Ramesh Bhat: I enjoyed great rapport with Shankar Nag

The actor looks back on five decades in theatre, cinema and life in old Bengaluru

Hailing from a small village near Kundapur, Ramesh Bhat began his acting career by appearing in school skits.

His father Rathnakar Bhat was not well-educated. “As a child, he was sent to Madras to help a family with household chores. He picked up cooking in the 10 years that he worked there. He returned to our village and set up a small shop and took up cooking as an occupation,” Ramesh recalls.

The coastal Karnataka districts are famous for their agricultural produce and restaurants. The region has produced priests and cooks in huge numbers. Udupi restaurants are world-famous. Ramesh says his father hails from that tradition.

“After my father was married in 1946, we moved to Bengaluru and settled in Gavipura, now Kempegowda Nagar. The rent in those days was Rs 7. There were barely 12 houses on the street,” he says.

Ramesh used to help his father at his shop and also run errands for those who wanted things fetched from the shops in the area.

Ramesh Bhat did his primary schooling in Gavipuram Guttahalli and later went to Model High School in Chamarajpet. His good looks worked to his advantage and he was always chosen for fancy dress competitions, skits and plays.

“I was fascinated by the stage and lights. I enjoyed all the attention,” says Ramesh.

In high school, Ramesh and his friends formed a theatre group called ‘Kusuma Kalavidaru.’ They scripted and performed small plays. His father was keen that he concentrate on the business and not on theatre. The responsibility of looking after his younger siblings also fell on young Ramesh. “My determination to be part of theatre gained momentum after I won the best actor award for a Kannada play called ‘Devarige Dikku’,” says Ramesh.

Theatre stalwart Makeup Nani was one of the judges. He offered Ramesh a role in one of his plays. He took it up and did well.

Theatre calling

Juggling between S J Polytechnic, where he was studying mechanical diploma, and helping his father, Ramesh started Jyothiprakash Store, opposite to National College in Basavanagudi.

“My shop was a one-stop place for theatre actors, directors, college students,” he says. The shop sold bakery items, with bun-butter-gulkhan being a hot-selling item.

In the early 1970s, B V Karanth was experimenting with new styles of theatre.

“He hand-picked me for a play and that’s how I joined the troupe Benaka. I acted in B Jayashree’s troupe. I acted with C R Simha and Girish Karnad,” says Ramesh. He was in the cast of big plays such as ‘Jokumaraswamy’, ‘Tughlaq’ and ‘Hayavana'.

While Ramesh enjoyed his time on stage, entering the film industry posed new challenges. “I was new to cinema. But the stage experience helped me capture emotions required for a particular scene,” he says.

With Shankar Nag

Around 1977, Shankar Nag moved from Mumbai to Bengaluru and was keen to start a theatre group.

He roped in Ramesh, and some of his friends, and started a theatre group called Sanket. Together they worked on many plays including Karnad’s ‘Anju Mallige’ and ‘Nagamandala’.

“We worked together on many productions, including ‘Malgudi Days.’ Shankar and I shared a good rapport. He asked me to join him full time and that’s when I handed over the shop to my brother and joined Shankar,” says Ramesh. In those days, much of the technical work for cinema, like recording and dubbing, were done in Chennai. Shankar wanted film infrastructure to grow in Bengaluru, and started the Sanket recording studio in 1985.

Ramesh has worked with everybody from Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Ravichandran, Shivarajkumar and Sudeep.

What did Ramesh do during the lockdown? “I have two grandchildren -- Surya and Spandana. I missed spending time with my son during his childhood because I was mostly away shooting in Chennai. I recovered those lost days by playing with my grandchildren,” Ramesh signs off.

Personal life

Ramesh is married to Gayathri. “I first saw her when I set up a shop near National College. We used to see each other often. Much later, with the consent of our families, we got married,” says Ramesh. His son Dilip runs a textile business.

What did Ramesh do during the lockdown? “I have two grandchildren -- Surya and Spandana. I missed spending time with my son during his childhood because I was mostly away shooting in Chennai. I recovered those lost days by playing with my grandchildren,” Ramesh signs off.

Movie landmarks

Ramesh Bhat was noticed as a playboy in ‘Abachurina Post Office,’ his first film. He later played a police officer in ‘Minchina Ota’, an egotist in ‘Nodi Swamy Navirodu Hige’ and a naive husband in ‘Parameshi Prema Prasanga.’ He has acted in 600 Kannada films, and 150 serials. In theatre, he has worked with groups such as ‘Spandana’, Samudaya, Nataranga, and Benaka. “I was like a freelancer and worked with all possible theatre troupes. I enjoyed the variety,” says Ramesh.