H. R. Shastry

Halebeedu Ramachandra Shastry (2 November 1905 – 12 December 1976), was an Indian actor and dubbing artist known for his work in Kannada cinema. In his career spanning more than 40 years, Shastry played a variety of supporting roles. He is noted for his performances in Bedara Kannappa (1954), Rayara Sose (1957), Bhoodana (1962), Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974) and Upasane (1974). Shastry's last movie was Pavana Ganga.

H. R. Shastry
Shastry in Sri Srinivasa Kalyana (1974)
Born
Halebeedu Ramachandra Shastry

(1905-11-02)2 November 1905
Halebeedu, Pandavapura taluk, Mysore district, Kingdom of Mysore (now in Mandya district, Karnataka)
Died12 December 1976(1976-12-12) (aged 71)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • dubbing artiste
Years active1940–1976
Children7[1]
FamilyVijaya Naarasimha (brother)
Anu Prabhakar (great granddaughter)[2]

Early life

Shastry was born on 2 November 1905 in Halebeedu village near Melukote, in the present-day Mandya district of Karnataka. His father was an astrologer. At five, Shastry was sent to study under the tutelage of Narasimha Somayaji, where he developed interest towards the Kannada-language and culture and art. He was drawn towards theatre and acting during his secondary schooling at Sarada Vilas High School, Mysore. At 15, he started working at a railway workshop, while pursuing his acting interest alongside.[1]

Career

Shastry went on to perform for A. V. Varadachar's Rathnavali theatre group and subsequently that of Mohammed Peer. He was noted for his performances as a shepherd in Peer's Gautama Buddha, as Siddha in Samsara Nauke and Dildar in Shah Jahan. He then joined H. L. N. Simha theatre group, Simha's Selected Artists, before starting his own troupe named Manjunatheshwara Nataka Mandali. He suffered financial losses with the troupe leading him to focus energies on his already-begun film acting career.[1]

Shastry made his film debut in Varadacharya's Bhakta Amabareesha which was made in Tamil. In 1941, he appeared in his first Kannada film Subhadra produced by Gubbi Veeranna where he played the role of Dharmaraya.[1] Shastry played the role of deity Shiva in Bedara Kannappa (1954), a film that won the Certificate of Merit for the Best Feature Film in Kannada at the 2nd National Film Awards.[3][4] He played the major role of a father-in-law who demands dowry, in 1957 social drama Rayara Sose, which was a commercial success.[5] The Rajkumar-starrer Immadi Pulikeshi was his 100th film.

Selected filmography

References
  1. ರಾಮಚಂದ್ರ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿ ಎಂಬ ಕುಚೇಲನ ಕಥೆ.. | Cinema Swarasyagalu Part 55 | Hariharapura Manjunath. Total Kannada. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  2. ""ಗೆಜ್ಜೆ ಪೂಜೆ", "ಶರಪಂಜರ"ದಂಥ ಹಿಟ್ ಸಿನೆಮಾ ಮಾಡಿಯೂ ನಾಪತ್ತೆಯಾದ ಗಂಗಾಧರ್..| Cinema Swarasyagalu Part 57". Total Kannada. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  3. "2nd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. "Bedara Kannappa 1954". The Hindu. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
  5. k Raghavendra, M. (22 June 2011). Bipolar – Kannada cinema. ISBN 978-0-19-908843-0. Retrieved 20 September 2020.


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