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, K ...

dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language 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 ''Kar ...

. 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 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 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 B ...

. The film was produced by

Chamanlal Doongaji Chamanlal Doongaji was an Indian businessman, film producer and distributor known for producing the first-ever talking film in Kannada, ''Sati Sulochana''. He founded a film distribution company named ''South India Movietone'' in 1932. He was f ...

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

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 Samskara, saṃskāra, saṅskāra or sanskara may refer to: * Sanskara (rite of passage), Hindu and Jain rites of passage * Samskara (ayurvedic), a technique in ayurvedic medicine * Samskara (Indian philosophy), the concept of imprints or impressi ...

'' (1970) (based on ''Samskara'' by U. R. Ananthamurthy), 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's Mysuru Mallige (based on the works of poet

K. S. Narasimhaswamy Kikkeri Subbarao Narasimhaswamy (26 January 1915 – 27 December 2003) commonly known as K. S. Narasimhaswamy, was an Indian poet who wrote in Kannada language. His most popular collection of poems, ''Mysooru Mallige'', has seen more than thir ...

). Kannada cinema is known for producing experimental works such as Girish Kasaravalli's '' Ghatashraddha'' (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 buildi ...

'' (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 he ...

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 mentio ...

'' (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'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 synchronization, 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 decad ...

, ''

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 ''Bhakta Dhruva'' ( kn, ಭಕ್ತ ಧೃವ) is a 1934 Indian Kannada language Mythological devotional film directed by Parshwanath Altekar and produced by U. L. Narayana Rao. Although this was the very first talkie film to go under producti ...

'' (aka ''Dhruva Kumar''). ''Sati Sulochana'', starring Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba, 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 k ...

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 ...

. 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 ''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 ...

'' and starred in the lead role along with Pandaribai. In 1955, Bhagavathar again produced a Kannada film, '' Mahakavi Kalidasa'', in which he introduced actress B. Saroja Devi. B. S. Ranga 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 pla ...

'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 t ...

'' (1960), ''

Ranadheera Kanteerava ''Ranadheera Kantheerava'' is a 1960 Kannada-language historical drama biographical film directed by the editor-turned-director N. C. Rajan and written by G. V. Iyer. It is one of the most popular films of acclaimed Kannada actor Rajkumar, who p ...

'' (1960), '' Satya Harishchandra'' (1965), '' Immadi Pulikeshi'' (1967), ''

Sri Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...

'' (1970), ''

'' (1974), '' Mayura'' (1975), ''

Babruvahana In the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', Babruvahana ( sa, बब्रुवाहन) is the son of Arjuna, a Pandava prince, and Chitrangada, the princess of Manalura. Babruvahana was adopted as the heir of Manalura by his maternal grandfath ...

'' (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, Pun ...

founded Film production and distribution company, Vajreshwari Combines. Vishnuvardhan entered Kannada cinema with the National Award-winning movie '' Vamsha Vriksha'' (1972) directed by

based on the novel written by

S. L. Bhyrappa Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa (born 20 June 1931) is an Indian novelist, philosopher and screenwriter who writes in Kannada. His work is popular in the state of Karnataka and he is widely regarded as one of modern India's popular novelists. ...

. His first lead role was in '' Naagarahaavu'', 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 '' Naagarahaavu'' (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 i ...

'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 mea ...

) 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) The IFFI Award for Best Actor (officially known as the Silver Peacock for the Best Actor Award (Male)) is an honor presented annually at the International Film Festival of India since 2010 to an actor for the best performance in a leading role ...

: Silver Peacock Award" at the

7th International Film Festival of India The 7th International Film Festival of India was held from 3–17 January 1979 in New Delhi. The festival opened with " Junoon" by Shyam Benegal in the out of Competition world premiere. The festival was the only competitive and exclusive internat ...

for his work in the film '' Ondanondu Kaladalli''. 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 Mudabidri Venkat Rao Vasudeva Rao ( 1920 – 22 March 2002) was an Indian actor. He entered the film world as a child actor in 1928. He won the Best Actor Award at the 23rd National Film Awards for his role of Choma in the ''Chomana Dudi'' (1975 ...

