀರ) is a 1988 Indian Kannada language musical action film starring Ravichandran and Khushbu. Directed by Ravichandran himself, the film was produced by his father N. Veeraswamy under Eshwari Productions. Kushbo ...

'', ''

Nishkarsha ''Nishkarsha'' (English: ''Definite Decision'') is a 1993 Indian Kannada-language heist thriller directed by Sunil Kumar Desai, starring Vishnuvardhan, Anant Nag and B. C. Patil. The story revolves around a bank robbery where terrorists becom ...

'' and ''

Lockup Death ''Lockup Death'' is a 1994 Indian Kannada-language action film directed and written by Om Prakash Rao starring Devaraj, Nirosha and Saikumar. The film was produced by Ramu for his Ramu Enterprises production banner. It was the first Kannada ...

''. He was known for his dialogue delivery and histrionics. His breakthrough role came in '' Harakeya Kuri'', directed by K. S. L. Swamy starring Vishnuvardhan, with whom he had acted in other films such as '' Mithileya Seetheyaru'', ''

Muthina Haara ''Muttina Haara'' () is a 1990 Indian Kannada-language war-drama film directed by Rajendra Singh Babu. It stars Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini Maniratnam in the lead roles. K. S. Ashwath, Kavya and Ramkumar feature in supporting roles. The film spe ...

'' and ''

''. Prakash re-entered Kannada films through ''

Nagamandala Nagamandala (; ) is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language drama film, directed by T. S. Nagabharana based on a play of same name by Girish Karnad. It was produced by Srihari L. Khoday and the music was scored by C. Aswath. It is an adaptation of a 19 ...

'' in 1997, directed by

. Veteran Kannada actor

Shakti Prasad J. C. Ramaswamy (19 May 1928 – 2 August 1986), known by his screen name Shakti Prasad, was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films in mostly villainous roles. In a career spanning close to 20 years, he appeared in over 200 films includ ...

's son

Arjun Sarja Srinivasa "Arjun" Sarja is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in the Tamil film industry, in addition to Kannada and Telugu languages as well. Referred to by the media and his fans as " Action King" for his roles i ...

is known for his work in South Indian cinema. He starred in movies such as

Prasad 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...

; the film was screened at the Berlin Film Festival and Arjun received the Karnataka State Award for his performance in it.

Sanchari Vijay Vijay Kumar Basavarajaiah (17 July 1983 – 15 June 2021), known by his stage name Sanchari Vijay, was an Indian actor known for his work in Kannada cinema. He began his career as a stage actor. He trained on stage from Sanchari Theatre, a cu ...

's portrayal of a transgender won him the National Best Actor Award. With the award, Vijay became the third actor after M. V. Vasudeva Rao, and

Charuhasan S. Charuhasan (born 5 January 1931) is an Indian actor, director and retired lawyer who has acted in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi films. He won the National Film Award for Best ActorSubha J Rao,Entertainment for a cause, The Hind ...

to win the National Award for Best Actor for a performance in a

Kannada film 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 ...

Shiva Rajkumar Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy (born 12 July 1962) known by his screen name Shiva Rajkumar, is an Indian actor, producer and television presenter, predominantly works in Kannada cinema.

is known for his work in ''

Janumada Jodi ''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. Nag ...

'', '' Anand'', '' Ratha Sapthami'', ''

Nammoora Mandara Hoove ''Nammoora Mandara Hoove'' () is a 1996 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Sunil Kumar Desai starring Shiva Rajkumar, Ramesh Aravind and Prema in lead roles. It's considered one of the all-time blockbuster romantic movies in Kannada Film ...

'', '' Om'', ''

Simhada Mari ''Simhada Mari'' () is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language action drama film directed by Om Prakash Rao and produced by Ramu. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Telugu actor Krishnam Raju and debutant Simran. The flash back portion which is considered ...

'' and '' Chigurida Kanasu''. He acted in ''

Sugreeva ''This character is about the vanara, in the Ramayana.'' Sugriva ( sa, सुग्रीव, , ) is a character In the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. He is the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kish ...

'', which was shot in 18 hours. His ''Om'', directed by

Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born sub ...

, set a trend of gangster movies in

and other film industries in India. It continues to be shown even to this day. Rockline Venkatesh founded

Rockline Entertainments Thirupathi Narasimhalunaidu Venkatesh (born 23 March 1963), better known by his stage name Rockline Venkatesh, is an Indian actor and producer known for his works in Kannada, and Hindi cinemas. He is the founder and owner of the production and d ...

which has produced over twenty five films as of 2012. New age actors - Yash, Darshan,

Puneeth Rajkumar Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajk ...

