S. K. Padmadevi
Dina Pathak
Arundathi Nag
Kavitha Lankesh
B Jayashree
Vaishali Kasaravalli
Benaf Dadachandji
Kalpana Naganath
Chetan
Sampath Raj
Raghuram Sitaram
Siddaraj Kalyankar
Malnad Jagadish
Vasanth Josalkar
Bollera Ashok Mandanna
Mandeep Rai
Kanti Madiya
R. K. Narayan
L. Vaidyanathan
Master Manjunath
Girish Karnad
Shankar Nag
Harish Patel
Anant Nag
Vishnuvardhan
Ramesh Bhat
G.K Govinda Rao
Harish Raj
Deven Bhojani
1. S. K. Padmadevi
S.K. Padmadevi came to this world in 1924 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. She was a very renowned Indian Actress, who predominantly worked in the Sandalwood Film Industry. She also worked with All India Radio for two decades. Likewise, she also worked in some Tamil motion pictures. She started her journey in the world of Theatre and Entertainment in 1960. She also had an opportunity to participate in the ‘Bhakta Sudhama’ by Kalaivani. Furthermore, she also sang a song for the same, which was duly loved by the audience.
...2. Dina Pathak
Dina Pathak or Deena Pathak was Indian film actor, veteran actor and Gujarati theatre director. She was born on 4 March 1922 in Amreli, Gujarat. She studied in Bombay College where she became the part of student activism. That was the time when Bahavai theater was widely used to create sense and awareness about rule of Britain and from here she became the source of reviving Gujarati theatre. Later, she has joined as an actress the Indian National Theater. She married to Baldev Pathak with two daughters Patna Pathak and Supriya Pathak.
...3. Arundathi Nag
Arundathi Nag is an Indian actress and theater person. She was born on 6th July, 1956 in New Delhi to a Maharashtian family and had three siblings. When she was a 10 year kid, her family shifted to Bombay. Arundathi had an immense passion about theater since her childhood. When she was a teen, she joined a theater group and she used to act in 40 shows in a single month, the shows used to be either in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi. Arundathi acted in many Kannada and Hindi films. In 2005, for her acting in the Kannada film "Jogi", a blockbuster film, Arundathi won the best supporting actress award from the state government of Karnataka. She was again nominated for the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the super hit Bollywood movie "Paa" featuring Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan. Arundathi fell in love with the actor Shankar Nag at the age of 17 and married him after six years of dating and had a daughter Kavya. Shankar Nag became a popular director of the adaptation of the popular TV sitcom “Malgudi days”. Tragically, Shankar was killed in an accident in 1990. Arundathi Nag received Citizen Extraordinaire Award, which was awarded by the Rotary Club, Bangalore in 2006.
...4. Kavitha Lankesh
Kavitha Lankesh is a renowned Indian film director, lyricist, and screenwriter for Kannada Film Industry. Her father P. Lankesh was a noted journalist of Kannada Language and also the founder of weekly tabloid Lankesh Pattrike. Her mother owns a sari shop in Bengaluru. Kavitha had come from a family of media publishers. She has two siblings both in the media line. She did a Masters in English from Bengaluru University and also holds a diploma in advertising.
...5. B Jayashree
B. Jayashree is a Kannada actress, singer, and a director. She was born on June 9, 1950, in Bengaluru, India. Her father was Basavaraj, who was also an actor. Her mother was Malathamma. Her grandfather, Gubbi Veeranna was also an actor and a director. Her grandfather started the Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company.
...6. Vaishali Kasaravalli
Vaishali Kasaravalli was born on 12 April 1952 in Gulbarga to theatre enthusiast parents Nirmala and Dr. Chitagopi. She was a well noted Kannada film actor, costume designer and television serial director. Vaishali Kasaravalli completed BA. Late Dr. B.V.Karanth initiated her to theatre. After her family moved to Bangalore, She acted in many plays including Jokumaraswamy, Hayavadana, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Natakakaarana Shdhaneyalli Aaru Paathragalu and many more. Vaishali Kasaravalli also directed Sevanthi Prasanga and translated many Marathi and Hindi classic works.
