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Rajesh
Rajesh
Born	Munichowdappa/later Vidyasagar; 15 April 1932; Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, British Raj
Died	19 February 2022 (aged 89); Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Nationality	Indian
Citizenship	Indian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1963–2022
Known for	Actor
Children	5, including Niveditha Arjun
Relatives	Arjun Sarja (son-in-law)

Vidyasagar (15 April 1932 – 19 February 2022), known by his stage name Rajesh, was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films. Known as 'Kala Thapaswi', Rajesh was an ardent fan of literature. He appeared in many films as the lead in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later on gravitated to strong character roles. He is the father of film actress Aasha Rani who acted in Rathasapthami with Shivrajkumar and the father-in-law of popular Kannada and Tamil actor Arjun Sarja.

Rajesh has acted in over 150 films.^[1] "Kalathapasvi Rajesh Athmakathe" is the biography of Rajesh. In 2014, he was awarded the Dr. Rajkumar Cultural Endowment Award by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat.^[2] He lived in Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore.^[3]

Early life

Rajesh was born as Vidyasagar in Bangalore, India, on 15 April 1932,^[1] to a Kannada Kuruba Gowda family. He grew up watching then stars such as Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, Rajakumar and T. R. Mahalingam. He had developed interest in theatre from his childhood and joined Sudarshana Nataka Mandali without his parents' knowledge. In the name of tuition he was going for practice and the first role he got was ‘Sri Rama’. From pamphlets, his parents discovered that he had joined the theatre troupe.

Career

Early career

Rajesh initially worked as a typist in government offices. He was doing what Chi Udayashanker famous cinema writer was doing in the office. In the ledger books he would keep famous novels and read them. Chi Udayashanker was sent out from office for that. Even Rajesh had faced a similar situation. Later he formed the Shakti Nataka Mandali, staging many popular plays. One fine day he got up from the sleet and started writing a play on unemployment. It was titled ‘Nirudyogi Baalu’. The play he directed later. It got good appreciation. ‘Badavana Baalu’ was his next and it continued like that. Playwright Basheer asked him to act in plays and he was in Visha Sarpa, Nandadeepa, Chandrodaya and Kittur Rani Chennamma. Thackeray role was well received.

His theatre performances eventually progressed to film roles. It was veteran director Hunsur Krishnamurthy who introduced Vidyasagar in Veera Sankalpa. He applied for 15 days leave from his job and went to Madras. While acting in this film he received an offer for ‘Sri Ramanjeneya Yuddha’. Rajakumar was Sri Rama and he was Bharatha, Udayakumar was Anjaneya. It was a successful film. While acting in his second film he received another offer from B R Panthulu for ‘Gange Gowri’. Rajkumar was ‘Shiva’ and he was ‘Maha Vishnu’. Rajesh then rejected the offer to star in ‘Jeevana Tharanga’ because of internal politicking. Rajesh did not act for two years after that. When Narayan Seth from Mumbai contacted him and took him to CV Shivashanker, he returned to acting. That was a new beginning. It was the film's producer B.S. Narayan, Late Shri Suryanarayan Rao & Late J N Shetty who rechristened Vidyasagar as Rajesh and the film was ‘Namma Ooru'.

Namma Ooru (1968) directed by C. V. Shivashankar became runaway hit. The song "Hogadhiri Sodarare" from the film made him popular. The then Finance Minister Ramakrishna Hegde gave the film 100 per cent tax exemption. After that, Rajesh was flooded with offers. He had recently acted in Nanna Gopala, a children's film directed by Lakshman. Though he started a little late compared to Udaykumar, Rajkumar and Kalyan Kumar, they were all contemporaries. In that competitive period, Rajesh stood strong for his terrific performance on the silver screen in Kannada cinema. He was not only good in acting but also in singing.^[3] He has also acted in Devara Makkalu, Prathidwani, Kranthiveera and Bidugade with Dr. Raj Kumar.

Later career

In ‘Devara Gudi’ he costarred with Vishnuvardhana in an important role.^[3] After that he had more hits like Devara Duddu, Badhu Bangaravaythu, Beluvaladha Madilalli, Mugiyadha Kathe in the 1970s and Kaliyuga, Pitamaha and Satyanarayana Pooja Phale in the 1980s.

