https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=B._V._KaranthB. V. Karanth - Revision history2026-07-31T18:58:24ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=B._V._Karanth&diff=141097&oldid=previmported>Chprem at 05:42, 14 August 20212021-08-14T05:42:37Z<p></p>
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{{About|2=the 2012 Indian film on him|3=BV Karanth:Baba|4=other uses|5=Karanth (disambiguation)}}{{More citations needed|date=April 2020}}<br />
{{Short description|Indian filmmaker, theatre personality}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| image = Karanth.jpg<br />
| alt = <br />
| caption = <br />
| birth_name = Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1929|09|19}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Dakshina Kannada district|Manchi]], [[Kingdom of Mysore]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2002|09|01|1929|09|19}}<br />
| death_place = [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]], [[India]]<br />
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]<br />
| other_names = <br />
| occupation = Composer, film director, screenwriter, actor<br />
| known_for = <br />
| spouse = [[Prema Karanth|Prema Rao]] (1958−2002; his death)<br />
}}<br />
'''Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth''' (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) was a film and theatre personality from [[India]]. Throughout his life he was director, actor and musician of modern Indian theatre both in [[Kannada]] as well as [[Hindi theatre|Hindi]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Tracing genesis of indian theatre and its mentors |url=http://www.asianage.com/arts/tracing-genesis-indian-theatre-and-its-mentors-300 |newspaper=[[The Asian Age]] |date=24 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707174913/http://www.asianage.com/arts/tracing-genesis-indian-theatre-and-its-mentors-300 |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}</ref> and one of the pioneers of Kannada and Hindi [[Parallel cinema|new wave cinema]]. He was born in Dakshina Kannada.<br />
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He was an alumnus of the [[National School of Drama]] (1962) and later, its director. He has directed many successful plays and has directed award-winning works in [[Kannada cinema]]. The [[Government of India]] honoured him with the [[Padma Shri]].<br />
<br />
==Biography==<br />
Born in Manchi, a village near Babukodi in [[Bantwal taluk]] of Dakshina Kannada district in 1929, Karanth's passion for theatre started at an early age.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} His first tryst with theatre was when he was in standard III – he acted in ''Nanna Gopala'', a play directed by P.K. Narayana.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}<br />
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He then ran away from home and joined the legendary Gubbi Veeranna drama company where he worked alongside [[Rajkumar (actor)|Rajkumar]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/03spec.htm|access-date=6 June 2007|title=B V Karanth redefined Indian theater|quote=He ran away from home when he was a young boy and joined the famous Gubbi professional theatre company, where he was a contemporary of superstar Dr Rajakumar.| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070713210205/http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/03spec.htm| archive-date= 13 July 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> who also was starting out then as a novice.<br />
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[[Gubbi Veeranna]] sent Karanth to [[Banaras]] to gain a Master of Arts degree, where he also underwent training in [[Hindustani music]] under Guru Omkarnath Thakur.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}<br />
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Thereafter, along with his wife, [[Prema Karanth]], Karanth set up "Benaka", one of Bangalore's oldest theatre groups. It is an acronym for Bengalooru Nagara Kalavidaru. Then, Prema took up a teaching job in Delhi and supported Karanth through the [[National School of Drama]]. He was to return the compliment after he graduated from the [[NSD]], and eventually became its director.<br />
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He later graduated from the [[National School of Drama]] (NSD), New Delhi, in 1962, then headed by [[Ebrahim Alkazi]]. Between 1969 and 1972, he worked as a drama instructor at the [[Sardar Patel Vidyalaya]], New Delhi after which the couple returned to Bangalore. Here Karanth dabbled in some cinema as well as music and was involved with the likes of [[Girish Karnad]] and [[U.R. Ananthamurthy]] in these ventures.<br />
<br />
He then returned to the NSD, this time as its Director in 1977. As the director of NSD, Karanth took theatre to far-flung corners of India. He conducted several workshops in places far away as [[Madurai]] in Tamil Nadu. After his stint as the director of NSD, the Madhya Pradesh government invited him to head the Rangamandal repertory under the aegis of the Bharat Bhavan.<br />
