Girish Karnad was an actor, film director, Kannada writer and a Rhodes scholar. He worked mainly in South Indian cinema and Bollywood.
Karnad's rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the coming of age of modern Indian playwriting in Kannada.
He was a recipient of the 1998 Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in India.
He passed away on June 10, 2019, in Bengaluru at the age of 81 due to multiple organ failure following prolonged illness.
On the anniversary of his death let us look at some of his best movies over the years:
1. Samskara
Karnad wrote the screenplay and starred in this Kannada film as the main character. The word samskara means 'ritual' in Kannada. The story revolves around two people, one who takes their religion seriously and the other who doesn't.
2. Vamsha Vriksha
Karnad helped in directing and writing the screenplay of this film. He even starred in it. Vamsha Vriksha means 'The Genealogy tree'. It is about marriage, re-marriage, the woes of life, karma, family history and genealogy.
3. Umbartha
Umbartha is a Marathi film in which Karnad played the role of Advocate Subhash Mahajan. The film revolves around the story of a woman who dreams of stepping out of the home and bringing a change in the society.
4. Aparoopa
Aparoopa is an Assamese drama film. Here, Karnad plays the role of Mr. Khanna. This is a story of a woman who had to give up her education to get married and keep her family financially afloat.
5. Ananda Bhairavi
This is an Indian bilingual dance film shot in Telugu and Kannada. This film gives knowledge about the origin of Kuchipudi dance.
6. Anveshane
Anveshane is a Kannada film. Karnad helped in writing it and he even played a pivotal role in it. This is a mystery film.
7. Chalk n Duster
This film is based on the commercialization of the Indian private education system. It highlights the problems of teachers and students in an educational system that is changing day by day.
8. 24
This is a Tamil science fiction action film. In this film, a scientist invents a time machine which leads to a bitter battle between his evil twin brother and his son.
