Think Vishnuvardhan, and the first image that crosses the mind is that of the angry young man he portrayed in Nagarahaavu, his debut movie as a hero.
But soon, the various roles he had played on the tinsel screen passes by in a colourful procession before the inner eye.
Such was the range of the legend called Vishnuvardhan. He refused to be typecast as an angry young man. post-Nagarahaavu, he transformed himself into mature lover in Bandhana.
Better known as Sahasa Simha, the versatility of Vishnu remains unmatched. In the 1988 movie Suprabhaata, Vishnuvardhan played a happy-go-lucky chap, who makes his own rules. The character was accompanied by a song, which when loosely translated, means, “hundreds of people came and hundreds of people went; I am my own companion; I am a happy guy.”
Vishnuvardhan’s life was true to these lines.
Vishnuvardhan, along with the late Dr Rajkumar, shone like a bright star over Sandalwood. Together, these two superstars were the beacons of Kannada cinema, commanding respect and awe from other artistes as well as fans.
Within a span of three years, these two stars have set, plunging Sandalwood into darkness. Besides Kannada films,Vishnuvardhan had also acted in other languages. Viduthalai and Sri Raghavendra in Tamil, and Kauravar in Malayalam with Mammootty, were his acclaimed other language films.
Vishnuvardhan won many prestigious awards including seven best state actor awards and five Film Fare awards. In recognition of his contribution to the film industry, the Bangalore University conferred an honorary doctorate in 2005.
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