K. Hirannaiah

K. Hirannaiah was born on 15th February 1934 in Mysore, Karnataka to father K. Hirannaiah (renowned actor/director/writer) and mother Sharadamma. He finished his primary education in Banumayya Middle School and his intermediate from Sarada Vilas College. Following the footsteps of his father and his keen interest in theater (rooting from early stages of his life), he made his first step in the industry as a part of management of his late father’s theater company “K. Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali” shortly after his demise in 1953. His work in theater was also of realism tradition as he usually held a mirror to society’s ills through dramatic and satirical elements in his drama. His breakthrough into popularity was due to his play Lanchavathara in the 1960s using the mentioned elements to comment on the political scene of its times.

His status in the industry is rightfully that of a veteran as a man whose career spanned over five decades with career highlights in both Kannada cinema and drama. Out of these works the most notable being Lanchavathara, Chora Guru Chandala Shishya, Operation Anta, Double Thaali, Sanyasi Samsara, etc. These plays were successful to the point that they were enacted more than 11 thousand times. His contributions exceed beyond his work in Kannada theater as he also left his mark in cinema (being a part of over 30 films). His performance in films such as Lancha Samjarya, Niranthara, etc received recognition and acclaim. These contributions altogether were in the service of the people as his work always fed his audiences food for thought and his ideologies riled them up with optimism and fervor for a progressive change. He passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka due to a liver disease at the age of 85 on 2nd May 2019.