C. R. Simha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids C. R. Simha
Born	Channapatna Ramaswamy Simha (1942-06-16)16 June 1942 Channapatna, Kingdom of Mysore, British India
Died	28 February 2014(2014-02-28) (aged 71) Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actor, director
Spouse(s)	Sharada Simha
Relatives	Srinath (brother)

Portrait of Simha, 2004

Channapatna Ramaswami Simha (born June 16, 1942 – died February 28, 2014), often called C. R. Simha, was a well-known Indian actor, director, and writer. He was famous for his work in Kannada films and his many stage plays.

Simha started his career with a theatre group called Prabhat Kalavidaru in Bangalore. He acted in many Kannada plays that became very popular. In 1972, he started his own theatre group, "Nataranga." He directed many successful plays like Kakana Kote, Thughlaq, and Sankranthi.

He also directed and acted in Kannada versions of William Shakespeare's plays, such as Midsummer Night's Dream and Othello. These plays were shown in many parts of India. Simha also directed and acted in English plays by famous writers like Molière, George Bernard Shaw, and Neil Simon. Besides theatre, Simha acted in over 150 Kannada films. He also directed about five films, including his own movie version of Kakana Kote.

In 2003, Simha received the important Sangeet Natak Akademi Award from the Government of India. This award recognized his great contributions to theatre acting and directing.

Early Life and Beginnings

Simha was born in Karnataka on June 16, 1942. He came from a Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin family. His younger brother, Srinath, is also a film actor who has appeared in many Kannada movies.

Simha first performed on stage when he was just twelve years old. When he was thirteen, he wrote a book called "Family Doctor" and even found a publisher for it. He studied at National College in Basavanagudi, Bangalore. In 1959, he joined the National College Histrionics Club, which was guided by Dr. H. Narasimhaiah. Simha then acted in many Kannada plays like "Bahaddur Ganda" and "Manavemba Markata."

Career Highlights

Theatre Work

In 1972, Simha and his friends started a theatre group called "Nataranga." He acted in and directed many popular plays, including Kakana Kote and Tughlaq.

Simha also acted in and directed Kannada translations of William Shakespeare's plays. These included Midsummer Night's Dream and Othello. These plays were performed not only in Karnataka but also in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. In 1960, Simha joined "Bangalore Little Theatre" (BLT). There, he directed several well-known English plays. His performance as Cyrano de Bergerac was especially memorable. Other important works for BLT included Utpal Dutt's Suryashikar and Girish Karnad's Thuglaq.

In 1983, Simha started another theatre group called "Vedhike." His one-man show, Typical Kailasam, became a huge success. It was the first amateur Kannada play to be performed outside India, in countries like the United States, Canada, and England. Other famous plays from "Vedhike" included Meese Bandoru, Bhairavi, Karna, Rasa Rishi Kuvempu, and Macbeth. The play Rasa Rishi Kuvempu, which was about the life of writer Kuvempu, was later made into a film. Simha's son, Rithwik Simha, directed the film, and C. R. Simha played the role of Kuvempu.

Film Appearances

Besides his strong presence in theatre, Simha was also a popular actor in many Kannada films. He acted in nearly 150 movies. He played many different kinds of roles. These included roles in critically praised films like Samskara, Bara, and Anuroopa. He also acted in commercially successful films such as Indina Ramayana and Rayaru Bandaru Mavana Manege. Simha also played villain roles, for example, against Anant Nag in Ramapurada Ravana (1984) and with Dr. Rajkumar in Parashuram (1990). His villain role in Parashuram was considered very scary.

In addition to acting, Simha directed five films. These include Kakana Kote (1977), Shikaari, Simhasana, Ashwamedha (1990), and Angayalli Apsare (1993).

Television Work

Simha also had a strong presence on television. He acted in several TV shows in Kannada, Hindi, and English. One of his notable roles was in the famous serial Malgudi Days. Another serial was Goruru in America, which was based on a travel book by the humorist Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar. Simha played the part of Gorur, and the show was filmed in many places across America, including New York, Washington D.C., and Disneyland.

Published Works

Simha wrote and published five plays in Kannada. He was also a popular writer for newspapers. He wrote a column called "Nimma Simha" every Friday for six years in the popular daily newspaper Vijaya Karnataka. Three collections of these columns have been published as books.

Later Life and Passing

In February 2014, Simha was admitted to Sevakshetra Hospital in Bangalore. He had been suffering from prostate cancer for over a year. He passed away on February 28, 2014. On March 1, his body was placed at the Samsa Bayalu Rangamandira so people could pay their respects. Theatre artists sang his favorite songs. He was cremated at the Banashankari crematorium in Bangalore on the same day. Simha's last public appearance was at a press conference for the film Rasarishi Kuvempu, where he played the main role.

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In Spanish: C. R. Simha para niños