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After rendering yeoman service to the theatre scene in [[Madhya Pradesh]] between 1981 and '86, Karanth returned to Karnataka. It was alleged by the MP Police that he was having an affair with one actress-Vibha Mishra, where in a drunk state, he poured Kerosene over her, and burnt her. However, Vibha, after recovering from her injuries, gave a statement that proved Karanth's innocence and freed him from the charges of an attempt to murder. He was criticised bitterly by Women activists and was forced to move out of Bhopal.<br />
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In 1989, the Karnataka government invited him to set up a repertory in Mysore, which he named [[Rangayana]] and headed until 1995.<ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1920/stories/20021011005912100.htm A genius of theatre] [[The Hindu]], 11 October 2002.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. B.V. Karnath|url=http://www.mysoreonline.com/html/karanthbv.html|publisher=mysoreonline.com|access-date=2 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823035820/http://www.mysoreonline.com/html/karanthbv.html|archive-date=23 August 2000}}</ref> He was diagnosed with [[prostate cancer]] in the late 1990s and died at 8 p.m. ([[Indian Standard Time|IST]]) on 1 September 2002 in a private hospital in Bangalore.<ref>{{cite news|title=Theatre personality B V Karanth is dead|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/01bvk.htm|access-date=2 May 2017|work=Rediff.com|agency=Press Trust of India|date=2 September 2002}}</ref><br />
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<!--He brought together young men and women from all over Karnataka and built up a professional theatre movement, organised with the best contemporary knowhow, on a sylvan campus in Mysore. He and his students built themselves a beautiful open-air theatre in the best traditions of Greek amphitheatres. His troupe put up some of the best theatre Karnataka had witnessed, and toured both the country and overseas with these plays.<br />
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Karanth wanted the repertory to spin off professionally on its own after a point, but that never happened. After some time, government grants dried up. Rangayana folded up and Karanth returned to Bangalore. --><br />
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==Translator==<br />
His translations from Sanskrit into Hindi include Swapna Vasavadatta, Uttararama Charita and Mrichchakatika . He has also translated a large number of plays from Kannada to Hindi and vice versa. His translation of Girish Karnad's play Tughlaq into Hindi/Urdu has attained cult status.<br />
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==Institutions==<br />
* 1962: graduated from NSD, winning an award as the best all - round student<br />
* 1977 - 1981: Director of NSD<br />
* 1981 - 1988: Founding director of Rangamandal at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal<br />
* 1989 - 1995: Founding director of Rangayana, Mysore <br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
Karanth entered the Kannada theatre scene in the late 1960s and early '70s. His entry brought about a sea change in Kannada theatre which then was steeped in the old, formal proscenium style. His plays like Jokumara Swamy, Sankranti, Huchu Kudure and Oedipus to name a few, which were directed in the early 1970s, were hailed as trendsetters. These plays touched upon all aspects of theatre like language, music, song, stylisation<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1920/stories/20021011005912100.htm|access-date=6 February 2007|title=A genius|quote=Recalling the sense of excitement and exhilaration she and a group of young friends felt when they first saw Jokkumbara Swamy, Sankranti, Huchu Kudurai and Oedipus, a set of plays he directed in the early 1970s, she said: "To Karanth theatre was celebration, infused with joie de vivre. You will never find a dull, prosaic Karanth play. His was the closest you could come to 'total' theatre, where language, music, song, stylization, often through folk forms, were all present."}}</ref><br />
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The innovative use of music was one Karanth's biggest contributions to theatre.<ref>"I would say this is an essential component of the Karanth legacy," said Lakshmi Chandrashekhar, leading stage artist and theatre critic.</ref> One of Karanth's strengths was his ability to draw on classical, traditional and folk forms and fuse them in his compositions. His plays were less famous for design as for their musical content, which became part of the prose of theatre."<br />
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In 2010, at the 12th [[Bharat Rang Mahotsav]], the annual theatre festival of [[National School of Drama]], Delhi, a tribute exhibition dedicated to life, works and theatre of B.V. Karanth and [[Habib Tanvir]] was displayed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/theatre/article87544.ece|title=Saluting stalwarts|date=21 January 2010 |newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref><br />
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Jnanpith awardee [[Nirmal Verma]] had once described Karanth as “the authentic desi genius of Indian theatre”.<ref>https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/rooted-in-soil/article19637022.ece</ref><br />
<br />
