T. N. Seetharam | |
---|---|
Born |
Talagavara, Doddaballapura Taluk Bangalore Rural district Mysore State, (now Karnataka) |
6 December 1948
Occupation | Director, Producer, Actor, Screenwriter |
Spouse(s) | Geetha |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | Narayan Rao Sundaramma |
Thalagavara Narayanarao Seetharam (born 6 December 1948) is a prominent Kannada film and TV serial director, actor and screenwriter. He has become a cultural icon in Karnataka, India, through his work in several art mediums. Seetharam has written, directed, and produced plays, movies, and top-rated television series which have attracted millions of viewers.
Seetharam was born on 6 December 1948 in Thalagavara village near the Doddaballapura town in the erstwhile Mysore State. He was the third child to his parents Narayanrao and Sundaramma. He completed his high school education in Doddaballapur Municipal School, Doddaballapura, and pre-university course in National College, Bangalore. He then obtained his degree in Bachelor of Science before obtaining his Bachelor's degree in Law. This was when he decided to take keen interest in plays, having worked with playwright P. Lankesh during the time. Seetharam decided to stay in Bangalore after completing his education, by participating in plays. He rejected his father's request to return to his village and involve himself in agriculture and to practice as a lawyer. Having been influenced by Lankesh and U. R. Ananthamurthy, he believed owning a piece of land is a sin. Saddened by his decision, his father, a patient, stopped consuming medicine and died shortly thereafter leaving Seetharam with guilt. In 2014, during his appearance in the talk show Weekend with Ramesh, Seetharam said that many of his plays were made as tributes to his father and his television serials were made as tributes to women, inspired mainly by his deceased sister, Padma.
Seetharam began his career as an associate to playwright and film director, P. Lankesh. He played a pivotal role in the Lankesh directed National Award winning film Pallavi (1976). He was also associated with the famous director Puttanna Kanagal and had written scripts for his movies. He also made appearances as an actor in some movies. He was noticed when he started directing TV serials for Doordarshan. Fame and recognition came when he directed Mayamruga, a daily Kannada serial which stood apart for its take on reality. Mayamruga has seen a DVD avatar, probably a first for a Kannada serial. He then went on to direct Kamanabillu which was the first serial on a satellite TV to be watched widely His association with ETV Kannada resulted in famous serials like Manvantara and Muktha. He has acted in most of his serials and he likes to play the character of a lawyer who comes to the rescue of the oppressed.