Renowned Kannada film director SK Bhagavan passed away in Bengaluru on the morning of February 20 at the age of 89 due to age-related illness. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed his condolences on Twitter, saying that he was deeply saddened by the news and praying for strength for Bhagavan’s family.
ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರರಂಗದ ಖ್ಯಾತ ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ಶ್ರೀ ಎಸ್. ಕೆ. ಭಗವಾನ್ ರವರ ನಿಧನದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿದು ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಬೇಸರವಾಯಿತು. ಅವರ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಸದ್ಗತಿ ಕೋರುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬವರ್ಗದವರಿಗೆ ಈ ನೋವನ್ನು ಸಹಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಭಗವಂತ ನೀಡಲಿ ಎಂದು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/KNUL0Gh1wt— Basavaraj S Bommai (Modi Ka Parivar) (@BSBommai) February 20, 2023
Bhagavan, along with his friend and co-director Dorai Raj, directed 55 films including popular movies like ‘Kasthuri Niwas’, ‘Eradu Soyam’, ‘Bayalu Dari’, ‘Giri Kanye’, and ‘Hosa Lekuk’, which starred Kannada cinema legend Rajkumar. The duo was known for making tasteful films and were the first in the Kannada film industry to produce James Bond-style movies.
Bhagavan’s career in the entertainment industry started at an early age when he began acting in theatre plays with Hirannaiah Mithra Mandali. Later on, he worked as an assistant to Kanagal Prabhakar Shastri and co-directed ‘Rajadurgada Rahasya’ (1967) alongside A.C. Narasimha Murthy. He made his professional directorial debut with ‘Jedara Bale’ (1968)