, 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 performan ...

, was starred in over 200 films in his career; however, post '' Chomana Dudi'', he only played minor roles. B. Saroja Devi 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 ...

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 Girish Kasaravalli,

, G. V. Iyer were the early names to join the movement. T. S. Nagabharana and

were also popular names in the movement.

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

Modern era

Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of severa ...

began his acting career with

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...

serials such as ''Bisilu Kudure'' (Kannada) and '' Guddada Bhootha'' ( 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. Kushboo ...

'', '' Nishkarsha'' and '' Lockup Death''. He was known for his dialogue delivery and histrionics. His breakthrough role came in ''

Harakeya Kuri ''Harakeya Kuri'' is a 1992 Indian Kannada political drama film directed and produced by K. S. L. Swamy (Lalitha Ravee). Starring Vishnuvardhan, Prakash Rai and Geetha in lead roles, the film was based on the novel of the same name by Chandr ...

'', directed by

K. S. L. Swamy Kikkeri Shamanna Lakshminarasimha Swamy (21 February 1939 – 20 October 2015), popularly known as K. S. L. Swamy / Lalitha Ravee / Ravee, was an Indian film director, producer, actor and playback singer. He entered cinema at an early age as an ...

starring Vishnuvardhan, with whom he had acted in other films such as ''

Mithileya Seetheyaru ''Mithileya Seetheyaru'' is a 1988 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by K. S. L. Swamy (Lalitha Ravi) and produced by B. V. Radha. The film stars Geetha, Akhila Thandur, Kalpana Iyer and B. V. Radha. The film has musical score by Vijaya ...

'', '' Muthina Haara'' and '' Nishkarsha''. Prakash re-entered Kannada films through '' Nagamandala'' in 1997, directed by T. S. Nagabharana. 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 inclu ...

'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 in ...

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

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

; the film was screened at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

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 cult ...

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

, 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 Hi ...

to win the National Award for Best Actor for a performance in a Kannada film.

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 Anand may refer to: People * Anand (name), a surname and given name (including a list of people with the name) * Anand (actor), Indian actor * Anand (Maoist), Indian communist * Anand (writer) (born 1936), Indian Malayalam writer Places * Anand ...

'', ''

Ratha Sapthami ''Ratha Sapthami'' is a 1986 Indian Kannada-language romantic musical film directed by M. S. Rajashekar and produced by S. A. Govindaraj. It stars Shiva Rajkumar in his second venture after '' Anand''. Debutant actress Asha Rani and playwrigh ...

'', ''

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 F ...

'', '' Om'', '' Simhada Mari'' and ''

Chigurida Kanasu ''Chigurida Kanasu'' () is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language film directed by T. S. Nagabharana and starring Shiva Rajkumar, Anant Nag, Vidhya Venkatesh, Rekha Unnikrishnan and Avinash. It is based on the 1951 novel of the same name by legendary Ka ...

''. He acted in '' Sugreeva'', which was shot in 18 hours. His ''Om'', directed by Upendra, set a trend of gangster movies in

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

Rockline Venkatesh 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 ...

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. Ra ...

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 famil ...

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 Aravin ...

'' 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 ...

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

. The 2015 release '' RangiTaranga'' starring Nirup Bhandari 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 sharing and 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 Google, and is the second most ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 scored the blockbuster film Mungaru Male 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 "Anisuthide" is a song composed by Mano Murthy for the 2006 Indian Kannada romance musical film ''Mungaru Male''. Directed by Yogaraj Bhat, the film stars Ganesh and Pooja Gandhi in the lead roles. Written by Jayant Kaikini, the song was sung b ...

" 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 Octo ...

