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Ambareesh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Housing,Government of Karnataka | |
| In office 28 May 2013 – 17 September 2016 | |
| Preceded by | V. Somanna |
| Succeeded by | M. Krishnappa |
| Minister of State forInformation and Broadcasting | |
| In office 24 October 2006 – 22 May 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Succeeded by | Choudhury Mohan Jatua S. Jagathrakshakan |
| Member of parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1998–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Krishna |
| Succeeded by | N. Chaluvaraya Swamy |
| Constituency | Mandya |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Malavalli Huchche Gowda Amarnath (1952-05-29)29 May 1952 |
| Died | 24 November 2018(2018-11-24) (aged 66) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress (1994–1996, 1999–2018) |
| Other political affiliations | Janata Dal(1996–1999) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Abhishek (son) |
| Profession |
|
Malavalli Huchchegowda Amarnath (29 May 1952 – 24 November 2018),[1] known by hisscreen nameAmbareesh, was an Indian actor,media personality, politician from thestate ofKarnataka. AlongsideRajkumar andVishnuvardhan, he is counted inKannada cinema's "triumvirate" as its most celebrated actor.[2][3]
With his debut inPuttanna Kanagal'sNaagarahaavu (1972), Ambareesh's acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic and supporting characters. After establishing himself as a lead actor portraying rebellious characters on screen in several commercially successful films, he earned the monikerRebel Star, similar toKrishnam Raju inTelugu cinema.[4] He also earned the nicknameMandyada Gandu (transl. Man ofMandya)[5] and continues to hold amatinee idol status in the popular culture of Karnataka.
After entering politics in 1994, Ambareesh became a three-time member of theLok Sabha, the lower house of theIndian Parliament representingMandya, first fromJanata Dal and the latter two times from theIndian National Congress, a member of which he remained till his death. During the third term, he briefly served as theMinister of State for Information and Broadcasting, between October 2006 and February 2007, as part of theFirst Manmohan Singh ministry. Between 2013 and 2016, he was a member of theKarnataka Legislative Assembly and served as the Minister of Housing during the time as part of theSiddaramaiah cabinet.[6]
Besides winning manyState Film Awards andFilmfare Awards South during his acting career, Ambareesh was honoured with the honorary doctorate by theKarnatak University in 2013.[7] He is also a recipient ofNTR National Award,Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South andDr. Vishnuvardhan Award, all awarded recognizing lifetime achievements and contribution to cinema. Having suffered from a breathing problem in 2014, Ambareesh died four years later.[8]
Ambareesh was born on 29 May 1952 inDoddarasinakere village ofMandya district in the erstwhileMysore State (nowKarnataka). He was named "Malavalli Huchchegowda Amarnath", and was the sixth of seven children to Hucchegowda and Padmamma. His granduncle was the violinist,Piteel Chowdiah.[9] Ambareesh completed his schooling inMandya before moving toMysore for higher studies.[10]
Ambareesh appeared as a child artist in the 1955 movieShivasharane Nambekka alongsideRajendra Singh Babu.[11] While the eminentKannada film directorPuttanna Kanagal was in search of a new face to play a brief antagonist role for his upcoming film, one of Ambareesh's close friends, Sangram Singh, suggested his name for the screen test much against his wishes. At his screen test, he was asked to walk in a certain fashion, utter a dialogue and toss acigarette in his mouth. Impressed, Kanagal cast him in his 1972 filmNaagarahaavu.[12] The film also saw the debut ofVishnuvardhan, another actor who would go on to become one of Kannada cinema's most popular actors.
Ambareesh appeared in about 208 films, including other films of Kanagal such asPaduvaaralli Pandavaru,Shubhamangala,Masanada Hoovu andRanganayaki (1981). As of 2010[update], Ambareesh had acted in most films as lead in Kannada films, surpassingRajkumar's record of 206 films as a lead actor andVishnuvardhan's record of 230 films (including Kannada, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam films) as a lead actor. The record has not been broken yet. He also was a supporting actor many times at the beginning of their careers.
Ambareesh played the angry young man of the 1980s, and several films were tailor-made accordingly. The earliest of them was the political satireAntha (1981), directed byRajendra Singh Babu and remade into Hindi and Tamil. This controversial film was the first in India to depict politicians and government officials as corrupt and villainous.Chakravyuha andNew Delhi were made on the same lines, the first remade into Hindi asInquilaab, starringAmitabh Bachchan and the second a remake of theMalayalam hitof the same name. His other notable films includeRanganayaki,Tony,Rani Maharani,Olavina Udugore,Hrudaya Haadithu,Hongkongnalli Agent Amar,Mannina Doni andOdahuttidavaru. His performance inMasanada Hoovu,Elu Suttina Kote andSreekumaran Thampi's Malayalam filmGaanam (1982) received critical acclaim. Thampi cast Ambareesh after being impressed with his performance inRanganayaki. Despite turning out to be a commercial failure, the film went on to win theKerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value.[13]
Ambareesh also showed great performance in Mamateya Madilu, Hrudaya Haadithu, Elu Sutinaa Kote and Mouna Raga. He also acted with legendRajkumar. He is well known as Mandyada Gandu, Kaliyuga Karna (for his generosity), and Rebel Star. He was awarded the State award for best actor for Antha and best supporting role for Masanada Hoovu, NTR Award by Andhra Pradesh Government, Film Fare best actor award forOlavina Udugore and Film Fare Award (lifetime achievement award). He was the first Kannada actor to inaugurate the world-famousMysore Dasara festival organized by the government of Karnataka. He also won the Karnataka Government'sDr. Vishnuvardhan Award in 2011.