<!--Karanth's musical compositions were critically acclaimed for their uniqueness. His music had distinctly folksy overtones. He had a powerful singing voice that never failed to enthrall listeners. It had a raw, earthy quality that had a strangely hypnotic quality. The last film he scored the music for was Girish Karnad's national award-winning Kannada film Kannoora Heggadthi.<br />
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He was always trying to experiment with dramatic forms, and this is what his contemporaries remember most about him. "His staging of [[Macbeth]] in the [[Yakshagana]] folk style was unforgettable," recalls Jnanpith awardee [[U.R. Ananthamurthy]]. Adds film-maker M S Sathyu: "An era of theatre has come to an end with Karanth, not just in Karnataka, but all over India. We can only hope that he has inspired enough young artistes to become innovators and creators of drama, like he himself always was." --><br />
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==Plays of B. V. Karanth==<br />
Karanth directed over a hundred plays, more than half of which were in Kannada with Hindi close behind. He also directed plays in English, [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Malayalam]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Urdu]], [[Sanskrit]] and [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]. ''Hayavadana'' (by Girish Karnad), ''Kattale Belaku'', ''Huchu Kudure'', ''Evam Indrajit'', ''Oedipus'', ''Sankranti'', ''Jokumara Swami'', ''Sattavara Neralu'', ''Huttava Badidare'' and ''Gokula Nirgamana'' are some of his most popular plays in Kannada.<br />
Of the forty or so plays he directed in Hindi, [[Macbeth]] (using the traditional [[Yakshagana]] dance drama form), King Lear, Chandrahasa, Hayavadana, Ghasiram Kotwal, Mrichha Katika, Mudra Rakshasa, and Malavikagni Mitra are some of the more popular ones. Karanth also revelled in directing children and directed several children plays like ''Panjara Shale'', ''Neeli Kudure'', ''Heddayana'', ''Alilu Ramayana'' and ''The Grateful Man''.<br />
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==Benaka==<br />
In 1974, Karanth started ''BeNaKa'' a repertory in Bangalore. Benaka was an acronym for ''Bengalooru Nagara Kalavidaru''. Benaka stages several hugely popular plays like ''Hayavadana'' all across Karnataka and even overseas. At Benaka, Karanth also took a special interest in children's theatre and directed several plays with children. This group has been taken care of by Prema Karanth, Karanth's late wife and a noted theatre personality in her own right. She died on 29-10-07.<br />
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==Contribution to Madhya Pradesh theatre==<br />
Karanth was largely responsible for starting the new theatre movement in [[Madhya Pradesh]]. As director of the NSD, at the invitation of the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, he organized a training-cum-production camp in 1973. In the 1980s, he returned to set up the Rangmandal repertory in Bharat Bhavan. This was to be the first-ever repertory in the state and he became the main creative spirit behind the now-legendary Bharat Bhavan.<br />
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Rangmandal, for the first time, folk professionals were used for training contemporary actors, and the repertory also included folk performers among its members. Apart from Hindi, plays were also produced in dialects such as Bundelkhandi, Malavi and Chhattisgarhi which created huge ticket-buying audiences for the Rangmandira.<br />
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==Contribution to Andhra Pradesh theatre==<br />
With the integration of Alarippu and National school of Drama-New Delhi, Karanth had contributed three great plays in Telugu. Collaborated with Surabhi theatre of Andhra Pradesh, Karanth conducted three workshops respectively 'Bhishma' in 1996, 'Chandipriya' in 1997 and 'Basthidevatha yadamma'. It is his dedication that Karanth spent his time during the workshops in corner villages of Andhra Pradesh to brought up the dramas.<br />
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==Filmmaking==<br />
Karanth directed four feature films and four documentaries, apart from scoring the music for 26 films.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}} He co-directed films like [[Vamsha Vriksha]] and [[Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane]] with [[Girish Karnad]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}<br />
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==Awards and honors==<br />
;Civilian honors<br />
* [[Padmashri]] - Government of India, (1981)<br />
* [[Kalidas Samman]] - Government of [[Madhya Pradesh]], (1976)<br />
* Gubbi Veeranna Award - Government of [[Karnataka]], (1976)<br />
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;National Honors<br />
*[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] (1976)<br />
<br />
;[[National Film Awards]]<br />
* 1971 – [[National Film Award for Best Direction]] – [[Vamsha Vriksha]]<br />
* 1971 – [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada]] – [[Vamsha Vriksha]]<br />
* 1975 – [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]] – [[Chomana Dudi]]<br />
* 1976 – [[National Film Award for Best Music Direction]]: Rishya Shrunga<br />
* 1977 – National Film Award for Best Music Direction: [[Ghatashraddha]]<br />
