Puttanna | |
---|---|
Native name | ಪುಟ್ಟಣ್ಣ ಕಣಗಲ್ |
Born |
Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma 1 December 1933 Kanagal, Kingdom of Mysore, British India |
Died | 5 June 1985 Bangalore, India |
(aged 51)
Nationality | Indian |
Other names | S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, Seetharama Sharma |
Occupation | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
Years active | 1957–1985 |
Spouse(s) | Nagalakshmi (–1985) |
Children | 5 |
Puttanna Kanagal (born Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma, 1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), fondly called the 'Chitra Bramha' (God of Films, Kannada) was an Indian filmmaker and is considered as one of Kannada's cinema's greatest filmmakers.
Puttanna Kanagal was born to Ramaswamaiah and Subbamma in Kanagal, a village in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore into a poor family . As he hailed from a poor family, he had to endure hardships and struggled to get a decent job. He worked as a cleaner, salesman and even as a teacher. His job as a publicity boy brought him closer to theatre and subsequently to cinema. His association with films began when he started working for B. R. Panthulu as an assistant director and also as his driver. His first film as an assistant director was Rathnagiri Rahasya (1957).
Kanagal died on 5 June 1985 in Bengaluru, while in preparation of the movie Masanada Hoovu.
Starting his career as a publicity boy, Kanagal was drawn into independent filmmaking after a stint in theatre and working with film director and producer B. R. Panthulu as his assistant. Kanagal's assistants include Tamil directors SP. Muthuraman, P. Bharathiraja, and T. S. Nagabharana.
Although a majority of Kanagal's films were on offbeat or taboo subjects, generally women-centric, he endeared himself to both the critics and ordinary film goers alike making "bridge films" between art and commercial cinema. His film in Kannada, Gejje Pooje, based on a novel of the same name by M. K. Indira is considered a landmark film. He would go on to direct other films such as Kappu Bilupu (1969), Sharapanjara (1971), Naagarahaavu (1972), Edakallu Guddada Mele (1973), Shubhamangala (1975) and Ranganayaki (1981), all of which are seen as milestones in Kannada cinema. He also directed a handful of films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages.