Ganapathi Venkatramana Iyer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1917-09-03)3 September 1917 |
| Died | 21 December 2003(2003-12-21) (aged 86) Mumbai,Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director, screenwriter |
| Known for | Sanskrit film direction |
| Notable work | Adi Shankaracharya (1983) Bhagavad Gita (1993) Swami Vivekananda (1998) Madhvacharya (1987) |
Ganapathi Venkataramana Iyer (3 September 1917 – 21 December 2003) was anIndian film director and actor. He was nicknamed "Kannada Chitra Bheeshma".[1] His filmAdi Shankaracharya (1983) won fourNational Film Award, includingBest Film,Best Screenplay,Best Cinematography andBest Audiography.[2][3] His filmSwami Vivekananda (1998) was nominated in the Best Film category at theBogotá Film Festival, for whichMithun Chakraborty won the national award for Best Supporting Actor.
He was born in 1917 in aTamilbrahmin family inNanjangud ofMysore district.[4]
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He started his career at the age of eight when he joined theGubbi Veeranna theatre group.[5] His first role as an actor in cinema was in the filmRadha Ramana. Besides this he acted in a number of other movies such asMahakavi Kalidasa,Sodhari,Hemavati,Hari Bhaktha andBedara Kannapa. He is credited with providing breaks to two of the greatestKannada actors,Dr. Rajkumar andNarasimha Raju in the movie Bedara Kannappa. Though Raj Kumar had acted in a single scene in a movie previously, the movieBedara Kannappa where Mr Iyer cast him as the hero, is where he got his break and is regarded generally as his first movie. Iyer also produced the critically acclaimed movieVamsha Vriksha. Based on an acclaimed novel byS L Bhairappa, it was jointly directed byB V Karanth andGirish Karnad.
He soon started directing his own movies. The movieHamsageethe (music by Dr.Balamuralikrishna,B. V. Karanth and T.G. Lingappa) was well received and made him famous. Iyer wrote scripts, lyrics and produced and directed many commercialKannada movies. Iyer's biggest effort wasRanadheera Kanteerava. He continued to make commercial movies until 1970.
In his younger days, he was committed toGandhi and his ideals. He stopped wearing footwear from the day Gandhi died and never wore them again. He also wore hand-spun clothes colloquially called "Khadi" as was advocated by Gandhi.
He was proficient in bothKannada andSanskrit and was soon to make the first movie in Sanskrit, about the famous philosopherAdi Shankaracharya (1983). The movie received theNational Film Awards forBest Film,Best Screenplay,Best Cinematography andAudiography. It is believed that the movie made a great impact on Iyer.
He later madea film onMadhvacharya in Kannada andRamanujacharya in Tamil. He also made a remarkable Sanskrit movieBhagavad Gita (1993), which wonBest Film at theNational Film Awards of 1993.[6] The film was also nominated for Best Film at theBogotá Film Festival.
He producedNatyarani Shanthala, a historical television series on theHoysalaJain queen Shanthala, who was married to aVaishnava King. It was re-made inHindi as well as in Kannada. It was based on several works by Samethanahalli Rama Rao in Kannada.
He later went on to make a movieSwami Vivekananda. It was an attempt to portraySwami Vivekananda, realistically. For this filmMithun Chakraborty won a national award for Best Supporting Actor.Mithun Chakraborty played Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa. Though it had many famous actors such asMithun Chakraborty,Hema Malini andSarvadaman Banerjee, the movie failed commercially.
He was planning a film based on theHindu epicRamayana, withSanjay Dutt playing the role ofRavana, before his sudden death on 21 December 2003 at the age of 87. His last rites took place at his Bharadhwaja Ashrama, near Dodda Aladamara, on the outskirts of Bangalore, nearKengeri.[1][7]
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| Year | Film | Credited as | Language | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | ||||
| 1954 | Bedara Kannapa |  Y | Y | Kannada | ||
| 1960 | Ranadheera Kanteerava | Y | Y | Kannada | ||
| 1962 | Bhoodana | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1962 | Thai Karulu | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1962 | Thayin Karuna | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1962 | Gaali Gopura | Y | Kannada | Lyrics only | ||
| 1963 | Bangari | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1963 | Saaku Magalu | Y | Kannada | Dialogues only | ||
| 1963 | Lawyer Magalu | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1964 | Post Master | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1965 | Pazhani | Y | Tamil | Original story | ||
| 1966 | Kiladi Ranga | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1967 | Rajashekara | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1967 | Gange Gowri | Y | Kannada | Dialogues only | ||
| 1968 | Mysore Tanga | Y | Y | Kannada | ||
| 1968 | Nane Bhagyavathi | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1969 | Chowkada Deepa | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1969 | Vichitra Samsara | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1975 | Aakhri Geet | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1975 | Hamsageethe | Y | Y | Y | Kannada | |
| 1977 | Nalegalannu Maduvavaru | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1977 | Kudre Motte | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1983 | Adi Shankaracharya | Y | Y | Sanskrit | Madhu Ambat won national award for Best Cinematography. | |
| 1986 | Madhvacharya | Y | Y | Kannada | ||
| 1989 | Ramanujacharya | Y | Tamil | |||
| 1989 | Wall Poster | Y | Kannada | |||
| 1993 | Bhagvad Gita: Song of the Lord | Y | Y | Sanskrit | ||
| 1998 | Swami Vivekananda | Y | Y | Hindi | Mithun Chakraborty won national award for Best Supporting Actor. | |
| 2001 | Sri Krishna Leela | Y | Y | Kannada | Unreleased | |
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