Bindiganavile Srinivas Iyengar Ranga (11 November 1917 – 12 December 2010) was an Indian photographer, actor, producer and director who has made many landmark movies in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. He was also the owner of Vikram Studios. He has directed and produced about 87 films in these three languages with a maximum of 18 films in Kannada alone starring matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar.
Biography He was born to a Hebbar Iyengar family in Magadi Village (near Bare, India) Mysore (now part of Karnataka State). After an art-enriched childhood wherein he interacted with many stage personalities, B.S. Ranga entered the field of photography. At the age of 17, the self-trained Ranga sent some of his work to be exhibited at the Royal Salon in London, and was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
Subsequently, he moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) and apprenticed himself to the cameraman and laboratory technician, Krishna Gopal. B.S. Ranga then embarked on a film career lasting more than five decades, during which he played the roles of cinematographer, director, producer, laboratory owner, studio owner, exhibitor and script-writer, sometimes all at once for one of his productions. His production company, Vikram Productions, gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, and won B.S. Ranga many awards, including two President's Awards. The first was for Tenali Ramakrishna in Telugu (starring N.T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao), and the second was for Amarshilpi Jakkanachari, the first colour movie produced in Kannada.
Filmography
As director Year Film Language1940 Pardesi Hindi1940 Pyaas Hindi1940 Prakash Hindi1941 Bhakta Tulsidas Hindi1942 Mehman Hindi1942 Fox Movietone News Hindi1943 Bakta Naradar Hindi1945 Dassi Aparanji Tamil1947 Baktha Thulasidas Tamil1952 Shanthi Telugu1954 Maa Gopi Telugu1954 Jaya Gopi Tamil1955 Kannavane Kankanda Deivam Tamil1955 Baktha Markandeya Telugu1956 Tenali Ramakrishna Telugu1956 Tenali Raman Tamil1957 Kutumba Gauravam Telugu1957 Kudumba Gauravam Tamil1959 Mahishasura Mardini Kannada1959 Raja Malaiya Simman Tamil1959 Raja Malaya Simha Telugu1960 Mohabbat Ki Jeet Hindi1960 Chandrahasa (Gunavathi) Tamil1961 Pelli Thambulam Telugu1962 Nichaya Thaamboolam Tamil1962 Ashajeevulu Telugu1962 Thendral Veesum Tamil1963 Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya Hindi1964 Amarashilpi Jakanachari Kannada1964 Amara Silpi Jakkanna Telugu1964 Prathigne Kannada1965 Chandrahasa Kannada 1965 Chandrahasa Telugu1965 Mahasathi Anusuya Kannada1967 Parvathi Kalyana Kannada1967 Vasantha Sena Telugu1969 Shiva Bhakta Kannada1969 Bhale Basava Kannada1970 Mr. Rajkumar Kannada1971 Sidila Mari Kannada1972 Bhai Behen Hindi1973 Mannina Magalu Kannada1973 Pattikaattu Ponnaiya Tamil1975 Ganga Ki Kasam Hindi1978 Suli Kannada1981 Bhagyavantha Kannada1982 Hasyaratna Ramakrishna Kannada1984 Huliyada Kala Kannada
As Cinematographer Year Film Language1944 Bala Nagamma Telugu1951 Stree Sahasam Telugu 1951 Sthree Sahasam Tamil1953 Devadasu Telugu1956 Tenali Ramakrishna Telugu1959 Mahishasura Mardini Kannada1962 Nichaya Thaamboolam Tamil1964 Prathigne Kannada
As producer Year Film Language1955 Baktha Markandeya Telugu1956 Tenali Ramakrishna Telugu1959 Mahishasura Mardini Kannada1960 Dashavathara Kannada1962 Nichaya Thaamboolam Tamil1964 Amara Silpi Jakkanna Telugu1964 Prathigne Kannada1965 Chandrahasa Kannada1965 Mahasathi Anusuya Kannada1966 Kiladi Ranga Kannada1967 Parvathi Kalyana Kannada1967 Rajashekara Kannada1969 Odahuttidavaru Kannada1969 Bhale Basava Kannada1970 Mr. Rajkumar Kannada1971 Sidila Mari Kannada1973 Mannina Magalu Kannada1973 Pattikaattu Ponnaiya Tamil1978 Suli Kannada
As Screenwriter Year Film Language1959 Mahishasura Mardini Kannada1967 Rajashekara Kannada1981 Bhagyavantha Kannada
Awards National Film Awards: All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in 1957. 1956 – President's silver medal for Best Feature Film in Telugu – Tenali Ramakrishna
References
External