Shivaram

Shivaram has been in the Kannada film industry for six decades now, yet he remembers every incident as if it happened just yesterday, in all its vivid details. He has worked in every wing of the film industry, majorly working as a producer, director and actor. His presence alone eases a critical situation while providing strength to both the producer and the director. He was born in 1938 in Choodasandra village in Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border in the then Madras presidency.

He later on, went to Bangalore to continue his secondary studies along with his elder brother, who was running a typewriting institute then. His first love was theatre, specifically the screening of Gubbi Veeranna Gubbi Veeranna was a veteran theater personality w >> Read More... , which made him turn towards film-making acting. Henceforth, he acted in several stage plays, joined the cinema in 1958, assisting various directors. Shivaram's first appearance as an actor on the silver screen was with Beratha Jeeva in 1965 directed and co-produced by K. R. Seetharama Sastry.

From then on, he acted with almost all the directors of the 1970 s and 1980 s through 2000 s. But his all-time favourite is Puttanna Kanagal Puttanna Kanagal was known as Chitra Brahma (God o >> Read More... , with whom he worked for long. The only film Shivaram ever directed was Hrudaya Sangama, starring Dr. Rajkumar and Bharati. Calling onto the experimental genre, he has Thaayi Saheba of Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli took birth on December 3, 1950. >> Read More... , Bara and Chitegu Chinte of M.S. Sathyu to himself. He also acted in Grihabhanga, teleserial by Kasaravalli based on the famous novel of Bhyrappa.

He has worked in both experimental and commercial films, and he gives equal importance to both. He argues that while former helps in film industry’s survival, latter helps in taking film industry forward. He was part of both professional and amateur theatre. He enjoys the credibility of witnessing Kannada film industry’s growth both in Madras and later in Bangalore. Discipline is the one value he never gave up on, the fact which won hearts worldwide. Shivaram is also an avid collector of stamps, books and match boxes.

In the basement of his house, there is a huge collection of books on literature, theatre, cinema, art and architecture. A knowledge treasurer, he is a walking encyclopedia. Many in the Kannada industry consider him a one-man University. Talking about future goals, this gem of a man has plans of doing his Masters in Philosophy and writing books that will help directors and producers.