Puttanna Kanagal

Puttanna Kanagal was born to a poor Brahmin family in Kanagal, a village in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore. He had to endure hardships and struggle to get a decent job. He worked as a teacher, salesman and even as a cleaner. His job as a publicity boy brought him closer to theatre and subsequently to cinema. His association with films began when he started working for B. R. Panthulu as an assistant director and also as his driver. His first film as an assistant director was Rathnagiri Rahasya (1957). Puttanna made his directorial debut with Belli Moda (1967), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada. He went on to make many acclaimed and successful films in Kannada cinema, such as Kappu Bilupu, Gejje Pooje, Sharapanjara, Sakshatkara, Nagarahaavu, Ranganayaki, and others. He also directed a few films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. He was known for his women-centric films that explored the complex and sensitive issues of society. He also introduced many talented actors and actresses to the film industry, such as Kalpana, Aarathi, Ramakrishna, Srinath, Padma Vasanthi, and others. Puttanna married Nagalakshmi at a very young age and they had five children. However, he fell in love with his protégé and leading actress Aarathi and they got married during 1976-77. They had a daughter named Yashaswini, who was born in 1978. However, due to creative differences, Puttanna and Aarathi separated in 1981. Puttanna's health also deteriorated after his magnum opus Ranganayaki did not do well at the box office, even though it gained critical acclaim and later went on to become a cult classic. He had no work in hand for 14 months starting from late 1980 to mid of 1982. Srinath, whom Puttanna directed in blockbuster films like Shubhamangala and Dharmasere, came to his help and they made Maanasa Sarovara, which became an average hit and helped Puttanna bounce back. Puttanna died on 5 June 1985 in Bengaluru while shooting Masanada Hoovu. He was 51 years old. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influential filmmakers and is regarded as a pioneer of the parallel cinema movement in India. He has won several awards and honors, including the Karnataka State Film Awards, the Filmfare Awards South, the Nandi Awards, and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor.