Kiran Kumar (born 22 October 1976), known by his screen name Prem, is an Indian film director in

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

Personal life

Prem was born as Kiran Kumar on 22 October 1976 in Maddur, in the

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

of the Indian 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 ...

, to Rajappa and Bhagyamma. He is married to actress-turned-producer

Rakshita Shweta, known by her stage name Rakshita, is an Indian television personality, film producer and former actress known for her work in Kannada cinema. Early life Rakshita was brought up in Bangalore. Her father B. C. Gowrishankar was a cinemat ...

and they have a son named Surya.

Career

Prem started his career as assistant director on the film ''

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 ...

'' (1993), working with

Sunil Kumar Desai Sunil Kumar Desai is an Indian film director, writer and producer, known for his work in Kannada cinema. In most of his films, Desai blends art and commercial cinema. He has written and directed suspense/thrillers and love stories. He has won t ...

, while he was pursuing his

pre-university course The Pre-University Course or Pre-Degree Course (PUC or PDC) is an 2-year Senior Secondary Course under the 10+2 education system after Class 10th (SSLC, SSC) and the PUC commonly refers to Class 11th and Class 12th and called as 1st PUC (1st Year ...

. Upon completion of the film, he returned to his hometown Mandya to complete the course before returning to Bangalore. He proceeded to work as an associate director with G. K. Mudduraj on ''Rayara Maga'' (1994) and ''Kannamuchchale'';

Dorai–Bhagavan Dorai–Bhagavan were an Indian filmmaking duo consisting of directors B. Dorai Raj (died 2000) and S. K. Bhagavan (born 1933), active mainly in Kannada cinema. They directed fifty films, most of which starred Rajkumar and were highly successfu ...

; and with A. R. Babu on ''Hello Yama''. Producer Anand Balaraju offered him an opportunity to direct his first film ''

Kariya is a Cities of Japan, city in central Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 153,162 in 66,751 households, and a population density of 3,040 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kariya is situat ...

'' (2003) independently. ''Kariya'' was a gangster romance film starring Darshan in the lead. The film was critically acclaimed and appreciated by the audience. Prem was lauded for his casting of real life big dons to act in his movie. The soundtrack and cinematography were also widely appreciated. Darshan played a gangster struggling to express his love. The same year, Prem directed the light-hearted romantic film '' Excuse Me'' with

Ajay Rao Ajay Rao (also credited as Krishna Ajay Rao) is an Indian actor who works primarily in Kannada film industry. He rose to fame with 2003 blockbuster movie '' Excuse Me''. Career Ajay Rao debuted as a lead with the film '' Excuse Me'' (2003) and ...

, Sunil Raoh and Ramya in the lead roles. The film turned out to be a musical hit with many of its songs composed by R. P. Patnaik becoming chart busters. In 2005, Prem came out with his biggest blockbuster film, '' Jogi'', starring

Shivarajkumar 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.

, Jennifer Kotwal and

Arundhati Nag Arundhati Nag (née Rao; born 1955/1956) is an Indian actress. She has been involved with multilingual Theatre in India, for over 25 years, first in Mumbai where she got involved with Indian People's Theatre Association ( IPTA), and did various ...

in the lead roles. The film made record collections at the box-office. The mother-son sentiment theme was widely applauded and was considered as Shivarajkumar's biggest comeback film. Following three back-to-back super hit films, Prem tried his hand at acting besides directing the film ''Ee Preethi Yeke Bhoomi Melide'' in 2008. The film's pre-release promotions received much media attention and expectations of the film were high. Bollywood actress

Mallika Sherawat Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), better known as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi language films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude in films like '' Khwahish'' (2003) and '' Murder'' (2004), Sheraw ...

made her debut in South Indian films with a special appearance. The film was widely popular for its melodious sound tracks. Prem next directed the film '' Raaj the Showman'' in 2010. It starred

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. Raj ...

and

Priyanka Kothari Priyanka Kothari, often credited as Nisha Kothari or Amoha, is an actress and model. She has appeared in Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. She has frequently appeared in Ram Gopal Varma films. Early life Priyanka Kothari was born in ...

. It is remembered mostly for its soundtrack by

V. Harikrishna V. Harikrishna (born 5 November 1974) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, playback singer and film producer. He has mainly scored music for Kannada films. After his stint as a programmer and assistant musician, Harikrishna made h ...

and cinematography. The movie was an average grosser at the box office despite the presence of the heavyweights

and

. Prem, for the first time without himself directing, accepted the lead role in the controversial film titled '' Prem Adda'', a remake of the Tamil blockbuster hit '' Subramaniapuram'' with music by V.Harikrishna directed by Mahesh Babu. The film made an average collection in box office. Under his production house Premdreams he produced and acted in the movie '' DK'' in 2014. Prem's next project, '' Ek Love Ya'', is currently being filmed. The movie stars debutante Raanna and is produced by

Prem.

Filmography

Discography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prem (Kiran) 1976 births Living people Kannada film directors Male actors in Kannada cinema Kannada playback singers Kannada-language lyricists People from Mandya district 21st-century Indian film directors Film directors from Bangalore Indian male playback singers Singers from Bangalore Male actors from Bangalore Indian male film actors