...7. Benaf Dadachandji
8. Kalpana Naganath
9. Chetan
Chetan is a veteran actor in Tamil serial industry having been in the industry for more than a decade and a half. He got his big break in the mega-hit thriller TV serial "Vidaadhu Karuppu" in the 'Marmadesam' series. While he was the assistant director to K.Shankar, he happened to land the pivotal role of ‘Karuppu’ in the series. He has said to have gotten into films by mere accident after completing his management studies post graduation. After many failed attempts to get into the film and ad industry in Hindi and English. He decided to move to Chennai, in search of Tamil opportunities.
...10. Sampath Raj
'Sampath Raj' was born on 25 December 1968 in Chennai. He adopted film field as his profession for more than a decade by acting in a 2004-released film titled ‘Neranja Manasu’ .Though he played only a small role in the film, he gave it his best and had a series of films to his credits almost every year since then. Though born in Chennai, Sampath is not partial about the languages of the movies he acts in, nor is he bothered with the type of role that he gets to play in the films.
...11. Raghuram Sitaram
Do you remember your Malgudi days, an Indian Hindi-language television show based on short stories? Raghuram Sitaram is one of the actors who worked in these evergreen series. He played the role of Mani in Episodes 1-8, and episode 43. He also played the role of Prashant Diwan in Tv series Rishtey ke Doree (2003). His net worth is about $ 14 million.
...12. Siddaraj Kalyankar
Siddaraj Kalyankar has been playing the supporting character roles in Kannada movies. He also had acted in Malayalam movies too. He played the role of Upendra’s guardian in the Kannada film ‘Godfather’ that released in 2013. He even acted in a Malayalam movie named ‘Oru Yakshi Kadha‘ which was a love story.
...13. Malnad Jagadish
Malnad Jagdish is a Kannada television actor who was born in Bengaluru on 1 January 1970. He started working as a cinematographer in Bengaluru. He worked as a cameraman for many years and later, he started getting offers to play in movies. He is working in the Kannada industry for more than ten years. He is also a counselor and poet who strengthens youngsters with his words. He worked in Milana Serial from 2013 to 2016. It aired on Suvarna Channel. Jagdish gained a very good fan base in a short time.
...14. Vasanth Josalkar
Vasant Josalkar was a student of the National School of Drama in Delhi and is recognized as a Bishmacharya of Goan Theatre and a nationally acclaimed performer. Josalkar was the director of Kala Academy's Theatre Art Faculty and the recipient of several awards and medals.
...15. Bollera Ashok Mandanna
Bollera Ashok Mandanna is an Indian actor who serves the Kannada film industry with his acting. Bollera is from Kodagu and has a mother, a father, and two siblings in the family. Mandannawas admitted to the National School of Drama and calls it "an extremely stimulating time to be in NSD". Later, to learn more about acting, he went to Weber Douglas Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in London for three years.
...16. Mandeep Rai
Indian-born Mandeep Rai is a superstar in the entertainment milieu. His talent as an actor is admirable. Mandeep made his debut in the film industry with “Sixer”,a drama released on 5 January 2007. This icon’s role helps the expansion of cinema. Mandeep Rai is a dynamic and passionate individual, who ensures the satisfaction of every audience. He performed for many blockbusters in the Malayalam Language. In 2007 his role in the movie titled “Sixer” contributed to the esteem of this blockbuster.
...17. Kanti Madiya
Kanti Madiya was an Indian Actor. He has predominantly worked in the Hindi Cinema. However, he can also be frequently seen in Gujarati Film Industry aka Dhollywood. He was born on the 7th of March in the year 1932. Apart from making his mark in the acting circuit, he was also a producer, director and playwright. His start in the industry was very conventional as he took the tried and verified path of entering the theater, and learning the basic fundamentals of acting. He has revealed in several interviews, that his experience in theater helps him enhance his performance on the big screen. Also working on the stage, helped him understand the backstage work and to eventually pursue his fantasy of becoming a director.
...18. R. K. Narayan
R. K. Narayan is an Indian author. He was born on 10th October 1906 in Chennai where he died on 13th May 2001. He was one of the leading Indian English story writers. Narayan was the son of a headmaster and the elder brother of studio editor Ramachandran and cartoonist Laxman. He was raised by his grandmother Parvati. He married Rajam with whom he had a daughter named Hema.
