Pannaga Bharana | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation(s) | director, actor |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | Nikitha Bharana (m. 2014) |
| Parent(s) | T. S. Nagabharana (father) Nagini Nagabharana (mother) |
Pannaga Bharana is an Indian film director and actor who works in Kannada cinema. He is the son of film director T. S. Nagabharana.[1] He rose to fame with 2017 film Happy New Year.[2]
Bharana started working professionally in the film industry at the age of five when he debuted on one of the most-loved television series Tenali Rama, aired on the DD National Channel (1990). In the same year, he played a crucial role in The Stone Boy, an Indio-Mauritius Project (1990). His played roles in Chinnari Mutha (1993) and Naviddeve Yecharike (1996).[3]
He won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Mrugashira and the Best Director of the Year (2020) award for his film French Biriyani at SIIMA which made him began exploring a brand new realm of possibilities in terms of directing. The projects he began to focus on were loaded with imagery and paid close attention to themes. This can be seen in his directorial endeavours like Kamsaale Kaisaale (2012), and Vasundara (2014). While working on these projects, Pannaga continued assisting his father on big budget productions as an assistant director, editor and executive producer in projects like Allama (2017), and Kaanorayana (2018). As a way to reach out to the community and attract a younger audience to the art of filmmaking, Pannaga turned his focus onto his studio, PB Studios, creating a platform where young filmmakers and artists channel their creativity and work towards their goals of becoming a part of the film and entertainment industry. Having established his studio, Pannaga has made a comeback as an executive producer with his brand-new film "Tatsama Tadbhava – The Confession," a film marking the return of acclaimed actress Meghana Raj Sarja.[4]
Unlike most commercial artists, Pannaga Bharana has pursued theatre while simultaneously working on big budget productions. Between 2002 and 2009, Pannaga worked closely with the notable director B.V. Karanth on a series of projects like Gokula Nirgamana, Hayavadana, Jokumara Swamy, Kathale Belaku, Tabarana Kathe, and Sattavara Neralu .
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Happy New Year | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Kaanoorayana | Co-director | Screenplay | No | |
| 2020 | French Biriyani | Yes | Yes | No | Won – SIIMA Best Director |
| 2023 | Tatsama Tadbhava | No | No | Yes | Announced With Meghana Raj playing the lead[5] |
| TBA | Maduve Impossible † | Yes | Yes | No | Announced |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Chinnari Mutha | Child actor | |
| 1996 | Naviddeve Yecharike | Child actor | |
| 2014 | Vasundara | ||
| 2015 | Mrugashira | Won – SIIMA Best Actor in Supporting Role |
| Year | Film | Role | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Stone Boy | DD National | Child actor |