Bengaluru, 11 December (H.S.): The Kannada film industry shifted from Madras to Bangalore during the initial years of the 1980s. From the days of black and white in the 1950s, film production adopted the Eastman colour format.
While Dr Rajkumar was the uncrowned king of Kannada Cinema since his debut film Bedara Kannappa (1954) , his contemporary actors Kalyan Kumar and Uday Kumar had a brief innings. Together, the Kumar trio had their own share of success. While Kalyan Kumar and Uday Kumar tried their luck in non-Kannada movies, Dr Rajkumar committed himself to the cause of Kannada Film Industry.
Nagara Havu (1972) introduced Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh to the Kannada film industry. Brilliant performers both were, they took the industry to different level. By the second half of the 1980s, the Kannada film Industry was witness to fresh faces, new talents and extraordinary filmmakers.
Art movies like Kaadu, Chomana Dudi, Vamsha Ruksha, Paniyamma, and Ondanondu Kaaladalli had already garnered international attention for Kannada movies. Parallel to this development was the coming of Prema loka's ( 1986) Ravichandran, Dr Rajkumar's eldest son Shiva Raj Kumar's Anand (1986), Raghavendra Rajkumar's Nanjundi Kapyana (1988) and Jaggesh's ( Tarle Nanna Maga (1992), Puneeth Rajkumar's Appu , which refined the scope and market of the Kannada film Industry.
Prema Loka not only expanded the Kannada film industry market but also redefined the value of the Kannada film music market. Premaloka music Cassettes sold over 3.5 millions remains to be a landmark in the Annals of the Kannada film Industry even now.
Ranadheera, Anjada Gandu established Ravichandran as the showman of the Kannada film Industry. His style of making drew National attention to an extent that Hindi film directors were in awe of his extraordinary talent.
Shanti Kranti was the most lavish multilingual film of the early 1990s . Ravichandran's collaboration with top stars like Chiranjeevi in the movie Sipayi was touted as the scoop of the decade. A man who lives and breathes Films, he has remained in the glamour world for almost four decades now. Producer - Story Writer - Actor - Music Director, Ravi Chandran today is one of the most important and respected Kannada film industry fraternity members.
Shiva Raj Kumar's super success with Ratha Saptami, Mana Mechida Hudugi established him as a very powerful and popular star. The defining moment of his career came from the movie Om (1995). Post this path-breaking movie, he hasn't looked back . Films like Nammora Mandara Hoove, AK47, and Janumada Jodi consolidated his career. In the millennial world, Shiva Raj Kumar has starred in over 130 movies.
Anant Nag, Shankar Nag, Shashi Kumar, Arvind Ramesh, and Upendra pitched in with their efforts not only in Kannada film industry but also in other language film industries.
Amongst all the above, the career path of comedian turned Hero Jaggesh shows up as a classic case of absolute lateral thinking. His journey to super stardom hasn't been path of roses. An actor who dedicated his entire only for Kannada film industry, his style, mannerisms, and commitment to the Kannada language remain unique. A man with no God father in the industry, Jaggesh's journey in to hall of fame is not only worth recording but also a case study for research.
For the record, between 1985 and 2025 the trio of Ravichandran, Shiva Raj Kumar and Jaggesh contributed their might in over 250 movies and nurtured hundreds of talents in the Kannada film Industry. As a matter of fact, the trio very well contributed to Kannada film industry.
No wonder the trio command respect from not only the cine lovers but also each Kannadiga from across the globe. Well, it's another matter that Yash's KGF and Rishabh Shetty 's Kantara franchise success story deserves a full-fledged dedicated Book in to the Generation Z....
May their tribe grow and glow.
Hindusthan Samachar / Manjunath Chavan
