Veteran filmmaker S. K. Bhagavan, who directed many Rajkumar-starrers, passes away

Bhagavan directed 49 films, of great versatility and many of them blockbusters, with his collaborator B. Dorai Raj, and the duo became well known as Dorai-Bhagavan

Veteran film director and producer S.K. Bhagavan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Veteran filmmaker S. K. Bhagavan, 89, one of the last few links to the Rajkumar-era Kannada cinema, passed away owing to age-related ailments in Bengaluru on Monday.

Mr. Bhagavan directed 48 films, of great versatility and many of them blockbusters, with his collaborator B. Dorai Raj, with the pair becoming popular as Dorai-Bhagavan. He directed his last film, after the passing away of Dorai in 2000, in 2019. The duo was closely associated with Dr. Rajkumar, with whom they made several iconic films, including Kasturi Nivasa. Later, they made several hit films with Anant Nag and Lakshmi. 

Winning combo with Dr. Rajkumar

A still from the iconic 1971 Kannada film Kasturi Nivasa starring Dr. Rajkumar. The film was directed by Dorai-Bhagavan. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Mr. Bhagavan started out as a theatre actor with Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali and entered films in 1956 as an assistant to Kanagal Prabhakara Shastry and later to T. V. Singh Thakore. Filmmaker S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu recalled that Mr. Bhagavan used to come to his house in Mysuru in 1950s and starred as a lead actor in the 1958 film Mangala Sutra. It was directed by his father D. Shankar Singh and his mother Prathima Devi was the heroine. However, Mr. Bhagavan did not continue as an actor and shifted back to film-making.

He collaborated with A. C. Narasimha Murthy, another assistant director to Singh Thakore, and worked on Sandhya Raaga and made his first credited debut as a co-director with him in the film Rajadurgada Rahasya. However, he later collaborated with cinematographer Dorai Raj and the pair made their independent debut with the innovative James Bond-style film Jedara Bale, starring Dr. Rajkumar and went on to make several films in the genre, with the matinee idol. The duo made four ‘James Bond’ films.

The iconic 1971 film Kasturi Nivasa directed by the duo cemented their collaboration with Dr. Rajkumar further. They went on to make super-hit and critically acclaimed films like Eradu Kanasu, Giri Kanye, Hosabelaku, Jeevana Chaitra, and Odahuttidavaru. He also made the film Yarivanu, tailored to showcase the acting skills of the late Puneeth Rajkumar, as a child actor. “Dr. Rajkumar and his home banner had a great rapport with Dorai-Bhagavan, and Bhagavan was like a member of the Rajkumar family, including being associated with the matinee idol during his musical night tour,” Mr. Babu recalled.

Veteran actors S. Shivram, Shantamma and veteran director S.K. Bhagavan being presented the first ever ‘Appaji Souharda’ award by the Dr. Rajkumar family during the 82nd birth anniversary of the thespian, in April 2010. Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH

With Anant Nag

“In those days Dr. Rajkumar was a one man show and even directors who delivered massive hits received little credit. Similar was the case with Dorai-Bhagavan. This pushed them to take it as a challenge and work with Anant Nag,” recalled Mr. Babu.

The Dorai-Bhagavan collaboration with Anant Nag began with the now iconic film Bayalu Daari in 1976 and they made several hit films, especially pairing Anant Nag with Lakshmi, including Chandanada Gombe, Benkiya Bale, Bidugadeya Bedi, and Sedina Hakki. Most of these films were based on popular novels and earned Anant Nag a massive following among women. The duo’s last film was Baalondu Chaduranga in 1995, starring Saikumar and Sudharani. Dorai Raj died in 2000, and Mr. Bhagavan made only one film after that. 

“In the partnership, Dorai Raj was a cinematographer and looked after the technical aspects. Mr. Bhagavan looked after the story, screenplay, and music. After Bayalu Daari the pair adapted several novels in a commercially viable manner. Their films also had great songs and G. K. Venkatesh and Rajan-Nagendra were their preferred musicians,” said film critic and historian K. Puttaswamy.

In later years, Mr. Bhagavan had a long stint as the principal of the State government’s Adarsha Film and Television Institute where he nurtured many cine talents. In 2019, he made a comeback and directed Aduva Gombe, starring Anant Nag and Sanchari Vijay which marked his 50th as a filmmaker.