D. Kemaparaj Urs (5 February 1917 – 18 May 1982) was an Indian freedom fighter, actor, director and producer who worked mainly in the
Kannada film industry. His movies in 1940s and 1950s created an impact on the audience. Even before
Dr. Rajkumar's arrival to the industry, Urs was already an established star. His elder brother
D. Devaraj Urs
Devaraj Devaraj Urs (20 August 1915 – 6 June 1982) was an Indian politician who served two terms as the eighth Chief Minister of Karnataka (1972–77, 1978–80), a state in southern India. He is also the longest serving List of chief minist ...
, served as the
Chief Minister of Karnataka
The chief minister of Karnataka, formerly known as the chief minister of Mysore, is the chief executive officer of the government of the Indian state of Karnataka. As per the Constitution of India, the governor of Karnataka is the state's ''de j ...
.
Personal life
Kemparaj Urs was born in Kallahalli, Hunsur taluk in Mysore to Devaraj Urs and Deveerammanni. His elder brother was D. Devaraj Urs.
Kemparaj was an English literature student. He married his classmate ''Lalitha'' and had three daughters.
Urs aspired to be a doctor but inspired by
Mahatma Gandhi and joined freedom struggle and jailed even.
Career
Urs met doyen of Kannada theatre
Gubbi Veeranna and started playing in theatre plays in Gubbi company. In 1942, as an independent producer, Gubbi Veeranna made his first film
Jeevana Nataka
''Jeevana Nataka'' is a 1943 Indian Kannada film directed by Wahab Kashmiri, based on a play of the same name written by A. N. Krishna Rao. The film was produced by Gubbi Veeranna, his first as an independent producer. Veeranna also appeared i ...
under his own banner ''Gubbi Films'', casting Kemparaj Urs as the male lead opposite to
Shanta Hublikar and
M. V. Rajamma.
Then in 1947, he played the role ''Kamsa'' in the film
Krishnaleela which was a hit. His biggest success was
Raja Vikrama in 1951 which completed 25 weeks in single theatre.
He produced and directed a number of movies in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.
Urs also chaired the ''"Karnataka Film Development Board"''.
Autobiography
Kemparaj Urs has written an autobiography, "Aravattu Varshagalu"(Eng: ''Sixty years''), published in 1979.
Death
Kemparaj Urs died on 18 May 1982, surviving his wife and daughters.
Filmography
References
External links
{{IMDb title, 0882116
Male actors in Kannada cinema