The first Kannada talkie film ‘Bhakta Dhruva’ was made in 1934. The Kannada cinema was brought into national reckoning by the film ‘Bedara Kannappa’ (1954). The film ‘Ranadheera Kanteerava’ (1960) was the first Kannada hit, which established its star Rajkumar. The first Kannada film to be shown abroad was ‘Nandi’ (1964). Pattabhirama Reddy’s ‘Samskara’ (1970) and B.V. Karanth’s ‘Chomana Dudi’ (1975) made an impact at the national level. Prema Karanth’s ‘Phaniyamma’ (1982) won several awards at the Mannheim Film Festival.
Modern Era of Kannada Cinema:
Sanchari Vijay's portrayal of a transgender won him the National Best Actor Award. With the award, Vijay became the third actor after M. V. Vasudeva Rao, and Charuhasan to win the National Award for Best Actor for a performance in a Kannada film.
Kannada film industry has gained so many awards for its memorable and quality contributions. In 1995 Rajkumar received Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Girish Karnad’s groundbreaking plays in Kannada language theatre some of its best work. He directed quite a few award-winning films in Kannada, but he received recognition as an actor only in Telugu and Hindi films.