* 1977 – National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada– [[Tabbaliyu Neenade Magane]]<br />
<br />
;[[Karnataka State Film Awards]]<br />
* 1971-72 - First Best Film – Vamsha Vruksha<br />
* 1971-72 - Best Dialogue Writer – Vamsha Vruksha<br />
* 1975-76 - First Best Film – Chomana Dudi<br />
* 1975-76 - Best Music Director – Hamsageethe<br />
<br />
;[[Filmfare Awards South]]<br />
* 1972 - [[Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada|Best Director Kannada]] – [[Vamsha Vriksha]]<br />
* 1975 - [[Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada|Best Director Kannada]] – [[Chomana Dudi]]<br />
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==Documentary film on B. V. Karanth==<br />
In 2012, [[Films Division]] produced a 93-minute film on BV Karanth called [[BV Karanth:Baba]]. The film bases itself on BV Karanth's autobiography in Kannada called ''Illiralaare, Allige Hogalaare'' (I can't stay here, I won't go there) compiled by well known [[Kannada]] writer [[Vaidehi (Kannada writer)|Vaidehi]].<br />
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==Works==<br />
*''[https://books.google.com/books?id=8KCh9fBuzckC&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:%22Girish+Karnad%22&hl=en&ei=er-RTfjWGse3cKWqzYkH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false Tughlaq (Hindi)], by Girish Karnad. Tr. by B. V. Karanth. Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt Ltd, 2005. {{ISBN|81-7119-790-6}}.<br />
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==Notes==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==References==<br />
* [http://www.deccanherald.com/archives/jan282007/finearts1649262007127.asp A writeup on ''Benaka'']<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001005945/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/10/06/stories/2006100601560200.htm A man for challenges – a write-up in The Hindu]<br />
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1920/stories/20021011005912100.htm A genius of theater]<br />
* [http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/03spec.htm B V Karanth redefined Indian theater – A tribute by M D Riti]<br />
<!--* http://nsd.gov.in/nsd_schoolfelicit.htm<br />
* http://www.rangayana.org/profile.htm - rangayana<br />
* http://www.udupipages.com/home/geleya.html -rathabeedi geleyaru<br />
* [https://archive.today/20130126020605/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2006/11/10/stories/2006111001930300.htm ] - karanth music<br />
* http://www.ourkarnataka.com/Articles/obit/bvkaranth.htm<br />
* http://www.themusicmagazine.com/spandana25.html<br />
* http://www.udupipages.com/home/prasanga/rrc6.html<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050502170238/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/06/16/stories/2002061600250500.htm ]<br />
--><br />
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==External links==<br />
* {{IMDb name}}<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050208211455/http://www.chaosmag.net/karanth.html About B. V. Karanth]<br />
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/09/02/stories/2002090204280600.htm Leading light of Kannada theatre fades out] in [[The Hindu]], 2 September 2002<br />
* [http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/sep/03spec.htm An obituary]<br />
* [http://www.natarang.org/ Natarang Pratishthan: Archive and Resource Centre for Indian Theatre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221063512/http://www.natarang.org/ |date=21 December 2019 }}<br />
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{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}<br />
{{NationalFilmAwardBestDirection}}<br />
{{NationalFilmAwardBestMusicDirection}}<br />
{{FilmfareAwardBestScreenplay}}<br />
{{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Karanth, B. V.}}<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian film directors]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]<br />
[[Category:National School of Drama alumni]]<br />
[[Category:National School of Drama faculty]]<br />
[[Category:Kannada people]]<br />
[[Category:Kannada film score composers]]<br />
[[Category:Kannada film directors]]<br />
[[Category:Indian theatre directors]]<br />
[[Category:Hindi theatre]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]<br />
[[Category:2002 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:1929 births]]<br />
[[Category:People from Dakshina Kannada district]]<br />
[[Category:Kannada dramatists and playwrights]]<br />
[[Category:Filmfare Awards South winners]]<br />
[[Category:Best Music Direction National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:Best Director National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:Indian arts administrators]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian composers]]<br />
[[Category:Screenwriters from Karnataka]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male stage actors]]<br />
[[Category:Male actors in Kannada theatre]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]<br />
[[Category:Kannada screenwriters]]<br />
[[Category:Film directors from Karnataka]]<br />
[[Category:Dramatists and playwrights from Karnataka]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]<br />
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian screenwriters]]</div>imported>Chprem