BENGALURU: The Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy (KCA), which has been functioning without a head for the last 16 months, has finally got a chairperson. The government on Monday appointed noted producer and director S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu as the new head.
The post was vacant after the resignation of Tara Anuradha.
The appointment of Mr. Babu will add vigour to the seventh edition of the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFes), scheduled to be held from December 4 to 11.
Mr. Babu has made films in all genres from romance and comedy to thrillers. In addition to Kannada, he has also directed films in Hindi and Telugu. He has directed over 30 films in his career spanning 39 years. His landmark films are Nagarahole, Antha, Bandhana, Muttina Haara, Hoovu Hannu and Himapatha.
Bandhana has won the Rajat Kamal award and has been screened at the Moscow International Film Festival.
Muttina Hara and Mungarina Minchu have also bagged Rajat Kamal awards.
Mr. Babu has won Karnataka State Film Awards for many of his films.
Describing the appointment as recognition for his family, which has served the Kannada film industry for 75 years, Mr. Babu said that he would do his best to address the problems being faced by the Kannada film industry. “I will extend all cooperation in making the seventh edition of BIFFes a memorable event,” he said.
KDA
Noted writer and poet L. Hanumanthaiah has been appointed as chairperson of the Kannada Development Authority (KDA). The authority did not have a head for the last five months after Mukhyamantri Chandru’s term ended.
With Mr. Hanumanthaiah’s appointment, issues such as clearing technical hurdles to get benefits of classical language status for Kannada and setting up of the Central Institute of Classical Kannada are expected to gather momentum.
