Kannada Cinema’s ‘Prachanda Kulla’ Dwarakish Is No More

Comedy actor and producer Dwarakish reportedly passed away at the age of 81. The veteran actor reportedly resided in Electronic City and passed away due to age-related ailments. He is said to have complained of respiratory problems before passing away in his sleep.

Dwarakish was known for his comedic roles and collaborations with star Dr. Vishnuvardhan. The duo worked on multiple films including Kittu Puttu (1977), Singapoorinalli Raaja Kulla (1978), Prachanda Kulla (1984), Guru Shishyaru (1981), Indina Ramayana (1984), Apthamitra (2004), and more. Dwarakish also produced most of these films under his production banner Dwarakish Chithra. The producer/actor made his debut as a producer with Dr. Rajkumar’s Mayor Muthanna (1969). His last film as a producer was Ayushman Bhava (2019) with Shivarajkumar, the son of Dr. Rajkumar.

Dwarakish was also a director and helmed multiple films in Kannada and Tamil. He debuted as a filmmaker with the drama Naa Bareda Kadambari, which starred Vishnuvardhan. He has collaborated with actors such as Shankar Nag, Vinod Kumar, Ambareesh, Rajinikanth, and more. As a producer, he was known as a visionary. He produced the first Kannada film to be shot abroad with Singapoorinalli Raaja Kulla (1978) and brought legendary singer Kishore Kumar to the Kannada industry with the song ‘Aadu Aata Aadu’ from Kulla Agent 000 (1972).