<p>Acting came quite naturally to me. My mother used to enjoy the songs and movies of M S Subbulakshmi. I think she listened to Subbulakshmi the most when she was carrying me. My mother’s younger brother Krishnaswamy, whom I fondly called Kannamamma, and her entire family were ardent fans of stage shows and movies. I grew up in an atmosphere filled with music, dance and theatre.</p>.<p><strong>My early years </strong></p>.<p>My family moved to Bengaluru when I was three years old. We lived in Basavanagudi, a hub of music and dance. Our home was close to the Bull Temple, Ramakrishna Ashram and Shankar Mutt. Classical concerts and recitals held in these shrines enriched the atmosphere. I joined National Middle School and continued there through high school. Every occasion, be it Rama Navami, Gandhi Jayanti or Independence Day would be observed with plays, music and dance — all knit around Mahabharatha and Ramayana. This gave me an exposure and understanding of the richness and diversity our history, culture and language.</p>.<p>I was active and took part in all the cultural activities in school. I began singing film songs and I was also a good debater. My bold presentation and confidence won me many prizes. However, the turning point was in high school, when we had to choose between tailoring and dramatics. I chose the latter because I couldn’t afford to pay Rs 20 to buy a pair of scissors and needle. That decision changed a lot of things for me. </p>.<p>I started enjoying my stint on the stage, so much so that I aspired to get into the movies someday. Every time my mother gave me money to fetch groceries, I would save four annas or eight annas from it just to watch movies. </p>.<p><strong>Glorious college days </strong></p>.<p>I joined National College in Basavanagudi for my BSc. Here, my interest in theatre grew deeper. I was active in stage plays and won the best actor award almost every year. I was also an active member of the histrionics club. We had stalwarts like Nani (B Narayan), C Ashwath, C R Simha and Sitaram come in to perform. They proved to be an inspiration. I was in my final year in college when my guru B V Karanth picked me to play a prominent part in a play called ‘Hayavadana’, written by Girish Karnad in 1972. It was around this time that I was introduced to amateur theatre. Most of the plays performed by amateur groups were ticketed.</p>.<p>The shows would be held in Ravindra Kalakshetra and people would come in from across the state to watch them. The highest ticket price was Rs 5, the ‘middle-class’ cost Rs 3 and ‘lower-class’ was Rs 2. Ravindra Kalakshetra soon became a hub for experimental theatre. I formed the Benaka theatre group in 1974. I also directed a play called Yamaranjana that ran up to 100 shows, in which I played the lead role. I juggled my interests in stage shows, art films and parallel cinema. It was around this time that novels were being made into movies. I worked on many novel-based films and most of them were by Baraguru Ramachandrappa. The directors ensured that these films retained the original flavour of Kannada history, language and culture as depicted in the novels. We worked on socially relevant and caste-based issues. The novel-based stories did well to get people thinking. Those days cinema came with a solid social message. </p>.<p><strong>Cinema has come a long way </strong></p>.<p>The actors in some of the novel-based films, dressed, walked and talked just like their characters in the original novels did. There were no artificial props. I began getting fewer offers in cinema in 1984-85 and that’s when I started exploring opportunities in company dramas. My wife, Pramila Joshai, and acted in many plays in north Karnataka. The guest artistes in this format would be paid Rs 1,000 per show. As guest artistes, Pramila and I have together acted in ten plays a week. </p>.<p><strong>Vast experience</strong></p>.<p>I am blessed to have had vast experience in both the theatre and film industry. My experience in drama set the foundation of my career in films. I have worked</p>.<p>in the editing, costume and production departments. There is really no role that I haven’t portrayed from playing a dead body to a transgender... I have enjoyed playing a variety of characters. I have currently signed yet another novel-based film by Baraguru Ramachandrappa called ‘Byalatada Bheemanna’. I play Bheemanna in it.</p>.<p>I firmly believe that experience is more important than intelligence. As an actor, I am glad that I have been able to educate, enlighten and entertain people through my work.</p>.<p><strong>Sunder Raj</strong></p>
