Vishnuvardhan (actor)

Vishnuvardhan
A 2013 stamp of India depicting Vishnuvardhan
Born
Sampath Kumar

(1950-09-18)18 September 1950
Mysore, Mysore State, India
Died30 December 2009(2009-12-30) (aged 59)[1]
Mysore, Karnataka, India
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1972–2009
WorksFull list
Spouse
​
(m. 1975)​
Children2
RelativesAniruddha Jatkar (son-in-law)
Awards

Sampath Kumar (18 September 1950 – 30 December 2009), known by his stage name Vishnuvardhan, was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Kannada cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam language films.[2] Vishnuvardhan has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 220 films.[3] A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, and holds the status of a matinée idol among the Kannada diaspora. He is popularly called as Sahasa Simha, Dada and The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema.[4][5] Vishnuvardhan's contributions to Kannada cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry.[6][7] The Government of Karnataka honoured him with the Rajyothsava Prashasthi in 1990 and the Dr. Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his contributions to Kannada cinema.[8] He was called The Phoenix of Indian Cinema.[9][10] In 2008, a poll conducted by CNN-IBN listed Vishnuvardhan as the most popular star in the Kannada film industry.[11]

Vishnuvardhan made his acting and onscreen debut at age 21 in B. V. Karanth and Girish Karnad's Vamsha Vriksha in 1971. In 1972, he attained stardom after starring in Puttanna Kanagal's Naagarahaavu . By the late-1970s, he established himself as a bankable leading actor after starring several successful films throughout the 70's; the crime drama Sahasa Simha released in 1982 catapulted him into superstardom in Karnataka.[12] He predominantly works in Kannada films, but he has also appeared in some of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. Some of his best known non-Kannada films include the Tamil mythological Sri Raghavendrar (1985) and the Malayalam crime thriller Kauravar (1992).[13] He was also the story writer of the 1997 film Ganesha I Love You directed by Phani Ramachandra.[14]

Vishnuvardhan has won seven Filmfare Award South – six Best Actor and one Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South, three Cinema Express Awards for Best Actor and eight Karnataka State Film Awards—seven Best Actor and one Dr. Rajkumar Lifetime Achievement Award. He has won the second most number of Best Actor awards at the Karnataka State Film Awards, behind Dr. Rajkumar. As an acknowledgment to his service to Indian cinema, the state government named its annual lifetime achievement award to long-serving film personalities after Vishnuvardhan, renaming it as the Karnataka State Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award.[15][16] A road stretching 14.5 kilometres (9.0 miles) from Banashankari Temple to Kengeri in Bangalore was named after him. It is the longest road in India to be named after an actor.[17][18]

  1. ^ "Vishnuvardhan's son-in-law recreating 'Sahasa Simha' in 'Raja Simha'". lehren.com.
  2. ^ "Vishnuvardhan – Indian Film Actor from Mysore". Mysorehub.com. 30 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Vishnuvardhan comes alive as a comic character". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013.
  4. ^ https://www.facebook.com/hsrinag (18 September 2018). "10 Interesting Facts about Vishnuvardhan – DADA of Kannada Cinema". MetroSaga. Retrieved 24 August 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); External link in |last= (help)
  5. ^ "'Angry young man' of Sandalwood bids adieu". Deccan Herald. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Vishnuvardhan News | Bollywood Actors on Newsaajtak | Newsaajtak | News Aajtak". Newsaajtak.in. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  7. ^ sandalwood: Vishnuvardhan comes alive as a comic character. M.timesofindia.com (26 December 2013). Retrieved on 8 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Dr. Vishnuvardhan | Sneha Loka". 17 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Vishnuvardhan birth anniversary: Here are some rare stills of 'The Phoenix of Indian Cinema'". The New Indian Express. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Late actor Vishnuvardhan is now a comic character". The Times of India. 23 December 2013. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Dr.Vishnu the most popular star". Filmibeat. 24 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  12. ^ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿರುವುದು ಇಬ್ಬರೇ ನಟಿಯರು..!! ಸಾಹಸಸಿಂಹ ಚಿತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ 40 ವರ್ಷಗಳು.. | Cinema Swarasyagalu Part 121, 14 February 2022, retrieved 11 January 2023
  13. ^ "Memorable Performances of Non Malayalam Actors – Memorable Performances of Non Malayali Actors". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  14. ^ "An actor by accident". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 16 October 2008.
  15. ^ "'Angry young man' of Sandalwood bids adieu". Deccan Herald. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Dr Vishnuvardhan Road is the longest road to have an actor's name? – The Times of India". The Times of India.
  17. ^ Talukdar, Taniya. "Dr Vishnuvardhan Road is the longest road to have an actor's name?". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  18. ^ "14-km long road to be named after Vishnu". Bangaloremirror. Retrieved 1 April 2015.