Komal Kumar (born 4 July 1973), known
mononymously as Komal, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in
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'' direct ...
. He made his acting debut with ''Super Nan Maga'' in 1992. Since his debut, Komal has acted in over 100 films, initially in comedic roles as a supporting actor before playing lead roles. He is the younger brother of actor
Jaggesh
Jaggesh is an Indian politician, actor, director and producer, who mainly works in the Kannada film industry. He is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 2022 and the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnat ...
, with whom he has frequently collaborated professionally.
Komal has won
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actor is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 19 ...
for his role as a supporting actor in the film ''
Thavarige Baa Thangi'' in 2003. He has also won the
South Filmfare Award for his performance in ''
Neenello Naanalle'' in 2006.
Early life and family
Komal was born into a well-to-do family of industrialists. He completed his studies in
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is located ...
and was interested in taking up the
civil service examinations before he lost interest in academics. He subsequently wanted to pursue a course in cinematography at the
Film and Television Institute in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, but was unable to do so "owing to my academic background in arts." He then took to acting "doing small roles". His brother,
Jaggesh
Jaggesh is an Indian politician, actor, director and producer, who mainly works in the Kannada film industry. He is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 2022 and the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnat ...
, is an established actor in Kannada cinema.
Komal's nephews
Gururaj and Yethiraj are also actors. His wife Anasooya Komal Kumar is a producer who has produced the film ''
Kal Manja''. The couple released the film under their home banner Soundarya Lahari Combines.
Career
Komal made his film debut playing a supporting role in his brother's 1992 film ''Super Nan Maga''. In ''Military Mava'' (1993), he was cast in a lead role. In an interview to ''
Deccan Herald
''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by K. N. Guruswamy, a liquor businessman from Ballari and was launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printer ...
'' in 2003, he recalled, "Unfortunately, the
atterfilm flopped miserably and I lost interest in acting. But my brother kept encouraging me to take up more acting assignments. He would always advice me not to give up." He added, "My role of a villain in ''Soma'' (1996) against my brother Jaggesh and
Subhashri, who is
Malashri's sister, was appreciated so much by Malashri that she cast me for her brother's role in her next movie ''Lady Commissioner''." After a string of other films that he acted in failed to do well or failed to fetch him recognition, it was in ''
Thavarige Baa Thangi'' (2002) that he received appreciation for his performance. He was subsequently cast in ''
Katthegalu Saar Katthegalu'' (2003).
Komal played a lead role in ''
Mr. Garagasa
''Mr. Garagasa'' () is a 2008 Kannada-language comedy film in Sandalwood directed by Dinesh Baboo and starring Komal. The film is based on 1998 French comedy ''Le Dîner de Cons'' (also known as ''The Dinner Game'').
Cast
Komal Kumar as Muni ...
'' (2008). However he got a break as a lead actor in the 2009 released ''
Chamkaisi Chindi Udaysi'' produced by his brother-in-law and his wife. Since then he acted as a solo hero in films such as ''
Maryade Ramanna'' and ''
Kal Manja''.
His 2012 film ''
Govindaya Namaha'' has been declared a blockbuster catapulting him to the stardom status. The song "
Pyarge Aagbittaite" featuring
Parul Yadav and himself went viral on the internet. After a string of commercial failures, Komal starred in the horror–comedy ''
Namo Bhootatma'', a performance that was received well by critics. Shyam Prasad S. of ''
Bangalore Mirror
''Bangalore Mirror'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Bangalore, India. It is a deputed newspaper and is the second-largest circulating English newspaper in the city
''Vijay Times''
''Vijay Times'' was an English newspaper s ...
'' felt that "Komal does his job well" and that "
ere are no histrionics with everything cut to the point." Prior to the film's release, Komal had stated that he would quit Kannada films if it failed commercially. After being typecast as an actor who could only play comedic roles, Komal starred in the cop film ''
Kempegowda 2'' (2019), the eponymous role that he shed to play.
Partial filmography
*''All films are in Kannada, unless otherwise noted.''
References
External links
*
Komal Kumar FilmographyKomal Interview
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Kannada people
Indian male film actors
Male actors in Kannada cinema
Living people
Male actors from Karnataka
People from Tumkur district
Indian male comedians
21st-century Indian male actors
1973 births