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{{short description|Indian filmmaker}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hunsur Krishnamurthy
| image = Hunsur-Krishnamurthy-pic.jpg
| image_size = 185px
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1914|02|09|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Hunsur]], [[Kingdom of Mysore]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1989|02|13|1914|02|09|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| other_names =
| occupation = {{hlist|Playwright|film director|producer|actor|screenwriter|lyricist}}
| known_for =
| relatives = [[H. R. Bhargava]] <br/> [[Dwarakish]]
}}

'''Hunsur Krishnamurthy''' (9 February 1914 – 13 February 1989){{Citation needed|date=February 2022}} was an Indian playwright, film director, producer, actor, screenwriter and lyricist in [[Cinema of Karnataka|Kannada cinema]].

He worked with noted theatre personalities early in his career; [[Gubbi Veeranna]], Mohammed Peer and [[B. R. Panthulu]] before entering films. As a film director, he made films mostly in the mythological genre such as ''[[Satya Harishchandra (1965 Kannada film)|Satya Harishchandra]]'' (1965), ''[[Bhakta Kumbara]]'' (1974) and ''[[Babruvahana (film)|Babruvahana]]'' (1977), all of which star [[Dr. Rajkumar|Rajkumar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hunsur Krishnamurthy {{!}} Writer, Music Department, Director |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0471468/ |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> The films were major critical and commercial successes and are seen as milestones in Kannada cinema and in the career of Rajkumar.<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen2014">{{cite book |author1=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |author2=Paul Willemen |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&pg=RA1-PA1850 |date=10 July 2014 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-135-94325-7 |pages=129}}</ref>

==Career==

===Theatre===
Prior to working in films, Krishnamurthy worked in [[theatre]] as a [[playwright]], writing plays such as ''Swarga Samrajya''. He then worked for the [[Bangalore]]-based Bharat Nataka Company as a playwright and a scenarist, following which, he had a stint at [[Bombay Talkies]]. He then worked as a part of Marathi stage actor [[Bal Gandharva]]'s theatre troupe. During that time, he also worked with famed Kannada theatre personalities [[Gubbi Veeranna]] and Mohamed Peer. In 1936, during his work with the latter in his drama company Chandrakala Natak, he worked with [[B. R. Panthulu]], another popular theatre personality at the time, in his play ''Samsara Nauke'', as an assistant director.<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen2014" />