Rakshit Shetty Rakshit Shetty (born 6 June 1983) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and filmmaker of Kannada cinema. He is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards South. Early life Shetty was born in Udupi on 6 June 1983 in a Tulu-speaking Bunt family. ...

and

Sudeepa Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971), also known as Sudeepa, 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 ...

are some of the highest paid actors in Sandalwood. The Rakshit Shetty starrer ''

Kirik Party ''Kirik Party'' is a 2016 Indian Kannada-language romantic comedy film directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by G. S. Guptha and Rakshit Shetty. It stars Rakshit Shetty, Rashmika Mandanna, Samyuktha Hegde, and Achyuth Kumar while Aravinnd Iye ...

'' went on to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films by collecting ₹ 50

crores A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is eq ...

against a production budget ₹ 4 crores and completed 150 days in the main cities of

. The 2015 release ''

RangiTaranga ''RangiTaranga'' (English: ''Colourful Wave'') is a 2015 Indian Kannada-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Anup Bhandari in his debut, and produced by H. K. Prakash, under Shree Devi Entertainers. It features debutantes Ni ...

'' starring

Nirup Bhandari Nirup Bhandari is an Indian actor who works in Kannada cinema. He made his debut in the 2015 critically and commercially acclaimed movie ''RangiTaranga'', directed by his brother, Anup Bhandari. Early life Nirup Bhandari was born on 13th Augus ...

and directed by Anup Bhandari, created overseas market for Kannada cinema with a mega release, amassing $318,000 in USA alone. It went on to become the first Kannada film to enter the New York Box office listing, the first Kannada film to complete 50 days in USA and the first Kannada movie ever to release in several countries across the world. It ran for 365 days in Bangalore. In 2018, Yash starrer '' K.G.F: Chapter 1'' became the first

film to gross ₹250 crores at the box office. Its sequel, '' K.G.F: Chapter 2'' (2022) made ₹ 1000

at the box office. Its teaser gained more than 250 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

as of April 2022. In 2022, Yash starrer '' K.G.F: Chapter 2'' became the highest-grossing Kannada film of all time with a record collection of over ₹1000 crores within India itself. Kananda cinema is reported to have 8% market share in the gross domestic box office collections for the period January to July 2022 making it the fourth biggest Indian film industry.

Film scores

Composer

Hamsalekha Gangaraju (born June 23, 1951), professionally known as Hamsalekha, is an Indian film composer and a songwriter who works in South Indian cinema, predominantly in the Kannada film industry since the late 1980s. He is also a screenplay writer, di ...

is usually referred to by the title ''Naadha Brahma'' ( The

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

of Music) who is considered to be the major cause for the change in the music composing and lyric writing style which would appeal much to the younger generation. He integrated folk and introduced western musical sensibilities into the Kannada cinema.

Mano Murthy Mano Murthy is an Indian musician and composer in the Kannada film industry. His is best known for his songs in '' Mungaru Male'', one of the biggest hits in the Kannada industry. Before moving onto becoming a composer, he was an entrepreneur, ...

scored the blockbuster film

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 ...

starring

Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...

and

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 ...

. Upon the album's release, it topped the charts with the song " Anisuthide" receiving significant radio and TV air time. The album emerged as a massive success topping every Kannada music chart. It was reported that by mid-May 2007, over 200,000 copies were sold in

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

International recognition

The 1964 movie '' Naandi'' set a landmark by being the first ever Kannada film to be screened at an international film festival. It was screened at

IFFI The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pl ...

1992 Kannada cinema Retrospect. The 1969 movie ''

Uyyale ''Uyyale'' () is a 1969 Kannada language romantic drama film directed by N. Lakshminarayan and starring Rajkumar and Kalpana. The film is a direct screen adaptation of the novel of the same name written by the acclaimed novelist Chaduranga (Su ...

'' was screened twice at the IFFI retrospect - once in 1992 and again in 2019. The 1970 movie '' Samskara'' won the Bronze Leopard at

The 1977 movie ''

'' which had the distinction of being shown at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, became the only Indian film to be chosen by the National Archive of Paris among 100 others, during the centenary celebrations of cinema. It also won the Ducats Award at the Manneham Film Festival Germany. At the 2009 International Film Festival of India, it was announced one of the 20 best films in

, having received 1.6 million votes. The 1978 movie ''

'' was released at The Guild Theatre, 50 Rockefeller Plaza on 17 May 1982.

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

, the chief film critic of

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, called the movie "that is both exotic as well as surprising in view of all the bodies on the ground at the end, sweet natured!". The film was subtitled into English for its American premiere on 18 October 1995 in Shriver Hall at the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

as part of the 1995

Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium The Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium is a lecture series sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. The Symposium runs each year over the course of the fall semester, as a counterpart to the Foreign Affairs Symposium. History Established in 1967, t ...

