Shashank (born 24 June 1972) is an Indian film director, 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'' directe ...

. He made his debut as a director with the 2007 film '' Sixer''. His second directorial ''

Moggina Manasu ''Moggina Manasu'' is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Shashank and produced by E. Krishnappa under the banner E. K. Entertainers. It stars Radhika Pandit and Shuba Punja in lead roles. The supporting cast featu ...

'' (2008) received critical acclaim for its screenplay and its coming-of-age theme. He went on to direct other successful films in the romance genre such as ''

Krishnan Love Story ''Krishnan Love Story'' ( kn, ಕೃಷ್ಣನ್ ಲವ್ ಸ್ಟೋರಿ) is a 2010 Indian Kannada language action drama film written and directed by Shashank, and starring Ajay Rao, Radhika Pandit in leading roles and Umashri, Achyut ...

'' (2010) and '' Krishna-Leela'' (2015). He is also credited to have introduced actors Yash and

Radhika Pandit Radhika Pandit is an Indian film and television actress. She has established a career in Kannada cinema as a leading actress. Having worked in television serials such as ''Nandagokula'', ''Kaadambari'', and ''Sumangali'', Pandit made her featur ...

who went on to become successful actors in Kannada cinema.

Early life

Shashank was born in a small village called Thaalya, in Chitradurga district, Karnataka. He is the third child of his parents Hanumanthappa and Lakkamma, his father was a small farmer. However he was later adopted by his maternal uncle and aunt, Chandrashekarappa and Shantamma. Since Chandrashekarappa worked in VISL, Bhadravati, Karnataka. Shashank completed his matriculation from Bhadravati. Later he did his diploma in civil engineering (1988–91) in Chikmagalur. His birth name was Umesh B.H. which he later changed to Shashank at his mentor Hamsalekha's insistence.

Personal life

He is married to Veena H.M and has two daughters, Chaitra and Khushi.

Career

Shashank trained as an engineer, and worked as a site engineer in Bangalore as a site engineer. He became an assistant to

S. Mahendar S. Mahendar is an Indian film director working in Kannada cinema. He is also a politician with the BJP contesting from Kollegal constituency in Karnataka. He debuted into cinema with ''Pranayada Pakshigalu'' (1992) and went to direct for over ...

for the film ''Taayi illada tavaru'' (1994). He subsequently worked with music director Hamsalekha. His first movie as an independent director was ''Sixer'' from 2007, produced by Ramoji Rao with music composed by Hamsalekha. In addition to writing screenplays, dialogues and storylines for films, he has also written song lyrics.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shashank Kannada film directors Living people Filmfare Awards South winners 1972 births Film directors from Karnataka 21st-century Indian film directors People from Chitradurga district Screenwriters from Karnataka Kannada screenwriters