...19. L. Vaidyanathan
Lakshminarayana Vaidyanathan normally known as L.Vaidyanathan was a proficient music director, composer, and musicologist in Tamil and Kannada film industry. He was born in 1942 on April 9th. Before coming into the movie field, L. Vaidyanathan was a traditionally trained carnatic vocalist. He was married to Chenjulakshmi and was wonderfully blessed with two sons. Kannadigas who love his music have a huge respect towards him.
...20. Master Manjunath
Master Manjunath is an actor from India well known for his role as ‘Swami’ in the evergreen people’s favourite television series, ‘Malgudi Days’. He was born as Manjunath Nayaker on December 23rd in the year 1976 in the city of Bangalore in Karnataka. Manjunath completed his higher secondary education and headed to college and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English (BA. English) from Mysore University. He then majored in Sociology (MA. Sociology) from Bangalore University. Manjunath was interested in filmmaking considering the amount of exposure he had in his childhood as Swami. He underwent a certificate course in cinematography and took a diploma. Manjunath started his acting career when he was just three years old. By the time he was 11, Manjunath had appeared in over 32 films as a child star. His career in the acting industry took off after he played the role of the chirpy little lad ‘Swami’ in the television series adapting R. K. Narayan’s ‘Malgudi Days’.
...21. Girish Karnad
Born on 19th May 1938, Girish Raghunath Karnad is a multi-faceted artiste; he is not only an actor, but also a writer, director and playwright. He has mainly worked in South Indian films. He was awarded the Jnanpith Award during 1998; this award is the highest literary recognition in India. Girish Karnad has been working on plays for around 40 years. His subject of interest is mythology and history. He has also done translation of his plays into English language. Moreover, his translated plays in regional languages were directed by many directors.
...22. Shankar Nag
Shankar Nag, most influential and talented Kannada actor and director, who acted in around 90 Kannada movies, in a career spanning 12 years from 1978 to 1990. Shankar also produced R.K. Narayan's novel, Malgudi Days as a teleserial and also acted in it. He was also a part a Kannada theater. He co-wrote 22 June 1897, an Indian national award-winning Marathi film. One of his films, Autoraja is appreciated by the audience to the level that even now his posters are there on auto rickshaws of Karnataka even after 25 years of his death. He was also focused towards social improvement as his films portrayed that. He was of friendly nature and loved by all. Shankar Nag was a versatile personality and has left his mark on the Kannada Film Industry in many ways. Nationally, he will be remembered for his famous work, Malgudi Days, which was well directed and telecasted along. Personal Life: Shankar Nagarkatte, better known as Shankar Nag, was born to a Brahmin family on November 9, 1954, to Sadanand and Anandi Nagarkatte. After finishing his studies, Shankar Nag lived in Mumbai for some time. During this period, he was involved in Marathi theater. Incidentally, it was at this time that he met his wife, Arundhati. On Sep 30 1990, while on his way to Dharwad for a film shoot, Shankar Nag died in a car accident. Career: After completing his education from Mumbai, Shankar returned to Karnataka. When Shankar Nag shifted back to Karnataka, he began to get involved in the Kannada Movie Industry. Anant Nag, Shankar’s elder brother, was already a famous actor and Shankar Nag was offered a role in the movie Ondanondu Kaladalli in 1978 (debut). This debut movie, which became a classic hit in Kannada, earned him a National Award at the Delhi International Film Festival.
...23. Harish Patel
A versatile actor who has endeared Indian television and movie viewers with his acting skills as a comedian, a supporting actor, and as a villain too. Harish Patel is a veteran actor who started his acting career at very early age of seven as he worked in the grand television serial Ramayana produced by Ramanand Sagar. It was aired on DD National News Channel in the year 1987. During the same time, he also appeared on various episodes of another popular Hindi television serial Malgudi Days. Later on, Harish Patel joined Indian National Theatre and worked a lot as a theatre artist. Indian theatre director Sara Prabhu and Harish Patel enjoyed a great run of success on Indian theatre.
