Actor Bank Janardhan dies at 76

Bengaluru: Bank Janardhan, known for his comedy roles in films such as Tharle Nan Maga and Shhh!, died of age-related ailments at a hospital here on Monday. He was 76.

Janardhan was born on March 2, 1949, in Holalkere of the Chitradurga district. He began acting when he was in school. He failed his SSLC exams.

He got the job of an office attendant at Jayalakshmi Bank in Holalkere, thanks to the recommendation of a doctor. His salary was Rs 50, and it rose to Rs 96 when he cleared his examinations. His acting journey continued.

In the evenings, Janardhan took up roles in plays of the theatre companies visiting his village. Gowdra Gadla was his first play with a drama
company.

Impressed by his performance, Dheerendra Gopal, who had directed the play and also made a name in films, invited Janardhan to try his luck on the big screen. Thus, Oorige Upakari (1982) became Janardhan’s first film.

He subsequently played small roles in several films. Disappointed about not being able to make an impression, he took a six-month break from films. That was also when he was promoted as a manager in his bank. His family was relieved and assumed he would stick to banking. 

The world of cinema, however, called again. Director Kashinath’s manager came looking for him. He was cast in the film Ajagajantara as Broker Bheemayya, a goofy villain. It had taken Janardhan close to a decade to be given good screen time. He appeared all through Ajagajantara (1991).

Janardhan made a name for his unique dialogue delivery and comic timing. His role in Upendra’s directorial Shhh!, as Inspector Kalappa, brought him considerable popularity.  

Before Shhh!, Janardhan had acted in Upendra’s Tharle Nan Maga (1992). In an interview with Prajavani in 2017, Janardhan said he had acted in 752 films, including Gauri Ganesha, Ganesha Subramanya, H2O, Raktha Kanneeru, Ranga SSLC, Chellata and Ekadantha.

Janardhan acted in close to 100 films with Vishnuvardhan alone and appeared alongside such stars as Rajkumar, Anant Nag, V Ravichandran and Jaggesh. 

He is survived by a son and three daughters.