"Framing Society : A Century of Cinema". The 1987 film ''

'' featured retrospectively in the

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

and Whistling Woods Film Festival. The 1999 film ''

'' was screened at the

Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival The , also sometimes called YIFFF, is held in a resort-like environment in the small town of Yūbari on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaidō. From 1990 to 1999, the festival was known as the Yubari International Fantastic Adventure Fil ...

in Japan in 2001. The 1999 movie '' Deveeri'' was selected for 18 international film festivals including the 44th

London International Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

and the

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year si ...

. The 2000 movie ''

Munnudi '' Munnudi '' ( kn, ಮುನ್ನುಡಿ, ''The Preface'') is a 2000 Indian Kannada language film directed by P. Sheshadri, based on Bolwar Mahammad Kunhi's short story ''Muthucchera'', and starring Tara, H. G. Dattatreya, Shashikumar a ...

'' was screened at

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...

(2002). The 2002 movie '' Atithi'' was screened at

. The 2002 movie ''

'' was screened at the

. The 2004 movie '' Hasina'' was screened at Berlin's Asia Pacific Film Festival. The 2004 movie ''Bimba'' was selected for the

Bangkok International Film Festival The Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF) ( th, เทศกาลภาพยนตร์นานาชาติกรุงเทพฯ) is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to fi ...

. The 2006 movie '' Thutturi'' won the ''Best Audience Award'' at the 9th Dhaka International Film Festival. and won the ''Earth Vision Award of 2005-06'' at the 15th Tokyo Global Environmental Film Festival. The 2006 movie ''Naayi Neralu'' was screened at six international film festivals including International Film Festival Rotterdam,

, Osian's Film Festival and the Karachi International Film Festival. The 2006 movie ''Care of Footpath'' was selected for the ''Kids for Kids Film Festival'' at Cyprus and the 2006 film ''Cyanide (2006 film), Cyanide'' was selected for the London Film Festival. The 2010 movie ''Kanasemba Kudureyaneri'' won the NETPAC Award at the ''Asiatica Film Mediale (Italy)'' (2010). The 2011 film ''Koormavatara'' was screened in 17 film festivals and won acclaims at the film festivals of Bangkok International Film Festival, Bangkok, New York Film Festival, New York and Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver. The 2013 movie ''Lucia (film), Lucia'' premiered at the London Indian Film Festival on 20 July 2013. It won the Best Film Audience Choice award at the festival. It was also screened at the Zurich Film Festival. The 2015 movie ''Thithi (film), Thithi'' won accolades at multiple international film festivals including the 68th Locarno Festival, Locarno International Film Festival and the 19th

. The 2016 movie ''Railway Children (film), Railway Children'' won the ''Ecumenical Jury Award'' (special mention) at Zlín Film Festival. The 2016 film ''Bombeyaata'' won three awards at seven International Film Festivals. The 2018 movie ''Nathicharami'' and ''Balekempa'' were screened at the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. ''Balekempa'' also won the FIPRESCI Award at the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam. The 2019 movie ''Arishadvarga'' also premiered at the London Indian Film Festival followed by the Asian Premiere at the Singapore International Film Festival, Singapore South Asian International Film Festival and the North American Premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival. The 2019 movie ''Manaroopa'' won 10 awards at various international film festivals including the ''Best Thriller Film'' at Out of the Can International Film Festival at England, ''Best Experimental Film'' at the Cafe Irani Chaii International Film Festival and was officially selected for the Miami Independent Film Festival in the United States and the Istanbul Film Awards in Turkey. In the post - pandemic era, Kannada cinema started making waves across the world in several international film festivals. ''Pinki Elli?'' was screened at around 50 International Film Festivals including the Febiofest, Prague International Film Festival and the Hainan International Film Festival. It opened the Busan International Film Festival and was screened at Hong Kong International Film Festival. It won three awards at the New York Indian Film Festival. It also won the ''Best Film'' award at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2021. ''Amruthamathi'' was screened at ten international film festivals including Boston Film Festival , Atlanta Film Festival , Austria Film Festival and won multiple awards. Abhilash Shetty's ''Koli Taal'' premiered at the 21st New York Indian Film Festival. It was then screened at various film festivals including the 18th Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart and the 12th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. ''Neeli Hakki'' was selected for multiple international Film festivals including the New York Indian Film Festival. ''Daari Yaavudayya Vaikunthakke ?'' won a total of 94 awards including multiple awards at Rajasthan Film Festival and other international film festivals like Sundance Film Festival, Barcelona, Nawada and Golden Sparrow International Film Festivals. ''Illiralaare Allige Hogalaare'' won the ''Director's Vision Award'' at the 18th Indian Film Festival of Stuggart. It was earlier screened at the Dhaka International Film Festival and had won an award at the Rome Film Festival. It also won award at the Spain International Film Festival in Madrid. Baraguru Ramachandrappa's ''Mooka Nayaka'' won the ''Best Picture of the Decade'' Award by competing with movies from different languages around the globe. ''Jeevnane Nataka Samy'' (2021) was screened at Miami International Film Festival. ''Avalakki Pavalakki'' won five awards in various categories at Uravatti International Film Festival, Indo Global International Film Festival, American Golden Pictures International Film Festival, Oniros Film Festival and the Sweden Film Festival. ''Rudri'' won multiple awards at Oniros Film Festival, Tagore International Film Festival and the Vindhya International Film Festival. ''Naanu Ladies'' had its world premier at the 16th Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in Seattle. It went on to win the ''Best Narrative Feature Award'' at the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. ''Pedro'' had its world premiere in the ''New Currents'' Section at the 26th edition of the Busan International Film Festival. and was shortlisted for the Directors Fortnight Cannes 2020. It went on to win the ''Best Director Award'' in the Crouching Tigers competition section at the Pingyao International Film Festival in Shanxi, China. It was also the joint winner of the ''Montgolfiere D'Argent Award'' at the Three Continents Festival, Festival Des 3 Continents, France. It was also screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles(IFFLA) and at the ''Indian Film Festival of Melbourne''.''Dollu'' was screened at the Dhaka International Film Festival. It was shortlisted for screening at 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale's European Film Market and the Dallas ft worth South Asian Film Festival (virtual). It was also screened at the Caleidoscope Indian Film Festival Boston where it won the ''Best Indian Film'' award. It also won the ''Best Kannada Movie'' award at Innovative International Film Festival. ''Namma Magu'' received recognition from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). ''Taledanda'' (2022) was selected for