<p>Acting came quite naturally to me. My mother used to enjoy the songs and movies of M S Subbulakshmi. I think she listened to Subbulakshmi the most when she was carrying me. My mother’s younger brother Krishnaswamy, whom I fondly called Kannamamma, and her entire family were ardent fans of stage shows and movies. I grew up in an atmosphere filled with music, dance and theatre.</p>.<p><strong>My early years </strong></p>.<p>My family moved to Bengaluru when I was three years old. We lived in Basavanagudi, a hub of music and dance. Our home was close to the Bull Temple, Ramakrishna Ashram and Shankar Mutt. Classical concerts and recitals held in these shrines enriched the atmosphere. I joined National Middle School and continued there through high school. Every occasion, be it Rama Navami, Gandhi Jayanti or Independence Day would be observed with plays, music and dance — all knit around Mahabharatha and Ramayana. This gave me an exposure and understanding of the richness and diversity our history, culture and language.</p>.<p>I was active and took part in all the cultural activities in school. I began singing film songs and I was also a good debater. My bold presentation and confidence won me many prizes. However, the turning point was in high school, when we had to choose between tailoring and dramatics. I chose the latter because I couldn’t afford to pay Rs 20 to buy a pair of scissors and needle. That decision changed a lot of things for me. </p>.<p>I started enjoying my stint on the stage, so much so that I aspired to get into the movies someday. Every time my mother gave me money to fetch groceries, I would save four annas or eight annas from it just to watch movies. </p>.<p><strong>Glorious college days </strong></p>.<p>I joined National College in Basavanagudi for my BSc. Here, my interest in theatre grew deeper. I was active in stage plays and won the best actor award almost every year. I was also an active member of the histrionics club. We had stalwarts like Nani (B Narayan), C Ashwath, C R Simha and Sitaram come in to perform. They proved to be an inspiration. I was in my final year in college when my guru B V Karanth picked me to play a prominent part in a play called ‘Hayavadana’, written by Girish Karnad in 1972. It was around this time that I was introduced to amateur theatre. Most of the plays performed by amateur groups were ticketed.</p>.<p>The shows would be held in Ravindra Kalakshetra and people would come in from across the state to watch them. The highest ticket price was Rs 5, the ‘middle-class’ cost Rs 3 and ‘lower-class’ was Rs 2. Ravindra Kalakshetra soon became a hub for experimental theatre. I formed the Benaka theatre group in 1974. I also directed a play called Yamaranjana that ran up to 100 shows, in which I played the lead role. I juggled my interests in stage shows, art films and parallel cinema. It was around this time that novels were being made into movies. I worked on many novel-based films and most of them were by Baraguru Ramachandrappa. The directors ensured that these films retained the original flavour of Kannada history, language and culture as depicted in the novels. We worked on socially relevant and caste-based issues. The novel-based stories did well to get people thinking. Those days cinema came with a solid social message. </p>.<p><strong>Cinema has come a long way </strong></p>.<p>The actors in some of the novel-based films, dressed, walked and talked just like their characters in the original novels did. There were no artificial props. I began getting fewer offers in cinema in 1984-85 and that’s when I started exploring opportunities in company dramas. My wife, Pramila Joshai, and acted in many plays in north Karnataka. The guest artistes in this format would be paid Rs 1,000 per show. As guest artistes, Pramila and I have together acted in ten plays a week. </p>.<p><strong>Vast experience</strong></p>.<p>I am blessed to have had vast experience in both the theatre and film industry. My experience in drama set the foundation of my career in films. I have worked</p>.<p>in the editing, costume and production departments. There is really no role that I haven’t portrayed from playing a dead body to a transgender... I have enjoyed playing a variety of characters. I have currently signed yet another novel-based film by Baraguru Ramachandrappa called ‘Byalatada Bheemanna’. I play Bheemanna in it.</p>.<p>I firmly believe that experience is more important than intelligence. As an actor, I am glad that I have been able to educate, enlighten and entertain people through my work.</p>.<p><strong>Sunder Raj</strong></p>
