D. Shankar Singh
| D. Shankar Singh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kingdom of Mysore, British India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Spouse(s) | Prathima Devi |
| Relatives |
S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu (son) Vijayalakshmi Singh (daughter) Jai Jagadish (son-in-law) Auditya (grandson) Rishika Singh (grand daughter) |
D. Shankar Singh was an Indian film director,producer, screenwriter, exhibitor and a freedom fighter during the British rule in India. Singh, along with B. Vittalacharya co-found the "Mahatma Pictures", a production venture in 1946, that has produced over a hundred of Kannada films. The very first film to release under this banner was Krishnaleela in 1947. His first directorial project was Jaganmohini in 1951. The film is recorded in history as one of the first Kannada films to have screened for over 100 days in cinema halls.
Some of the popular films under his production and direction includes Bhakta Ramadas (1948), Nagakannika (1949), Dallali (1953), Madiddunno Maraaya (1954), Gandharva Kanya (1955), Bhale Kiladi (1970) and Bangarada Kalla (1973).
Shankar Singh was an employee with the Brooke Bond Tea company. His interest towards films brought him closer to yet another budding director B. Vittalacharya. In 1942, they both initially formed two touring talkies named after Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and called them as "Mahatma Touring Talkies" and "Jawahar Touring Talkies" respectively. He actively took part in the freedom struggles during the British rule in India and was a staunch follower of Gandhi. Following the successful run of the touring talkies units, the duo formed a new production house and named it as "Mahatma Pictures" in 1946.
In 1947, the production house released their first venture, Krishnaleela starring Kemparaj Urs in the lead role, the film also featured Varadaraj, younger brother of actor Rajkumar, and Sharadamma, both making their debuts. The film was directed by C. V. Raju and had musical score by P. Kalinga Rao, who was noted from this film and also marked the debut of the lyricist Kunigal Prabhakar Shastry and acclaimed writer Hunsur Krishnamurthy. The film was received well with Varadaraj's comedy role of Makaranda being appreciated. Their second production project was in 1948, with the Kemparaj Urs directed devotional drama, Bhakta Ramadas. In 1949, Singh and Vittalacharya produced Nagakannika directed by G. Vishwanathan and featuring Jayashri in the lead role. The film was talked about for its glamorous role portrayed by Jayashri.
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