S. K. Bhagavan

Some Lesser Known Facts About S. K. Bhagavan

• S. K. Bhagavan (1933-2023) was a veteran Indian film director, producer, and actor who predominantly worked in the Kannada film industry. On 20 February 2023, he passed away in Bengaluru due to age-related ailments.

• Bhagavan began his career as a theatre actor with a theatre group, Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali.

• In 1956, he was an assistant director to Kanagal Prabhakara Shastry for the film Bhagyodaya.

• The first film Bhagavan directed was Sandhya Raga (1966); however, the film’s direction was officially credited to A. C. Narasimha Murthy.

• In 1967, he co-directed a Kannada film titled Rajadurgada Rahasya alongside A. C. Narasimha Murthy.

  

• Bhagavan and B. Dorairaj collaborated and formed a duo filmmaking pact, famously called Dorai-Bhagavan, and directed many Kannada films from the late 1960s to the early 1990s until B. Dorairaj’s death in 2000.
  

  

• Dorai–Bhagavan mostly worked with Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj, whose stage name was Dr Rajkumar.

• Later, Dorai–Bhagavan directed many Kannada films including Kasturi Nivasa (1971), Eradu Kanasu (1974), Bayaludaari (1977), Chandanada Gombe (1979), Gaalimaatu (1981), Hosa Belaku (1982), and Benkiya Bale (1983). The duo was famous for directing James Bond-style films such as Goa Dalli CID 999 (1968), Operation Jackpot Nalli C.I.D 999 (1969), and Operation Diamond Racket (1978).

• He has mostly worked with the music director duo Rajan-Nagendra and G. K. Venkatesh for most of his films.

• In an interview, Bhagavan once revealed that many people were unaware that Bhagavan also acted in films. He appeared in Kannada films including Mangalasootra, Rowdy Ranganna, Vasantha Geetha, and Sootradhaara.

• The duo’s last film was Baalondu Chaduranga (1995), starring Saikumar and Sudharani.

• After Dorai Raj’s demise in 2000, Bhagavan took a long hiatus from filmmaking.

• In 2016, he was featured in a show titled #BoooMyShow, which premiered on YouTube.

  

• In 2019, Bhagavan made his comeback and directed his 50th film ‘Aaduva Gombe,’ starring Sanchari Vijay and Anant Nag. ^[2]Deccan Herald

  

• He was appointed as the principal of the Adarsha Film Institute in Bengaluru, Karnataka.