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 1992 Kannada cinema Retrospect. The 1969 movie '' Uyyale'' was screened twice at the IFFI retrospect - once in 1992 and again in 2019. The 1970 movie ''

'' won the Bronze Leopard at

The 1977 movie '' Ghatashraddha'' 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 '' Ondanondu Kaladalli'' was released at The Guild Theatre,

50 Rockefeller Plaza 50 Rockefeller Plaza (formerly the Associated Press Building) is a 15-story building located at Rockefeller Plaza between 50th and 51st Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 1938, the building is part of Rockefeller Center, wh ...

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 i ...

, 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 research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consiste ...

as part of the 1995 Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium "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. Ne ...

and Whistling Woods Film Festival. The 1999 film '' Upendra'' was screened at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Japan in 2001. The 1999 movie ''

Deveeri ''Deveeri'' is a 1999 Kannada language film based on the novel ''Akka'' by noted Kannada writer P. Lankesh. The novel was adapted for the film by his daughter Kavitha Lankesh. The film won the 1999–2000 Karnataka State Award for best film. ...

'' 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 sho ...

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 sin ...

. The 2000 movie '' Munnudi'' 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 Atithi may refer to: * ''Atithi Devo Bhava'', meaning the Guest is equal to God as per Hindu scripture * ''Atithi'' (1965 film), a 1965 Bengali film * '' Atithee'', a 1978 Hindi film * ''Atithi'' (2002 film), a 2002 Kannada film * ''Atithi'' (200 ...

'' 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 ''Thutturi'' (''The Bugle'') is a National Award winning (2006) Kannada children's film directed by P. Sheshadri, starring Karthik Sharma, Kishan Shrikanth, Prathama and H. G. Dattatreya. The film was released on 12 May 2006. Plot The film is a ...

'' 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 The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental f ...

, 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 Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

'' 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 Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

. The 2013 movie ''

Lucia Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

'' 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 Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...

. The 2015 movie '' Thithi'' won accolades at multiple international film festivals including the 68th

and the 19th

. The 2016 movie ''

Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in '' The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 fi ...

'' won the ''Ecumenical Jury Award'' (special mention) at

Zlín Film Festival Zlín Film Festival, also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth ( cs, Mezinárodní festival filmů pro děti a mládež) is an annual festival of children's film in Zlín in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1961 in the ...

. The 2016 film ''Bombeyaata'' won three awards at seven International Film Festivals. The 2018 movie '' Nathicharami'' and ''

Balekempa ''Balekempa'' (translation: ''The Bangle Seller'') is a 2018 Kannada drama film written and directed by Ere Gowda. Produced by Zoo Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the film is about the relationship between a travelling bangle Bangles are traditionall ...

'' were screened at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. ''Balekempa'' also won the FIPRESCI Award at the 47th

. The 2019 movie ''

Arishadvarga ''Arishadvarga'' is a 2019 Indian Kannada language neo noir mystery thriller film written, directed and produced by Arvind Kamath, under the banner Kanasu Talkies. The film is a tale of lust, anger, love, greed, power, jealousy, mistaken ide ...

'' also premiered at the London Indian Film Festival followed by the Asian Premiere at the Singapore South Asian International Film Festival and the North American Premiere at the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival. The 2019 movie ''

Manaroopa ''Manaroopa'' ( Reflection of Mind) is a 2019 Indian psychological crime thriller film based on the philosophy of Existentialism in Kannada language. The film also addresses the subject of Nihilism and Narcissism. The film is written and direct ...

'' 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

Prague International Film Festival Prague International Film Festival - Febiofest is one of the largest film festivals in the Czech Republic and the second most prestigious festival in the country (after Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary). The festival present ...

and the Hainan International Film Festival. It opened the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

and was screened at

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens around 230 films ...

. It won three awards at the

New York Indian Film Festival The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was ...

. 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 Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September. The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as ''The Last Kiss'' ...

