Veteran Kannada actor, director, and producer Dwarakish passed away on Tuesday, April 16 at the age of 81. According to his family, the actor passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Bengaluru. Dwarakish, born Bungle Shama Rao Dwarakanath, who is known for his diverse filmography leaves behind a rich legacy spanning several decades.
Dwarakish was a native of Ittigegud in Mysuru. Though he initially started his career by selling automotive spare-parts, following the encouragement of his uncle director Hunsur Krishnamurthy, Dwarakish entered the Kannada film industry in 1963. He made his debut as an actor in Kannada cinema with Veera Sankalpa, directed by Husnur Krishnamurthy.
In 1969, Dwarakish produced and acted in the classic Mayor Muthanna, starring legendary actor Rajkumar. The movie was a social commentary on Bengaluru's civic problems. The film’s huge success marked the beginning of a prolific partnership between Dwarakish and Rajkumar who went on to act in over 40 films together. Their pairing, much like Rajkumar's with comedian Narasimharaju, was a box-office favourite for a period.
He is credited for being the first producer to bring popular Hindi singer Kishore Kumar to the Kannada film industry. The song Aadu Aata Aadu from their collaboration was immensely popular.
He also produced films featuring other prominent Kannada actors like Ambareesh and Shankar Nag. In a nod to the popular Tamil film Ulagam Sutrum Valiban starring MGR, Dwarakish produced Singapurnalli Rajakulla. This film, featuring extensive shooting locations in Singapore and Malaysia, offered a unique experience for Kannada audiences.
Some of the popular films produced by Dwarakish include Aaptha Mitra (2004), Vishnuvardhana (2011), Charulata (2012), Amma I love you (2018), and others. Ayushman Bhava (2019) starring Shivaraj Kumar, Anant Nag and Rachita Ram was his last film as a producer.