===Films===
Krishnamurthy entered the Kannada cinema primarily as a dialogue writer for films such as ''Hemareddy Mallamma'' (1945) and ''Krishnaleele'' (1947). He also wrote the screenplay for the films. Writing lyrics for the soundtracks of films such as ''Kanyadana'', (1954), ''Devakannika'' (1954) and ''[[Sodari (film)|Sodari]]'' (1955), he made his debut as a director in the 1958 mythological film ''[[Shree Krishna Gaarudi]]'', that features [[Dr. Rajkumar|Rajkumar]] in the lead role, an actor who would go on to dominate Kannada cinema as an actor for over two decades. Krishnamurthy followed this up with other films such as ''Veera Sankalpa'' (1964), ''[[Satya Harishchandra (1965 Kannada film)|Satya Harishchandra]]'' (1965), ''Sri Kannika Parameshwari Kathe'' (1966), ''[[Bhakta Kumbara]]'' (1974), ''[[Babruvahana (film)|Babruvahana]]'' (1977), ''Bhakta Siriyala'' (1980), ''Bhakta Dnyanadeva'' (1982) and ''Shiva Kotta Sowbhagya'' (1985). Most of his films in the mythological genre had Rajkumar playing the lead role. Commercial successes during the time, they were instrumental in shaping Rajkumar's career as an actor. His film ''Satya Harishchandra'' won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada]] at the [[13th National Film Awards]], and is seen as a milestone in Kannada cinema.<ref>{{cite web |title=13th National Film Awards |url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/13th_NFA.pdf |publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals |access-date=14 October 2014 |archive-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008121223/http://dff.nic.in/2011/13th_NFA.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> His 1977 film ''Veera Sindhoora Lakshmana'', which was based on the life of Lakshmana, a freedom fighter who fought the British during the [[Indian independence movement|Indian freedom struggle]], was major commercial success.<ref>{{cite news |title=Patriotism, Sandalwood style |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/article589754.ece |newspaper=The New Indian Express |date=15 August 2012 |access-date=14 October 2014 |archive-date=8 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108164708/http://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/article589754.ece |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Actors [[M. P. Shankar]] and [[Rajesh (Kannada actor)|Rajesh]] were introduced by him in his films; Shankar in ''Rathnamanjari'' (1962) and Rajesh in ''Veera Sankalpa''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Actor, producer M.P. Shankar is dead |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/actor-producer-mp-shankar-is-dead/article1298570.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |date=18 July 2008 |access-date=14 October 2014 |archive-date=11 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011144233/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/Actor-producer-M.P.-Shankar-is-dead/article15262940.ece |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=From theatre to celluloid |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/from-theatre-to-celluloid/article1629654.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |date=9 April 2011 |access-date=14 October 2014 |archive-date=9 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409014048/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/from-theatre-to-celluloid/article1629654.ece |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{unreferenced section|date= November 2022}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="width:26px;"|Year
!|Title
!|Language
! width=65 |[[Film director|Director]]
! width=65 |[[Film producer|Producer]]
! width=65 |[[Screenwriter]]
! width=65 |[[Actor]]
! width=65 |[[Lyricist]]
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1945
| ''Hemareddy Mallamma''
| [[Kannada]]
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1947
| ''Krishnaleele''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1950
| ''Shiva Parvathi''
| Kannada
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1951
| ''Janganmohini''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1953
| ''Sowbhagya Lakshmi''
| Kannada
|
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1954
| ''Madiddunno Maharaya''
| Kannada
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|-
| 1954
| ''Kanyadana''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1954
| ''Devakannika''
| Kannada
|
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Sodari (film)|Sodari]]''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1956
| ''Muttaide Bhagya''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1957
| ''Nala Damayanti''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1958
| ''[[Shree Krishna Gaarudi]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Aasha Sundari]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Bhakta Kanakadasa]]''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1961
| ''Mera Suhaag''
| [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1961
| ''Nagarjuna''
| Kannada
|
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Bhakta Cheta]]''
| Kannada
|
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1962
| ''Shri Dharmasthala Mahatme''
| Kannada
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1962
| ''Ratnamanjari''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Veera Sankalpa]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Satya Harishchandra (1965 Kannada film)|Satya Harishchandra]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
| '''Won''', [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada]]
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Maduve Madi Nodu]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Sri Kanyaka Parameshwari Kathe]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Devara Gedda Manava]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1967
| ''Devuni Gelichina Manavudu''
| Telugu
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1968
| ''Adda Dari''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| (final film role)
|-
| 1971
| ''Vishakanya''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1972
| ''Jaga Mechida Maga''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Bangaarada Manushya]]''
| Kannada
|
|
|
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Bhakta Kumbara]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1975
| ''Mantra Shakthi''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Babruvahana (film)|Babruvahana]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Veera Sindhoora Lakshmana]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1979
| ''Kurubara Lakkanu Elizabeth Raniau''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1980
| ''Bhakta Siriyala''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1980
| ''Guru Sarvabhowma Sri Raghavendra Karune''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1981
| ''Edeyuru Siddalingeshwara Mahatme''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1981
| ''Shiva Mahima''
| [[Malayalam]]
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1982
| ''Bhakta Dnyanadeva''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1984
| ''Shiva Kanye''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Shiva Kotta Sowbhagya]]''
| Kannada
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
| {{yes}}
|
|
|}

==Awards==
{{unreferenced section|date= November 2022}}
National Film Awards
* 1965 - Best Kannada Film – ''Sathya Harishchandra''
* 1965 - Third Best Kannada Film – ''Maduve Madi Nodu''
Karnataka State Film Awards
* 1973-74 - Best Dialogue Writer – ''Boothayyana Maga Ayyu''
* 1974-75 - Third Best Film – ''Bhaktha Kumbara''
* 1981-82 - Best Dialogue Writer – ''Edeyooru Siddalingeshwara''
* 1986-87 - Lt. Puttanna Kanagal Award

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0471468}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishnamurthy, Hunsur}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:Kannada dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Kannada screenwriters]]
[[Category:Kannada-language lyricists]]
[[Category:Kannada film directors]]
[[Category:Kannada film producers]]
[[Category:Male actors in Kannada cinema]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Karnataka]]
[[Category:People from Mysore district]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Indian male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Film producers from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Indian male film actors]]
[[Category:Poets from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Malayalam film producers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian screenwriters]]

Hunsur Krishnamurthy - Revision history

Zuko at 22:53, 7 February 2026