Bengaluru: Fondly called ‘Pranayaraja’ (the King of Romance), veteran Kannada actor Srinath was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the third edition of the Prajavani Kannada Cine Sammana, presented by Casa Grand, powered by Trends, with special partner Shree Sai Gold Palace. The event was supported by the Government of Karnataka.
The 80-year-old actor said he always dreamt of taking the silver screen by storm.
“Growing up, everyone has a dream — to become a doctor, engineer, lawyer and much more. My father was a lawyer; he thought I would become a lawyer. But I had only one dream — to become an actor. I wanted to be a part of theatre and films,” Srinath said on the occasion.
Srinath acted in his first film in 1967 alongside thespian Dr Rajkumar in 'Lagna Patrike'.
“Since then, destiny has been on my side and the people of Bengaluru have helped me grow,” he said, recalling the moment M S Ramaiah attended one of his early plays and, impressed by his performance, gave him Rs 500 as a token of appreciation.
“This news was published in the newspaper and that’s when noted director S K A Chari noticed,” he said.
While Madhura Milana was Srinath’s big break, he went on to act in several popular Kannada films like Shubhamangala, Besuge and Manasa Sarovara. The veteran star has acted in over 350 films and plans to continue acting for as long as he can.
A short video with sweet messages from the actor’s female fans was played on stage, alongside a voice message by veteran Hindi star Asha Parekh, with whom Srinath always dreamt of working, in his younger days.
Thanking his mentors and peers, he conveyed his gratitude to veteran director Puttanna Kanagal and Eshwari Cinema.
“They believed in me and stood by me, and that was my strength. I would also like to thank the people of Karnataka, who have never let me down. They, too, are my strength. They have helped bring me to this stage in my life,” he said.