. ''Koli Esru'' was selected for screening at New York Indian Film Festival (2022). ''Shivamma'' was selected for ''Marche du Film'' (2022) - the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival. It was also screened at the 27th Busan International Film Festival where it won the ''New Currents Award'' given to first or second feature film of a new Asian director. It also won the ''Young Jury Award'' at the 44th edition of the ''Three Continents Festival''. It was also selected for screening at the US and Australian film festivals in 2023. ''Man Of The Match'' (2022), produced by

, was selected for screening at the 14th New York City Independent Film Festival in the foreign film category. In 2022, ''Shuddhi (film), Shuddhi'' (2017) and ''Bell Bottom (2019 film), Bell Bottom'' (2019) premiered at the ''Indian Film Week'' in Japan. ''Vagachi Pani'' was selected for the co-production market at the film festival in Busan. ''Thayi Kastur Gandhi'' was screened at LA Film Festival and it won the ''Best Editor'' award at the Dallas International Film Festival.

National recognition

* The song ''Baare Baare'' from the 1972 movie ''

'' was the first slow-motion song of Indian cinema. * The 1986 movie ''Anuraga Aralithu'' was the first Indian movie to be remade in seven other languages. * The 1986 movie ''Africadalli Sheela'' was the first Indian movie to be shot in African forests. * The 1987 movie ''Ondu Muttina Kathe'' was the first Indian film to have an underwater action sequence shot in an ocean outside India without the help of oxygen mask. * The 1989 movie ''Idu Saadhya'' created a record by becoming the first Indian movie to be shot within a span of 36 hours. * The 1995 movie '' Om'' is the only Indian movie to have been re-released 550 times. * The 2005 movie ''Shanti (film), Shanti'' was the second Indian film to enter the Guinness Book of World Records in the ''Fewest actors in a narrative film'' category. It had only one actor with the other characters represented through voice and no physical appearance. * The 2006 Kannada movie ''

'' was the first Indian movie to run for a year in a multiplex. * The 2022 film '' K.G.F: Chapter 2'' became the first movie to gross more than ₹400 crores within India in its opening weekend. It also became the first Cinema of South India, South Indian movie to gross more than ₹550 crores in its opening weekend. * The 2022 film ''Kantara (film), Kantara'' collected ₹25.5 crore in its sixth weekend which was reported to be the highest sixth weekend collection as well as the highest sixth week collection for an Indian movie.

Awards

Dadasaheb Phalke Awardees

National Film Award for Best Feature Film

State Recognition

* Karnataka State Film Awards * Udaya Film Awards * Suvarna Film Awards

State film festivals

* Bangalore International Film Festival

Other awards

* Filmfare Awards South * SIIMA Awards * IIFA Utsavam * Mirchi Music Awards South * South Scope, South Scope Awards

Film schools

The first government institute in India to start technical courses related to films was established in 1941 named as occupational institute then called the Sri Jayachamarajendra (S J) Polytechnic in

. In September 1996, two specialised courses, Cinematography and Sound & Television were separated and the Government Film and Television Institute was started at Hesaraghatta, under the World Bank Assisted Project for Technician Development in India.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cinema Of Karnataka Kannada cinema, Cinema of Karnataka Kannada-language films