Siddalingaiah (15 December 1936 – 12 March 2015) was an Indian film director,

scriptwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

and producer who worked mainly in the

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'' dire ...

. He was well known for his distinct film-making style, and the industry knew him as a master of social themes and rural subject matter. He was one of the most commercially successful directors in the Kannada industry. He began his film career in 1964 as a director with ''

Mayor Muthanna In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

'' (1969). In a career that spanned 30 years, he directed over 20 films. His most well-known films usually starred matinee idol Rajkumar. They have collaborated 7 times. His most popular works include ''

Bangaarada Manushya ''Bangaarada Manushya'' ( kn, ಬಂಗಾರದ ಮನುಷ್ಯ, ''Golden Man'') is a 1972 Indian Kannada language film based on T. K. Rama Rao's novel of same name. Ramarao was known for his crime and detective novels, but this film was a ...

Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu ''Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu'' () is 1974 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by Siddalingaiah, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar, based on Iyengar's short story of the same name from his novel, ''Vayyari.'' The film sta ...

, Nyayave Devaru, Biligiriya Banadalli,

Doorada Betta ''Doorada Betta'' () is a 1973 Kannada-language film directed by Siddalingaiah. The film starred Rajkumar and Bharathi Vishnuvardhan. It had Balakrishna, K. S. Ashwath and Sampath playing supporting roles. The film, along with '' Mooruvare Va ...

'' and ''

Bhoolokadalli Yamaraja ''Bhoolokadalli Yamaraja'' a 1979 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by Siddalingaiah and produced by N. Veeraswamy, S. P. Varadaraj, Siddalingaiah and J. Chandulal Jain. The film stars Lokesh, M. P. Shankar, Jai Jagadish and Mohan. The fi ...

.'' In 1993, he was awarded the

Puttanna Kanagal Award The following is the list of Award winners for the Karnataka State Puttanna Kanagal award. Kanagal was among the front runners in Kannada cinema's most successful film directors. In his memory and honor, this award is presented to the directors ...

for his contribution to the Kannada film industry as a director.

Family and early life

Siddalingaiah joined the film industry as both a floor and a spot boy for Navajyothi studios. He became an assistant for director Shanker Singh and later worked as junior actor and assistant as the

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

B. Vittalacharya B. Vittalacharya (28 January 1920 – 28 May 1999) was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in Telugu and Kannada cinema. He was known as ''Janapada Brahma'' in the Telugu film industry. Vittalacharya formed his film pr ...

. Siddalingaiah's son Murali was an actor in Tamil films. Murali died on the morning of 8 September 2010 in Chennai due to a massive heart attack. His grandson

Atharvaa Atharvaa Murali is an Indian actor who works in Tamil cinema. The son of actor Murali and grandson of director S. Siddalingaiah, Atharvaa began his acting career with ''Baana Kaathadi'' (2010). He then garnered critical acclaim for his perform ...

started his acting career in ''

Baana Kaathadi ''Baana Kaathadi'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Badri Venkatesh. The film stars newcomer Atharvaa, son of Tamil actor Murali, makes his debut in the film, and Samantha. Featuring music scored by Yuvan S ...

'' in 2010.

Career

Siddalingaiah directed ''Mayor Muthanna'' in 1969 starring Rajkumar, Bharathi and

Dwarakish Bungle Shama Rao Dwarakanath (born 19 August 1942), better known as Dwarakish ( ), is an Indian actor, director and producer in the Kannada film industry. He was given the name Dwarakish by Kannada film maker C. V. Shivashankar. Early life D ...

in his film debut. He cast the same lead pair in ''

Baalu Belagithu ''Baalu Belagithu'' is a 1970 Indian Kannada language drama film written and directed by Siddalingaiah. It stars Rajkumar in dual roles with Jayanthi and Bharathi. The film was released under Chitrashree International banner and produced by ...

'', ''

Namma Samsara ''Namma Samsara'' is a 1971 Indian Kannada language drama film written and directed by Siddalingaiah. It stars Rajkumar and Bharathi. The film was released under Srikanth & Srikanth Enterprises banner and produced by Srikanth Nahata and Srikan ...

'', ''Thayi Devaru'' and ''

''. After ''Bangaarda Manushya'', he worked with other actors including Vishnuvardhan,

Ananth 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 ...

Lokesh Lokesh (; 19 May 1947 – 14 October 2004) was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada plays and films. His wife Girija Lokesh is an actress and film director. His father was Subbaiah Naidu, who is credited to be first hero of Kannada silent m ...

and

Srinivasa Murthy Jadalathimmanahalli Krishnappa Srinivasa Murthy (born 15 May 1949), known popularly as Srinivasa Murthy, is an Indian actor and television director. He is mostly known for his work as a director having made many television series in Kannada, be ...

. He introduced his son Murali in the 1983 romantic drama ''Prema Parva''. He also directed a Tamil film '' Puthir'' in 1986 with Murali as the lead actor. His last film, ''Prema Prema Prema'', was released in 1999 after which he retired from directing.

Death

Siddalingaiah died on 14 March 2015 in Bangalore where he had been hospitalized for treatment of

H1N1 In virology, influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (A/H1N1) is a subtype of influenza A virus. Major outbreaks of H1N1 strains in humans include the Spanish flu, the 1977 Russian flu pandemic and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. It is an orthomyxoviru ...

influenza.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Siddalingaiah, S. 1936 births 2015 deaths Screenwriters from Bangalore Kannada film directors Deaths from multiple organ failure Kannada screenwriters 20th-century Indian film directors 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Film directors from Bangalore Recipients of the Rajyotsava Award 2003