Chowdasandra Honnappa Bhagavathar (14 January 1915 – 2 October 1992; kn, ಹೊನ್ನಪ್ಪ ಭಾಗವತರು) was an Indian theatre and film actor, producer, musician and singer. He was best known as a singer and as one of the pioneers of

Kannada cinema 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 ...

. He was also active in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

. His son Bharath was also an actor who worked in Kannada films and serials.

Early life

He was born in 1915 at Chowdasandra, Nelamangala to Chikkalingappa and Kallamma. He weaved for a living. At age 5 he lost his father and grew up listening to his mother's Bhajans and music. He moved to Bangalore for work, learn classical music, accidentally he met his guru Sambandha Murthy Bhagavathar (Hari katha vidwan in three south Indian languages & also classical musician) in a relative's marriage function and became his disciple for learning classical music. He first became a pupil of his relative Murthy, then a pupil of

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

player Arunachalappa. Honappa staged a play in Salem and at the same time

M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar Mayavaram Krishnasamy Thiyagaraja Bhagavathar (1 March 1910 – 1 November 1959), also known by his initials as M. K. T., was an Indian actor, producer and Carnatic singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful actors in Tamil cine ...

, who was a rising star in Tamil cinema, recommended Bhagvathar to director

Ellis R. Duncan Ellis Roderick Dungan (May 11, 1909 – December 1, 2001) was an American film director, who was well known for working in Indian films, predominantly in Tamil cinema, from 1936 to 1950. He was an alumnus of the University of Southern Californi ...

for a supporting role in his film '' Ambikapathi''. Bhagvathar play was a success and he was honoured with the title "Bhagavathar" and was from then on credited as Honnappa Bhagavathar. Honnappa Bhagavathar Kannada

Career

Bhagavathar acted in many

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

films. Based now in Bangalore, Bhagavathar replaced

in the 1946 movie '' Sri Murugan'', acting alongside MGR. Both Bhagvathar and Jeevaratnam sang in the movie, with music scored by S. M. Subbaiah Naidu. Bhagvathar founded a production company named Lalithakaala Films. It produced films in Kannada and Tamil. In 1955, his film ''Mahakavi Kaalidasa'' was the first in the Kannada language. He produced '' Uzhavukkum Thozhilukkum Vandhanai Seivom'', a Tamil-language film that was released in 1959. He made his Kannada acting debut in the FILM ''Subadra''. Bhagvathar is known for bringing actresses like

B. Saroja Devi Bangalore Saroja Devi (born 7 January 1938) is an Indian actress who has acted in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films in over six decades. She is known by the epithets "''Abhinaya Saraswathi''" (Saraswathi of ...

into the industry. In the film ''Valmiki'', Bhagvathar replaced

Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...

, the sinner-turned-sage. Bhagvathar became a star after

's temporary exit, playing the lead role in many Tamil movies and later in Kannada. He played the bandit-turned-sage. He also played the lead role in ''

Mahakavi Kalidasa ''Mahakavi Kalidasa'' is 1955 Indian Kannada-language film directed by K. R. Seetharama Sastry, in his debut direction. The movie is based on the legends of the poet Kālidāsa. It stars Honnappa Bhagavatar as Kālidāsa, a Sanskrit poet who ...

'', which is regarded as a classic in Kannada cinema. At the

3rd National Film Awards The 3rd National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1955. Ceremony took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi ...

, the film won the award for Best Feature Film in Kannada. In 1960, Bhagavathar started the music school "Nadabrahma Sangeetha Vidyalaya". He became a member of the Kannada Film Advisory Board and worked as a member of Karnataka Sangeeta Nruthya Academy.

Partial filmography

Awards

* ''

'' and ''

Jagajyothi Basveshwara ''Jagajyothi Basveshwara'' is a 1959 Indian Kannada-language film directed by T. V. Singh Thakur featuring actors Honnappa Bhagavatar, Rajkumar, K. S. Ashwath, B. Saroja Devi, Narasimharaju, Balakrishna in pivotal roles. The film is based on ...

'' received National Awards in 1955 and 1959 respectively. * In 1956, the Madras Sina Pyans Associations awarded him 'Best Actor'. * In 1976, he was conferred the title "Gana Kalabhushana". * In 1978, Scholars of

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 ...

state conferred the title 'Gaanakalaa Gandharva' on him. * In 1986, he was awarded the 'Rajyothsava Award'. * In 1990, he was awarded the 'Sangeet Natak Academy Award' by the President of India. * In 1991, the Center for Music Drama Academy awarded him for his contribution to music. Also awarded for his stage music in this year.

References

External links

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News Article

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhagavatar, Honnappa Male actors in Kannada cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Kannada film score composers Tamil film score composers Indian male stage actors Film producers from Bangalore 1915 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Indian composers Male actors from Bangalore Musicians from Bangalore Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors