Karnataka Ratna for Vishnuvardhan, Saroja Devi: An honour delayed

Quickly after legendary actors Vishnuvardhan and B. Saroja Devi had been posthumously conferred the Karnataka Ratna, followers had been upset with the Karnataka authorities over the “delayed recognition” of gifted artists from the movie trade.

The final consensus, as summed up from posts on social media, is that the award — the very best civilian honour of Karnataka — was lengthy overdue for these actors who’ve contributed immensely to the trade.

“Vishnuvardhan is without doubt one of the major pillars of the Kannada movie trade,” film-maker Dinesh Baboo instructed The Hindu concerning the veteran actor who starred in over 220 motion pictures since his debut in 1972. The actor handed away on the age of 59 in 2009.

Saroja Devi, often called the feminine famous person of Kannada cinema, handed away in July this 12 months. Inspiring generations together with her expertise and charm, she acted in over 200 movies throughout languages throughout her six-decade profession.

“Rewarding somebody posthumously isn’t the suitable method to deal with our artists,” identified Nationwide Award-winning filmmaker P. Sheshadri. Seasoned filmmaker Rajendra Singh Babu echoed Sheshadri’s opinion. “Posthumous awards act as a welcome aid to followers and household of the awardees. Nonetheless, for the a long time of efforts put in by the actors or technicians, it’s higher that they’re awarded throughout their lifetime,” he stated.

Proficient artists are put in a scenario the place they find yourself asking for an award, stated Sheshadri.

Instituted in 1992, the award is for honouring an individual’s extraordinary contribution to a selected area. Whereas Jnanpith Award-winning poet Kuvempu was the primary recipient, famous person Puneeth Rajkumar, who handed away on the age of 45 because of a cardiac arrest, was the final particular person to be conferred in 2022.

Senior filmmakers really feel the method of selecting candidates for the Karnataka Ratna must be streamlined. “It’s not clear if the award is given for the expertise of an individual or for his contribution to the sphere,” Sheshadri reasoned, including that producers resembling N. Veeraswamy and Dwarakish are worthy of being honoured with the award.

ALSO READ: Karnataka bids farewell to Vishnuvardhan

Rajendra Singh Babu stated that Karnataka Ratna ought to observe the Dadasaheb Phalke Award mannequin. “The Karnataka Ratna must be given yearly, like Dadasaheb Phalke. That means, the federal government can preserve consistency.”

Actor-filmmaker T.S. Nagabharana, who has served as a committee member for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, additionally felt the Phalke mannequin should be tried in Karnataka.

“A panel to finalise the candidate can be a very good possibility,” he stated, including that the State should look past the sphere of artwork to recognise gifted personalities. “Individuals from literature and science have made Karnataka proud,” stated Mr. Nagabharana. As for movies and theatre, he stated it’s excessive time well-known figures resembling Hunsur Krishnamurthy, G.V. Iyer, and actor-producer Jayanthi obtained the popularity.