He was of the notion that, in the 1950s onwards Honnappa Bhagavatar, Rajkumar, Udayakumar, Kalyankumar, B.R. Pantulu, K. S. Ashwath, Narasimha Raju, Balakrishna, Iyer, B. Saroja Devi, Leelavathi, Pandari Bai, MV Rajamma, Mynavathi, Vandhana, Kalpana, Jayanthi, Bharathi enriched the film industry. But Rajesh regretted that Kannada films produced in the recent times have lost their credence in the absence of good story and social commitment. The yesteryear star said "Those films had a message for the society besides providing healthy entertainment. But the films that have come after 1980 lack social commitment and are of cheap taste. The technological development and huge money being spent on films have not been used by filmmakers for the good of the society."^[4]

Death

Rajesh died at a private hospital in Bangalore, on 19 February 2022, at the age of 89. He suffered from breathing complications.^[5]

Awards

Rajesh was conferred the honorary doctorate by the Karnataka University in the year 2012.^[6]^[7]

Partial filmography

Year	Movie (in Kannada)	Role
1963	Sri. Ramanjaneya Yuddha
1964	Veera Sankalpa
1967	Gange Gowri
1968	Namma Ooru
1969	Suvarna Bhoomi
	Broker Bheeshmachari
	Kappu Bilupu
	Eradu Mukha
	Punnya Purusha
	Kaanike
	Brindavana
	Bhale Basava
1970	Arishina Kumkuma
	Mooru Muthugalu
	Boregowda Bangalorige Banda
	Namma Mane
	Suka Samsara
	Aaaru Mooru Vambathu.
	Devara Makkalu
1971	Poornima
	Betaala Gudda
	Namma Baduku
	Bhale Adhrushtavo Adrustha
	Bhale Bhaskara
	Hennu, Honnu, Mannu
	Prathidhwani
1972	Vishakanye
	Subhadra Kalyana
	Ondu Hennina Kathe
	Kranti Veera
	Bhandavya
	Mareyada Deepavali
1973	Sahadarmini
	Bidugade
	CID 72
1974	Urvashi
1974	Grihini
1975	Devara Gudi
	Kasturi Vijaya
	Mane Belaku
	Sarpa Kaavalu
	Kaveri
	Viplava Vanithe
	Ashirvada
	Beluvalada Madilalli
	Namma Ooru Devaru
1976	Baduku Bangaravayithu
	Mugiyada kathe
	Maya manushya
	Rajanarthakiya Rahasya
1977	Devara Duddu
	Renukadevi mahatme
	Sose Tanda Sowbhagya
1978	Aatma Shakthi
1978	Vamshajyothi
1980	Gurusarvabowma Sri Raghavendra Karune
1980	Mayeya musuku
1981	Premanubanda
1981	Chadurida chitragalu
1982	Vasanta nilaya
1983	Aanand bhairavi
1984	Kaliyuga
	Huliyada Kala^[8]	Seetharam
	Aasha Kirana
1985	Devara Mane
	Thayi Mamathe
	Pithamaha	Viraj
1986	Thavaru mane
	Sedina Sanchu
	Ella Hengasarinda
	Karna
	Anand
1987	Shiva Bhaktha Markandeya
1988	Ladies Hostel
	Thayiya Aase
	Nammoora Raja
	Dharma Patni
1989	Bala Hombale
	Thaligagi
	Raja Yuvaraja
	Ondagi Balu
	Jayabheri
1990	Satyanarayana Poojaphala
1991	Varagala Bete
1991	Thavarumane Udugore
1996	Karnataka Suputra
1999	Idu Entha Premavayya	Karanam Sadashiva Rai

:Refer: Kannada films of the 1960s, Kannada films of the 1970s

References

^ ^a ^b "From theatre to celluloid". The Hindu. 9 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
^ "'Quality of Kannada films has declined'". The Hindu. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Rajesh: Stunner on Silver Screen". Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
^ Rajesh's View on Current Trend in Film Industry
^ "Veteran actor Rajesh passes away". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^ "Rajesh honarary [sic] doctorate - Kannada Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
^ "Doctorate for Rajesh". Supergoodmovies.com. 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
^ "Huliyada Kala on Moviebuff.com". Moviebuff.com. Retrieved 17 November 2024.