Atlanta Film Festival The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is a long-running, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a ...

, Austria Film Festival and won multiple awards. Abhilash Shetty's '' Koli Taal'' premiered at the 21st

. It was then screened at various film festivals including the 18th Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart and the 12th

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is a Victoria State Government-funded annual festival based in Melbourne founded in 2012. It is presented by Film Victoria, and the provider is chosen through a tender process. The current tender pro ...

. ''Neeli Hakki'' was selected for multiple international Film festivals including the

. ''Daari Yaavudayya Vaikunthakke ?'' won a total of 94 awards including multiple awards at

Rajasthan Film Festival The Rajasthan Film Festival Award ceremony (also known as the RFF Awards) is a set of awards presented annually to honour both artistic and technical excellence of artistes in Rajasthani cinema as well as in other Regional Cinema of India. ...

and other international film festivals like

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

, 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 International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Sections The Rome Film Festival official program is divided into several sections: Cinema d'O ...

. 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 The Miami Film Festival (formerly Miami International Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Miami, Florida, that showcases independent American and international films with a special focus on Ibero-American films. The competitive film fest ...

. ''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

. 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 Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

, China. It was also the joint winner of the ''Montgolfiere D'Argent Award'' at the 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 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

(2022). ''Shivamma'' was selected for ''

Marche du Film Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

'' (2022) - the business counterpart of the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. It was also screened at the 27th

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 The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.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. Ra ...

, was selected for screening at the 14th New York City Independent Film Festival in the foreign film category. In 2022, '' Shuddhi'' (2017) and ''

Bell Bottom Bell-bottoms (or flares) are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg. These are similar to flared jeans. History Naval origins In the early 19th century, when a standardized uni ...

'' (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 The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...

and it won the ''Best Editor'' award at the

Dallas International Film Festival The Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF), presented by Dallas Film, is an annual film festival that takes place in Dallas, Texas. About Dallas Film Dallas Film, established as Dallas Film Society, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizatio ...

National recognition

* The song ''Baare Baare'' from the 1972 movie '' Naagarahaavu'' was the first slow-motion song of Indian cinema. * The 1986 movie ''

Anuraga Aralithu ''Anuraga Aralithu'' () is a 1986 Indian Kannada-language film directed by M. S. Rajashekar. It is based on the Kannada novel ''Anuragada Anthahpura'' written by H. G. Radhadevi. The film was produced by M. S. Puttaswamy. The film stars Rajk ...

'' 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 ''Ondu Muttina Kathe'' () is a 1987 Indian Kannada language film directed by Shankar Nag, starring Rajkumar and Archana. It is based on John Steinbeck's 1947 novella '' The Pearl''. This was the last directorial of Shankar Nag. It is also the ...

'' 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 Shanti may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of Buddhism * Sh ...

'' 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 '' Mungaru Male'' 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 South Indian movie to gross more than ₹550 crores in its opening weekend. * The 2022 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 Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadc ...
ees

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of se ...

State Recognition

Karnataka State Film Awards Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...

* Udaya Film Awards * Suvarna Film Awards

State film festivals

Bangalore International Film Festival The Bengaluru International Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Bengaluru, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, which previews films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1996, Suchitra Ba ...

Other awards

Filmfare Awards 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 encompassin ...

* SIIMA Awards * IIFA Utsavam * Mirchi Music Awards South * 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 Hesaraghatta Lake is a manmade reservoir located 18 km to the north-west of Bengaluru in Karnataka state, India. It is a fresh water lake created in the year 1894 across the Arkavathy River to meet the drinking water needs of the city. Sir ...

, under the World Bank Assisted Project for Technician Development in India.

References

External links

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

History

Early history

Mainstream

Neo-realistic cinema

Modern era

Film scores

International recognition

National recognition

Awards

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadc ...ees

National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one of se ...

State Recognition

State film festivals

Other awards

Film schools

See also

References

External links

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadc ...
ees