Kiran Kumar (born 22 October 1976), known by his screen name Prem's, is an Indian film director 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. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...

Personal life

Prem was born as Kiran Kumar on 22 October 1976 in Maddur, in the

Mandya district Mandya district is an administrative district of Karnataka, India. The district Mandya was carved out of larger Mysore district in the year 1939. Mandya is the main town in Mandya district. As of 2011, the district population was 1,808,680 ...

of the Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, to Rajappa and Bhagyamma. He is married to actress-turned-producer

Rakshita Shweta, known by her stage name Rakshita, is an Indian television personality, film producer and former actress known for her work in Kannada cinema, Kannada films, addition to a few Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil films. Early ...

and they have a son named Surya.

Career

Prem started his career as

assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...

on the film '' Nishkarsha'' (1993), working with

Sunil Kumar Desai Sunil Kumar Desai is an Indian film director, writer and producer, known for his work in Kannada cinema. In most of his films, Desai blends art and commercial cinema. He has written and directed Thriller (genre), Thrillers and Romance films. He ...

, while he was pursuing his

pre-university course According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), basic education comprises the two stages primary education and lower secondary education. Universal basic education Basic education featured heavily in the 1997 ISCED ...

. Upon completion of the film, he returned to his hometown Mandya to complete the course before returning to Bangalore. He proceeded to work as an associate director with G. K. Mudduraj on ''Rayara Maga'' (1994) and ''Kannamuchchale'';

Dorai–Bhagavan Dorai–Bhagavan were an Indian filmmaking duo consisting of directors B. Dorai Raj (died 2000) and S. K. Bhagavan (5 July 1933 – 20 February 2023), active mainly in Kannada cinema. The duo directed twenty seven films together, most of which ...

; and with A. R. Babu on '' Hello Yama''. Producer Anekal Balaraju offered him an opportunity to direct his first film ''

Kariya is a city in central Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 153,162 in 66,751 households, and a population density of 3,040 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kariya is situated in central Aic ...

'' (2003) independently. ''Kariya'' was a gangster romance film starring

Darshan Darshan, a Sanskrit word meaning "sight" or "viewing", may refer to: Ceremony and religion * Darshan (Indian religions), the auspicious sight of a divine image or holy person; also a school of Hindu philosophy * Darshan (Judaism), a Scriptural ...

in the lead. The film was critically acclaimed and appreciated by the audience. Prem was lauded for his casting of real life big dons to act in his movie. The soundtrack and cinematography were also widely appreciated. Darshan played a gangster struggling to express his love. The same year, Prem directed the light-hearted romantic film '' Excuse Me'' with

Ajay Rao Ajay Rao (also credited as Krishna Ajay Rao) is an Indian actor who works primarily in Kannada film industry. He rose to fame with 2003 blockbuster movie '' Excuse Me''. Career Ajay Rao debuted as a lead with the film '' Excuse Me'' (2003) and ...

, Sunil Raoh and Ramya in the lead roles. The film turned out to be a musical hit with many of its songs composed by R. P. Patnaik becoming chart busters. In 2005, Prem came out with his biggest blockbuster film, '' Jogi'', starring

Shivarajkumar Dr.Shiva Rajkumar (born Nagaraju Shiva Puttaswamy; 12 July 1962) is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, he has worked in over 125 films in Ka ...

Jennifer Kotwal Jennifer Kotwal is an Indian actress and a model who predominantly appeared in Kannada-language films. She is best known for her role in the film '' Jogi'', 2005 Indian Kannada-language action film The action film is a film genre that predomin ...

and Arundhati Nag in the lead roles. The film made record collections at the box-office. The mother-son sentiment theme was widely applauded and was considered as Shivarajkumar's biggest comeback film. Following three back-to-back super hit films, Prem tried his hand at acting besides directing the film ''Ee Preethi Yeke Bhoomi Melide'' in 2008. The film's pre-release promotions received much media attention and expectations of the film were high. Bollywood actress

Mallika Sherawat Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), better known as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi language films. Known for her bold onscreen portrayal in films like '' Khwahish'' (2003) and ''Murder'' (2004), Sheraw ...

made her debut in South Indian films with a special appearance. The film was widely popular for its melodious soundtracks. Prem next directed the film '' Raaj the Showman'' in 2010. It starred

Puneeth Rajkumar Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), affectionately known as Appu (by his fans, after his first lead role in the movie Appu (2002 film), ''Appu''), was an Indian actor, playback singer, film producer, television presenter a ...

and Priyanka Kothari. It is remembered mostly for its soundtrack by

V. Harikrishna V. Harikrishna (born 5 November 1974) is an Indian film score and soundtrack composer, playback singer and Producer. He has mainly scored music for Kannada films. Harikrishna made his debut as an independent composer in actor Darshan's first ...

and cinematography. The movie was an average grosser at the box office despite the presence of the heavyweights

and

. Prem, for the first time without himself directing, accepted the lead role in the controversial film titled '' Prem Adda'', a remake of the Tamil blockbuster hit ''

Subramaniapuram ''Subramaniapuram'' is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action film written, produced, and directed by Sasikumar. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai, Swathi, Samuthirakani, Ganja Karuppu, and himself in pivotal roles. The film also mar ...

'' with music by V. Harikrishna and directed by Mahesh Babu. The film made an average collection in box office. Under his production house Premdreams he produced and acted in the movie '' DK'' in 2014. Prem's '' Ek Love Ya'' has been released. The movie stars debutant Raanna and is produced by

Prem. His upcoming Pan Indian film, '' KD - The Devil'', starring Dhruva Sarja,

Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films. ...

, and

Shilpa Shetty Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty, 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi, Kannada and Telugu films. She made her screen debut in the thriller '' Baazigar'' (1993) which gained her first nomination for the Film ...

is slated for a release in 2025.

Filmography

Discography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prem (Kiran) 1976 births Living people Kannada film directors Male actors in Kannada cinema Kannada playback singers Kannada-language lyricists People from Mandya district 21st-century Indian people Film directors from Bengaluru Indian male playback singers Singers from Bengaluru Male actors from Bengaluru Indian male film actors