D. Shankar Singh was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, exhibitor and a

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

during the

British rule in India The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. Singh, along with B. Vittalacharya co-found the "Mahatma Pictures", a production venture in 1946, that has produced over a hundred

Kannada films Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...

. The very first film to release under this banner was ''

Krishnaleela ''Krishnaleela'' is a 1947 Indian Kannada-language film, directed by C. V. Raju. The film stars Kemparaj Urs, Mari Rai, Bellary Lalitha and Bellary Rathnamala in the lead roles. The film has musical score by P. Kalinga Rao. Cast * Kemparaj Urs ...

'' 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 include ''

Bhakta Ramadas Kancharla Gopanna ( te, కంచర్ల గోపన్న) ( – 1688), popularly known as Bhakta Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu ( te, భద్రాచల రామదాసు), was a 17th-century devotee of the Hindu god Rama, a sain ...

'' (1948), ''

Nagakannika ''Nagakannika'' ( kn, ನಾಗಕನ್ನಿಕ) is a 1949 Indian Kannada film directed by G. Vishwanathan. The film stars Prathima Devi, M. Jayashree and G. W. Sandow in lead roles. It was the first folk-based film in Kannada. The film was su ...

'' (1949), ''Dallali'' (1953), ''Madiddunno Maraaya'' (1954), ''Gandharva Kanya'' (1955), ''Bhale Kiladi'' (1970) and ''Bangarada Kalla'' (1973).

Career

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 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

and

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

and called them "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 "Mahatma Pictures" in 1946. In 1947, the production house released their first venture ''

'', 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 a musical score by

P. Kalinga Rao Pandeshwara Kalinga Rao (1914 – 21 September 1981) was an Indian Bhavageete and Sugama Sangeetha singer and composer in the Kannada language. Biography Kalinga Rao was married to Meenakshamma (d. 2015). The had four children together: P ...

, who was noted from this film and also marked the debut of the lyricist Kunigal Prabhakar Shastry and acclaimed writer

Hunsur Krishnamurthy Hunsur Krishnamurthy (9 February 1914 – 13 February 1989) was an Indian playwright, film director, producer, actor, screenwriter and lyricist in Kannada cinema. He worked with noted theatre personalities early in his career; Gubbi Veeranna, ...

. 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 ''

''. In 1949, Singh and Vittalacharya produced ''

'', directed by G. Vishwanathan and featuring Jayashri in the lead role. The film was talked about for its glamorous role portrayed by Jayashri. In the next decade, Singh became a full-fledged screenwriter and director with his debut film '' Jaganmohini'', becoming one of the first most commercially successful films in Kannada cinema history. Starring

Harini Harini may refer to: * Harini (singer), South Indian film playback singer * Harini (Kannada actress) Harini is a former actress in the Kannada cinema. She was active during the 1950s and 1960s, retiring at the peak of her career. As of 2006 sh ...

and Prathima Devi, the film screened across Karnataka for more than 100 days. In 1952, he partnered with Vittalacharya in both direction and production for the film '' Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'', featuring Vimalananda Das and Prathima Devi in stellar roles. It also marked the film-acting debut of Rajkumar, who was given a brief character to play; one of the seven

Saptarishi The Saptarishi () are the seven rishis of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do s ...

s. In 1953, Singh produced and directed ''Dallali'', featuring Subbanna in the lead role and in the same year he introduced his son

Rajendra Singh Babu S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu (born 22 October 1952) is an Indian filmmaker and occasional actor who works primarily in Kannada cinema. He was born and brought up in Mysore. His father Shankar Singh produced many films under the banner Mahatma Pict ...

in the film ''Chanchala Kumari''. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Singh produced and directed many successful films and became one of the most commercially viable artists in Kannada cinema. All his films were shot at the Navajyothi Studio in Mysore.

Legacy

Shankar Singh is often referred to as one of the legendary filmmakers of the early Kannada cinema era. He is believed to be a staunch follower of

and actively participated in the freedom campaigns across Karnataka. His passion towards the arts field drove him to collaborate with a hotelier, B. Vittalacharya and produce some of the best known Kannada films starting from the mid-1940s. Although during that era, all Kannada films were being made and shot in Madras (the present

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

), Singh is believed to have not moved to Madras for any of his projects. All his films were being shot at Navajyothi Studios in

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

. Mahatma pictures is also noted for breaking conventions and being experimental towards film making. It was also a pioneer in introducing graphical effects in Kannada cinema by adapting many trick shots in many mythological and folklore films. Recognizing Singh's determination of making Kannada films in Karnataka, the Government began to subsidize Kannada films. In 1962, Singh insisted the then Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa to extend the patronage for films made in Karnataka. Considering his point, the Government levied a surcharge of a rupee per ticket to fund the development of Kannada industry. Singh is credited to be first to explore the shooting locales in and around Karnataka. Apart from the leading actor of Kannada cinema, Dr. Rajkumar, Mahatma Pictures has the distinction of introducing many successful artists to the film industry such as

Rajan–Nagendra Rajan–Nagendra were an Indian musical duo who were prominent composers of film music in Kannada and Telugu cinema from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Rajan, along with his brother Nagendra, created a niche for themselves for nearly four de ...

, T. N. Balakrishna,

and

Arjun Sarja Srinivasa "Arjun" Sarja is an Indian actor, producer, and director who works predominantly in the Tamil film industry, in addition to Kannada and Telugu languages as well. Referred to by the media and his fans as " Action King" for his roles i ...

among others.

Personal life and family

Shankar Singh is married to the actress Prathima Devi, who played lead roles in many of his directorial and production projects. Their son

and daughter Vijayalakshmi Singh are both Kannada film directors and producers. Actor

Auditya Aditya is an Indian film producer and actor, primarily appearing in Kannada films. He made his acting debut in 2004, starring in ''Love'' and went on to appear in several commercially successful films. He is the son of Kannada director Rajendr ...

is his grandson and actress Rishika Singh is his granddaughter.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh Shankar. D Date of birth missing Kannada screenwriters Writers from Mysore Kannada film directors Kannada film producers Male actors in Kannada cinema Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian film directors Male actors from Mysore Year of birth missing Year of death missing 20th-century Indian male actors Film producers from Karnataka Film directors from Karnataka Businesspeople from Mysore Screenwriters from Karnataka