Kamdhenupaints at 12:16, 9 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian film director and screenwriter}}
{{Infobox person
| name = M. R. Vittal
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =Madakshira Raghavendra
Rao Vittal
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Kingdom of Mysore]], [[British India]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter
| known_for =
}}

'''M. R. Vittal''' was an Indian [[film director]] and [[screenwriter]] who worked primarily [[Cinema of Karnataka|Kannada cinema]]. He directed over 18 films in his career, with most of them being very successful and attaining a cult status. In a career spanning two decades, Vittal won three [[National Film Award (India)|National Award]] and three [[Karnataka State Film Award|Karnataka State Awards]] for his films.

Vittal is considered one of the "doyens" of Kannada cinema and is considered to have "carved a niche in the Kannada film industry by exhibiting a rare insight and boldness" while selecting the themes for his films.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/suchitra-to-bring-out-books-on-kannada-film-directors-during-future-festivals/article1173483.ece|title=Suchitra to bring out books on Kannada film directors during future festivals|work=The Hindu|date=6 January 2008}}</ref> Most of his films were based on novels written by eminent scholars. Popular directors such as [[K. S. L. Swamy]] and K. V. Jayaram worked as assistant directors under the guidance of Vittal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/veteran-filmmaker-k-s-l-swamy-passes-away/|title=Veteran filmmaker K.S.L. Swamy passes away|publisher=Indian Express|date=20 October 2015}}</ref>

==Career==
Midway through the shoot of ''[[Dharma Vijaya]]'' (1959), Vittal assumed the responsibilities of directing the movie and completed the shoot but refused to be credited as the director.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iq5Bb2lLzBQ&feature=youtu.be|title = ಎಂ.ಆರ್. ವಿಠಲ್ ಕಂಡ ನಟಸಾರ್ವಭೌಮ | Naadu Kanda Rajkumar Ep 31 | Hariharapura Manjunath|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> Similarly, when his friend [[B. Vittalacharya]] suffered from typhoid and was unable to complete the shoot of ''[[Veera Kesari]]'' (1963), he completed the major portion of the shoot including the immensely popular ''Mellusire Savigana'' song but refused to be credited as the director.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0eaNbnY8c_8&feature|title = ವಿಜಯನಾರಸಿಂಹರ ಈ ಹಾಡುಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳದಿದ್ದರೆ ಗಣೇಶ ಚತುರ್ಥಿಗೆ ಕಳೆಯೇ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ..! | Cinema Swarasyagalu Ep 113|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> His official first directorial project was the 1963 movie ''[[Nanda Deepa]]''. The film starred [[Dr. Rajkumar|Rajkumar]] and [[Harini (Kannada actress)|Harini]] and was produced by Vadiraj. Upon release, the film received rave reviews and went on to be considered "an all-time classic" in the history of Kannada cinema. The success got enhanced with the film receiving the prestigious [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada]] at the [[10th National Film Awards]]. Following this, his next film ''[[Mangala Muhurta]]'' was released in 1964. This film won the Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film at the [[11th National Film Awards]].

In 1965, his third directorial ''[[Miss Leelavathi]]'' based on the late Korati Srinivasa Rao's sensational novel on premarital sex created a sensation for its bold theme. Actress [[Jayanthi (actress)|Jayanthi]] in the protagonist role, found her career break-through with this film. The film for which he wrote the screenplay, again won the Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film at the [[13th National Film Awards]] making his third consecutive win at the National level. His subsequent films ''[[Nakkare Ade Swarga]]'', ''[[Hannele Chiguridaga]]'' and ''[[Eradu Mukha]]'' won him laurels and awards at the [[Karnataka State Film Awards]].

In the 1970s, Vittal directed films such as ''Yaara Sakshi'', ''[[Bala Panjara]]'', ''[[Professor Huchuraya]]'' and ''[[Anna Attige]]'' which were commercial hits and fetched him many accolades. His last film was the 1980 film, ''Varadakshine''.

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Film !! Notes
|-
|1963 || ''[[Nanda Deepa]]'' || Won - [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada]]
|-
|1964 || ''[[Mangala Muhurta]]'' || Won - Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film
|-
|1965 || ''[[Miss Leelavathi]]'' || Won - Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Feature Film
|-
|1966 || ''[[Premamayi]]'' ||
|-
|1967 || ''[[Nakkare Ade Swarga]]'' || Won - [[Karnataka State Film Award for Best Film|Karnataka State Film Award for 2nd Best Film]]
|-
|1967 || ''[[Manassiddare Marga]]'' ||
|-
|1968 || ''[[Hannele Chiguridaga]]'' || Won - [[Karnataka State Film Award for Best Film]]
|-
|1969 || ''[[Margadarshi]]'' ||
|-
|1969 || ''[[Eradu Mukha]]'' || Won - [[Karnataka State Film Award for Best Film|Karnataka State Film Award for 3rd Best Film]]
|-
|1969 || ''Kannu Mucchale'' ||
|-
|1972 || ''Yaara Sakshi'' ||
|-
|1972 || ''[[Bala Panjara]]'' ||
|-
|1974 || ''[[Professor Huchuraya]]'' ||
|-
|1974 || ''[[Anna Attige]]'' ||
|-
|1975 || ''[[Koodi Balona]]'' ||
|-
|1977 || ''Punarmilana'' ||
|-
|1980 || ''Varadakshine'' ||
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0900129}}
* [http://chiloka.com/celebrity/m-r-vittal M. R. Vittal biography]

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vittal M. R.}}
[[Category:Kannada screenwriters]]
[[Category:Kannada film directors]]
[[Category:Date of birth missing]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]
[[Category:Year of death missing]]
[[Category:Film directors from Karnataka]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Karnataka]]

M. R. Vittal - Revision history

Kamdhenupaints at 12:16, 9 February 2026