Sahaya Sheelan Shadrach (born 24 March 1966) known by his screen name Sadhu Kokila, is an Indian musician, actor, comedian, film director and producer, and an occasional screenwriter and lyricist who works in

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

. He began his career as a composer before taking to acting in films, appearing mostly in comic roles. He has also directed ten

Kannada films 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 ...

, the most notable one being ''

Raktha Kanneeru ''Raktha Kanneeru'' () is a 2003 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Sadhu Kokila, starring Upendra and Ramya Krishna. The film was produced by Munirathna and was later dubbed in Telugu. The screenplay and dialogues of the film were writt ...

'' (2003). As a composer, he is a two-time recipient of the

Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honours Kannada language films. Superlative winners Winners The following ...

, which he won for ''

Rakshasa Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...

'' (2005) and ''

Inthi Ninna Preethiya ''Inthi Ninna Preethiya'' () is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language drama film written, directed and produced by Duniya Soori. The film's plot revolves around a family which struggles due to the bad effects of alcohol addiction. The film features Sr ...

'' (2008). As an actor, he has received multiple nominations and awards in the category of Best Comedian in the

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...

Early life and career

Sadhu Kokila was born as Sahaya Sheelan on 24 March 1966 into a Tamil nadaar Christian family of Natesh and Mangala 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 ...

in the Indian State of Mysore (now

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 ...

). He was born to a family of musicians with father being a

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist in a music band of Karnataka Police Department, his mother and sister being

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

s. Sadhu Kokila's brother Layendra is also an actor. Kokila studied in St. Joseph's Indian High School,

. He was given the stage name Sadhu Kokila 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 ...

, the director of Sheelan's debut film '' Shhh!''. Kokila began his career as a musician after he was taken to musician Kasturi Shankar by his brother. He is also one of the fastest keyboard players in India.

Personal life

Kokila married Saleena in 1993. They have two children together, Suraag and Srujan.

Filmography

As actor

As director

As composer

Awards and nominations

; Karnataka State Film Awards * 2004–05: Best Music Director: ''

'' * 2007–08: Best Music Director: ''

'' ;

* 2011: Best Comedian: ''

Hudugaru ''Hudugaru'' ( Boys) is a 2011 Kannada-language drama film directed by K. Madesh, starring Puneeth Rajkumar, Srinagar Kitty, Yogesh and Radhika Pandit in the lead roles. The film, which is a remake of the successful 2010 Tamil film ''Naadodigal' ...

'' * 2012: Best Comedian: ''

Yaare Koogadali ''Yaare Koogadali'' is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language action film written and directed by Samuthirakani, starring Puneeth Rajkumar and Bhavana. Parvathamma Rajkumar and Raghavendra Rajkumar are producing the film under for Poornima Enterprises. ...

'' ;

IIFA Utsavam The annual IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the IIFA Awards, and represents Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malay ...

*2016: Best Performance In A Comic Role: '' Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari'' ;

* 2019: Best Comedian: '' Yajamana''

References

External links

*
Personal website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kokila, Sadhu Male actors in Kannada cinema Kannada film score composers Kannada film directors Living people 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors from Bangalore 1966 births Film directors from Bangalore Indian male comedians Kannada comedians 21st-century Indian film directors Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors Musicians from Bangalore 20th-century Indian composers 21st-century Indian composers Film producers from Bangalore Kannada screenwriters Screenwriters from Bangalore Kannada film producers Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2015 Male actors in Telugu cinema