G. V. Iyer
Encyclopedia
Ganapathi Venkatrama Iyer (Kannada:ಗಣಪತಿ ವೆಂಕಟನಾರಾಯಣ ಅಯ್ಯರ್ )(known as G. V. Iyer) was a well known Indian film
director and actor. He was nicknamed "Kannada Bheeshma", and was the only person who made movies in Sanskrit
. His films were well-known for their spiritual themes. He was born in 1917 in Nanjanagud in Mysore district of Karnataka
state in South India
. His most critically acclaimed film was Bhagawad Gita (1993), which won the National Film Award for Best Film
and was nominated for Best Film at the Bogotá
Film Festival.
theatre group. His first role as an actor in cinema was in the film Radharamana. Besides this he acted in a number of other movies such as Mahakavi Kalidasa
, Sodhari, Hemavati, Hari Bhaktha and Bedara Kannapa
. He soon started directing his own movies. The movie Hamsageethe (music by Dr. Balamuralikrishna
, B. V. Karanth
and T.G. Lingappa) was extremely well received and made him famous. Iyer wrote scripts, lyrics and produced and directed many commercial Kannada movies. Iyer’s biggest effort was Ranadheera Kanteerava. He continued making commercial movies until 1970.
He was proficient in both Kannada and Sanskrit
and was soon to make the first movie in Sanskrit, about the famous philosopher Adi Shankara
(1983). The movie received the National Film Awards
for Best Film
, Best Screenplay
, Best Cinematography
and Audiography
and has been known as a master piece. It is believed that the movie made a great impact on Iyer. It was remarked that he stopped wearing footwear after making the movie.
He later went on to make a movie on Madhvacharya
in Kannada and Ramanuja
charya in Tamil. He also made a remarkable Sanskrit movie Bhagawad Gita (1993), which won Best Film
at the National Film Awards
of 1993. The film was also nominated for Best Film at the Bogotá
Film Festival.
He also produced a television series Natyarani Shanthala, a historical, on the Hoysala Jain queen Shanthala, who was married to a Vaishnava King. It was re-made in Hindi
as well as in Kannada. It was based on several works by Samethanahalli Rama Rao
in Kannada.
He later went on to make a movie Swami Vivekananda
. It was an attempt to portray Swami Vivekananda
, realistically. Though it had many famous actors such as Mithun Chakraborty
, Hema Malini
and Sarvadaman Banerjee, the movie failed to become a commercial success.
He was planning a film based on the Hindu
epic Ramayana
, with Sanjay Dutt
playing the role of Ravana
, before his sudden death in December 2003 at the age of 87.
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
director and actor. He was nicknamed "Kannada Bheeshma", and was the only person who made movies in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. His films were well-known for their spiritual themes. He was born in 1917 in Nanjanagud in Mysore district of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
state in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. His most critically acclaimed film was Bhagawad Gita (1993), which won the National Film Award for Best Film
National Film Award for Best Film
The National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
and was nominated for Best Film at the Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
Film Festival.
Career
He started his career at the age of eight when he joined the Gubbi VeerannaGubbi Veeranna
Gubbi Veeranna was an Indian theatre director, one of the pioneers and most prolific contributors to Kannada theatre. He established the drama company, Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company that played a crucial role in promoting the Kannada theatre. Some of the stalwarts that have emerged out of this...
theatre group. His first role as an actor in cinema was in the film Radharamana. Besides this he acted in a number of other movies such as Mahakavi Kalidasa
Mahakavi Kalidasa
Mahakavi Kalidasa is a Kannada movie made in 1955 by K. R. Seetarama with Kalidasa role played by then famous singer of Karnataka Honnappa Bhagavatar of Bangalore. Honnappa Bagavatar introduced B. Sarojadevi to the world of film. B. Sarojadevi later became a very well known actress in Kannada,...
, Sodhari, Hemavati, Hari Bhaktha and Bedara Kannapa
Bedara Kannapa
Bedara Kannappa is a 1954 Indian film directed by H. L. N. Simha and written by G. V. Iyer. It stars Pandari Bai and Dr. Rajkumar in his first lead role. Bedara Kannappa started as a play produced by the Gubbi Veeranna Nataka Company before it became a Kannada film...
. He soon started directing his own movies. The movie Hamsageethe (music by Dr. Balamuralikrishna
Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna
Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna is a Carnatic vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and a playback singer. He is also acclaimed as a poet, composer and respected by all Indian classical musicians for his knowledge of Carnatic Music....
, B. V. Karanth
B. V. Karanth
Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth was a renowned film and theatre personality from India...
and T.G. Lingappa) was extremely well received and made him famous. Iyer wrote scripts, lyrics and produced and directed many commercial Kannada movies. Iyer’s biggest effort was Ranadheera Kanteerava. He continued making commercial movies until 1970.
He was proficient in both Kannada and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and was soon to make the first movie in Sanskrit, about the famous philosopher Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (IAST: pronounced , (Sanskrit: , ) (788 CE - 820 CE), also known as ' and ' was an Indian philosopher from Kalady of present day Kerala who consolidated the doctrine of advaita vedānta...
(1983). The movie received the National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
for Best Film
National Film Award for Best Film
The National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
, Best Screenplay
National Film Award for Best Screenplay
The National Film Award for Best Screenplay winners:-References:...
, Best Cinematography
National Film Award for Best Cinematography
The National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
and Audiography
National Film Award for Best Audiography
The National Film Award for Best Audiography winners:...
and has been known as a master piece. It is believed that the movie made a great impact on Iyer. It was remarked that he stopped wearing footwear after making the movie.
He later went on to make a movie on Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
in Kannada and Ramanuja
Ramanuja
Ramanuja ; traditionally 1017–1137, also known as Ramanujacharya, Ethirajar , Emperumannar, Lakshmana Muni, was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete...
charya in Tamil. He also made a remarkable Sanskrit movie Bhagawad Gita (1993), which won Best Film
National Film Award for Best Film
The National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...
at the National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
of 1993. The film was also nominated for Best Film at the Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
Film Festival.
He also produced a television series Natyarani Shanthala, a historical, on the Hoysala Jain queen Shanthala, who was married to a Vaishnava King. It was re-made in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as well as in Kannada. It was based on several works by Samethanahalli Rama Rao
Samethanahalli Rama Rao
Samethanahalli Rama Rao was a noted Kannada author. He was born in the village of Samethanahalli which is an hour east of Bangalore near Whitefield...
in Kannada.
He later went on to make a movie Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (1998 film)
Swami Vivekananda is an Indian film made in 1995 starring Mithun Chakraborty as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sarvadaman D. Banerjee as Swami Vivekananda. The film attracted media attention as the director's films were well-known for their spiritual themes...
. It was an attempt to portray Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
, realistically. Though it had many famous actors such as Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....
, Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
and Sarvadaman Banerjee, the movie failed to become a commercial success.
He was planning a film based on the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, with Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
playing the role of Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
, before his sudden death in December 2003 at the age of 87.