...24. Anant Nag
Anant Nagarakatte was born in the year 1948 on 4th September. He is a very popular actor and a politician. He is a Karnataka based actor who had given many hit movies as an actor. He is regarded as one of the prominent Kannada actors. He had reflected it in all his movies. In-fact, that is why he is known to be an actor who had never met any failures as far as his movies are concerned. Apart from acting in Kannada movies, he had also acted in other film industries.
...25. Vishnuvardhan
Vishnuvardhan was born in Mysore. He attended high school and obtained degree at the National College, Bangalore. He adopted the name Vishnuvardhan at the insistence of Puttanna Kanagal, who was like is godfather and mentor, who also directed his maiden film, Naagarahaavu. This gave him the recognition of the ‘angry young man of Kannada cinema. “Ramachaari”, the character Vishnuvardhan played in Nagarahaavu, is still considered as among the best roles that have donned in Kannada cinema to date. Vishnuvardhan did not look back since then and went on to win many state honors and five film fare awards. Vishnuvardhan was popularly called by his fans as Sahasa Simha and Abhinava Bhargava.
...26. Ramesh Bhat
Ramesh Bhat is the most familiar face in Kannada television and movies. Ramesh Bhat started his career dabbling in theatre with groups like Nataranga, Spandana and Benaka.
...27. G.K Govinda Rao
G.K Govinda Rao is a well known television actor who started his career as a Professor of English and writer. Prior to his foray into acting, he actively participated in social movements, attacked the divisive politics and is a staunch supporter of Congress.
...28. Harish Raj
Harish Raj is a well known Kannada TV actor who later made his foray into Kannada Film Industry. The actor aged 38 was born on July 26th 1978. The versatile actor made his first debut on television in 1996 in the Kannada serial named Hosa Chiguru Hale Beru.
...29. Deven Bhojani
Deven Bhojani is an Indian TV serial actor who was born on November 25, 1969 in Mumbai, India. He is also a director and a theatre artist who graduated Commerce at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai. Afterwards, Deven studied film direction to pursue his dream of becoming a director at the University of South California.
He got his fame for his Gujarati shows and drama plays. He was debuted as a television actor in the popular, Malgudi Days which was aired in 1987. He portrayed the role of Nitya on the show’s Episode Number 13. He got his fame for doing comedic and supporting roles. He received the Best Director awards for directing the 2005 comedy sitcom, Sarabhai vs. Sarabhai in The ITA Award, Apsara Award and The Indian Telly Award.
Deven was most interestingly known for his character as “Gattu” in the Hindi Comedy drama series, Baa Bahoo Aur Baby. He received a Best Actor award for his performance in this serial.
He started his journey in acting by the year 1984 and Deven was awarded ‘Best Actor’ in the Inter-Collegiate Drama contests for four succeeding years. Since 1986, he achieved drastic success in his career with his outstanding TV Shows like Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Shrimaan Shrimati, Tara and Office Office where he was awarded as Best Actor in 2004, Shree Sifarishilal, Instant Khichdi where he was awarded the Best Director Award for Comedy, Remote Control, Hum Sub Ek Hain, Mrs Tendulkar, Alaxmi – Hamari Super Bahu and BH Se Bhade.
He was also successful in performing on the big screen. He was debuted as a film actor in the Bollywood drama film, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander in 1992. He was nominated for Best supporting Actor in this film. He also appeared in films like Aaja Sanak, Andaz, Kranti Kshetra, Sarhad, Kartavya, Uff Yeh Mohabbat, Chalo America, Yeh Lamhe Judaai Ke, and Khichdi: The Movie and Chala Mussaddi… Office Office.
Deven Bhojani has many fans following him not only in India but also with the Indian nations who lives in other countries like USA, Kenya, UK, Middle East, Africa and more. Deven has already acted in over 2000 successful drama shows like Ta-Thaiya, Ekko-Duggi, Thank You Kokila, Khelaiya and a lot more.
His last venture was on big screen as Azhar Lala, the mentally challenged son of Rauf Lala played by Rishi Kapoor in the remake of Agneepath movie in 2012.