Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar

Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar is a multitalented figure in the cultural domain of South India. He is a renowned writer (having written screenplays, dialogues, and stories), director, producer, columnist, and a lyricist. He was born on 15th August 1951 in a village named Nagathihalli in Mandya district, Karnataka. Since the very beginning, he had an inclination towards literature and so, he mastered in Kannada literature from the Mysore University. His first profession was of a Kannada professor at the Mysore University itself. Soon, he became a successful intellectual and literary figure, having authored many novels and short stories (publishing them as a collection), for which he won the Aryabhatta Awards.

He entered the film industry in 1986 with ‘Kadina Benki’ for which he wrote the screenplay, dialogues and the lyrics as well. He was debuted as a director in 1991 with ‘Undoo Hoda Kandoo Hoda’. In 1995, he gave wings to his literary work ‘America America’ by making an adaptive film with the same name. Two films by Chandrashekhar, apart from ‘Kadina Benki’ and ‘Undoo Hoda Kandoo Hoda’, have won the National Award for Best Regional Film. These are, ‘Kotreshi Kanasu’ (literally meaning Dream of Kotreshi) and ‘Hoomale’ (literally meaning The Shower of Flowers). The 2007 film ‘Maathaad Maathaadu Mallige’ won the hearts of many by depicting the negative effects of globalization on the rural population of countries like India and became the first Kannada film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. In the television industry, he has directed a good number of mega serials on Udaya TV.

His literary works, mainly short stories, have been adapted by different artists to be telecasted on the small screen. From writing novels and short stories, Chandrashekhar has moved on to exploring the world and writing travelogues. He has been a columnist for the weekly Hai Bangalore, and the chief editor of novels like ‘Kaalaatheetha’. Chandrashekhar is not a typical commercial artist of the film industry but has provided food for thoughts through his works. His films are often reflections of the society’s issues, problems, and reality. From the environment to media and globalization, the man has not failed to incorporate almost every issue of interest in his work.