Ambareesh joined theIndian National Congress (INC) ahead of theassembly election in 1994. He campaigned for the party in the election after having been "too late to be given a ticket". However, he was met with a lukewarm reception from the public having been "greeted with slippers and rotten vegetables at a couple of public meetings." He quit the party two years later after being denied a ticket to contest the1996 general election.[14] Ambareesh subsequently joined theJanata Dal and contested the1998 general election fromMandya. He won the seat upon polling 431,439 votes against 250,916 for the INC candidate.[15]
In 1999, Ambareesh rejoined the INC and contested in five elections since.[16] He served as minister of state for Information and Broadcasting in the14th Lok Sabha, but resigned over his dissatisfaction with the Cauvery Dispute Tribunal award, though the resignation was not formally accepted. He was defeated in the May 2009 General Elections. He helped in elections for H.D. Kumaraswamy (in Kanakapura parliament election in the 1990s), S.M. Krishna (1999) and K.R. Pete Krishna.
During the course of his public life, he held the following positions:
Ambareesh developed a friendship with actressSumalatha after they first met at the sets of the Kannada filmAahuti in 1984. They grew closer during 1987 when they worked together again withNew Delhi. After he proposedmarriage to her two years later,[17] they married on 8 December 1991.[18] Their only child,Abhishek, is an actor.[19]
Ambareesh was noted for his friendship, mostly with his contemporaries of the 1980s and acrossfilm industries of South India. They includedRajinikanth,Mammootty,Mohanlal,Suhasini Maniratnam,Chiranjeevi,Venkatesh Daggubati,R. Sarathkumar,Radhika,Jayaram,Naresh,Arjun Sarja,Ramesh Aravind among others. Calling themselves the "Class of the '80s", Ambareesh hosted their third reunion in 2017.[20][21] He also maintained a close relationship withVishnuvardhan ever since they made their debuts together in films withNaagarahaavu in 1972, till the latter's death in 2009.[22][23]
Ambareesh developed breathing problems in 2014 and was hospitalized frequently. In March that year, he was taken to Singapore'sMount Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.[24] On 24 November 2018, he was taken to a private hospital in Bangalore after he suffered from acardiac arrest at his residence. Efforts to revive him failed and was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. (IST).[25] Following his death, Ambareesh's remains were taken toSree Kanteerava Stadium where political leaders, members of the film industry and fans were allowed to pay homage the following day. It attracted a total of around 100,000 people.[26] The remains were airlifted to Sir M. Visvesvaraya Stadium in Mandya at 5 p.m. (IST) that day.[27] After having briefly kept for public viewing there, they were flown back to Bangalore on 26 November and carried in a cortege on a procession from Sree Kanteerava Stadium toKanteerava Studios, for a distance of 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi), where his funeral was held.[28] Ambareesh was cremated withfull state honours and also received a 21-gun salute. The final rites were performed by his son, Abhishek, at 5:55 p.m. (IST) that evening. Ambareesh was cremated next to the memorial of his contemporary and friend,Rajkumar.[29]
Ambareesh's death was met with an outpouring of grief from politicians, members of the South Indian film industry and fans from Karnataka. The Government of Karnataka declared a three-day mourning period as a mark of respect.[30] Prime MinisterNarendra Modi condoled his death and said, "[Ambareesh was] a strong voice for Karnataka's welfare, at the state and central level".[31] Chief Minister of KarnatakaH. D. Kumaraswamy termed that his death ended "an era of love and affection in Kannada film industry" while adding that "[Ambareesh] was a rebel who was loved by all. He has carved a unique place in both politics and films".[32] Other politicians who expressed grief included former Chief Ministers of Karnataka,Siddaramaiah andB. S. Yeddyurappa,[33] State cabinet ministers,R. V. Deshpande andU. T. Khader,[34] and former colleagues at the INC,G. Parameshwara,Dinesh Gundu Rao andRamya among others.[33]
Actor Rajinikanth remarked, "My friendship with Ambareesh is of over 40 years and deeply saddened by his death. Everyone will have a few close friends. But Ambareesh, I think, had over 100 close friends. He lived like a king till the day he died and all he earned were people."[35]Mammootty recalled Ambareesh as "one of [his] first real friends" while condoling his death.[36] Mohanlal termed his death "heartbreaking".[37]Kamal Haasan offered "heartfelt condolences" and called Ambareesh his "friend for 42 years".[38] Other film personalities who expressed grief includedAmitabh Bachchan,[39] R. Sarathkumar,Khushbu Sundar,[40]Rajendra Singh Babu,Shiva Rajkumar,Sudeep,Darshan andYogaraj Bhat among others.[41]
