G. V. Iyer

Ganapathi Venkatrama Iyer
G. V. Iyer, Indian film-director
G. V. Iyer
Born (1917-09-03)3 September 1917
Nanjanagud, Kingdom of Mysore, British India
Died 21 December 2003(2003-12-21) (aged 86)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality Indian
Other names
  • G. V. Iyer
  • Kannada Bheeshma
Occupation Actor, film director, screenwriter
Known for Sanskrit film direction
Notable work Adi Shankaracharya (1983)
Bhagavad Gita (1993)
Swami Vivekananda (1998)
Madhvacharya (1987)

Ganapathi Venkataramana Iyer (3 September 1917 – 21 December 2003), popularly known as G. V. Iyer, was a well-known Indian film director and actor. He was nicknamed "Kannada Bheeshma",[1] and was the only person who made movies in Sanskrit. His movie Adi Shankaracharya (1983) won four National Film Award, including Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Audiography.[2][3] 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 films were Bhagavad Gita (1993), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film and was nominated for Best Film at the Bogotá Film Festival and Swami Vivekananda (1998), for which Mithun Chakraborty won the national award for Best Supporting Actor.

Career

He started his career at the age of eight when he joined the Gubbi Veeranna theatre group.[4] His first role as an actor in cinema was in the film Radha Ramana. Besides this he acted in a number of other movies such as Mahakavi Kalidasa, Sodhari, Hemavati, Hari Bhaktha and Bedara Kannapa. He is credited with providing breaks to two of the greatest Kannada actors, Dr Raj Kumar and Narasimha Raju in the movie Bedara Kannappa. Though Raj Kumar had acted in a single scene in a movie previously, the movie Bedara Kannappa where Mr Iyer cast him as the hero, is where he got his break and is regarded generally as his first movie. Iyer also produced the critically acclaimed movie Vamsha Vriksha. Based on an acclaimed novel by S L Bhairappa, it was jointly directed by B V Karanth and Girish Karnad.

He soon started directing his own movies. The movie Hamsageethe (music by Dr. Balamuralikrishna, B. V. Karanth and T.G. Lingappa) was 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 to make commercial movies until 1970.

In his younger days, he was committed to Gandhi and his ideals. He stopped wearing footwear from the day Gandhi died and never wore them again. He also wore hand-spun clothes colloquially called "Khadi" as was advocated by Gandhi.

He was proficient in both Kannada and Sanskrit and was soon to make the first movie in Sanskrit, about the famous philosopher Adi Shankaracharya (1983). The movie received the National Film Awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Audiography. It is believed that the movie made a great impact on Iyer.

He later made a film on Madhvacharya in Kannada and Ramanujacharya in Tamil. He also made a remarkable Sanskrit movie Bhagavad Gita (1993), which won Best Film at the National Film Awards of 1993.[5] The film was also nominated for Best Film at the Bogotá Film Festival.

He produced Natyarani Shanthala,[6] a historical television series 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. For this film Mithun Chakraborty won a national award for Best Supporting Actor. Mithun Chakraborty played Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa. Though it had many famous actors such as Mithun Chakraborty, Hema Malini and Sarvadaman Banerjee, the movie failed commercially.

He was planning a film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana, with Sanjay Dutt playing the role of Ravana, before his sudden death on 21 December 2003 at the age of 87. His last rites took place at his Bharadhwaja Ashrama, near Dodda Aladamara, on the outskirts of Bangalore, near Kengeri.[1][7]

Filmography

Director, Writer and Producer

Year Film Credited as Language Notes
Director Writer Producer
1954Bedara KannapaGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1960Ranadheera KanteeravaGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1962BhoodanaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1962Thai KaruluGreen tickKannada
1962Thayin KarunaGreen tickKannada
1962Gaali GopuraGreen tickKannadaLyrics only
1963BangariGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1963Saaku MagaluGreen tickKannadaDialogues only
1963Lawyer MagaluGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1964Post MasterGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1965PazhaniGreen tickTamilOriginal story
1966Kiladi RangaGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1967RajashekaraGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1967Gange GowriGreen tickKannadaDialogues only
1968Mysore TangaGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1968Nane BhagyavathiGreen tickKannada
1969Chowkada DeepaGreen tickKannada
1969Vichitra SamsaraGreen tickKannada
1975Aakhri GeetGreen tickKannada
1975HamsageetheGreen tickGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1977Nalegalannu MaduvavaruGreen tickKannada
1977Kudre MotteGreen tickKannada
1983Adi ShankaracharyaGreen tickGreen tickSanskrit
1986MadhvacharyaGreen tickGreen tickKannada
1989RamanujacharyaGreen tickTamil
1989Wall PosterGreen tickKannada
1993Bhagvad Gita: Song of the LordGreen tickGreen tickSanskrit
1998Swami VivekanandaGreen tickGreen tickHindiMithun Chakraborty won national award for Best Supporting Actor.
2001Sri Krishna LeelaGreen tickGreen tickKannadaUnreleased

Actor

Awards

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "G.V. Iyer". jointscene.
  2. ↑ "31st National Film Awards". India International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013.
  3. ↑ "31st National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals.
  4. ↑ "GV Iyer Movies Collectors Set". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "National Film Awards, India,". IMDb. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "Manju Bhargavi returns to work in Kannada". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  7. ↑ "G.V.Iyer Is No More". Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  8. ↑ "40th National Film Awards". India International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "40th National Film Awards (PDF)" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "G.V. Iyer Awards". whosdatedwho.com. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
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