The Dr. Vishnu Sena Samiti has announced that the 75th birth anniversary of legendary Kannada actor Dr. Vishnuvardhan will be celebrated as the ‘Yajamanara Amrita Mahotsava’. The event, planned as a grand tribute, will be led by acclaimed film director and close confidant of the late actor, S. Narayan. Veteran filmmaker S. V. Rajendra Singh Babu will serve as the chief advisor for the celebrations.
A press conference held today at the Kondajji Basappa Hall in Bengaluru detailed the upcoming event. Several prominent figures from the Kannada film industry were present, including Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce President Narsimhulu, Umesh Banakar from the Kannada Film Producers’ Association, producer Ramesh Yadav, S. Narayan, and Rajendra Singh Babu.
Renowned producer Rockline Venkatesh, though unable to attend due to unavoidable circumstances, sent his heartfelt wishes and extended his full support to the cause.
Organizers emphasized that such a celebration is long overdue, as Dr. Vishnuvardhan, despite his immense contributions to Kannada cinema, has not yet been honored with a large-scale event of this nature. With this in mind, representatives from various artists’ associations have pledged their participation in what is expected to be a landmark cultural event.
Speaking at the conference, Film Chamber President Narsimhulu assured not only support but active participation from the Chamber. Umesh Banakar also confirmed full backing from the Producers’ Association.
Rajendra Singh Babu shared that he would take personal responsibility for inviting several of Vishnuvardhan’s colleagues from the Indian film industry. Notably, stars from the Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu industries are expected to attend the celebrations.
S. Narayan announced plans to host a two-day mega event at Palace Grounds, with the entire Kannada film fraternity in attendance. Drawing from his past experience organizing ‘Amara Nata’ for Dr. Rajkumar and ‘Ambi Sambhrama’ for Dr. Ambareesh, Narayan expressed his pride in being part of a tribute to yet another of the “three pillars” of Kannada cinema.
Wrapping up the press conference, Dr. Vishnu Sena State President Veerakaputra Srinivas stated that the event is expected to draw over two lakh people and will serve as a “booster dose” for the Kannada film industry. He described the celebration as a response to the injustices faced by Dr. Vishnuvardhan during his lifetime and called for statewide festivities akin to the Dasara celebrations.
