The ones who made a mark in Kannada cinema in 2021  

It’s a joyful exercise to witness the arrival of new talent or even see some old artistes finally get their due. While some of these names proved that screen-time doesn’t necessarily define visibility, others demonstrated that the strongest presence is often made by those behind the camera. Here are breakout actors, filmmakers, and technicians who left a strong impression in Kannada and Bollywood cinema this year

Dhanya Ramkumar

Dhanya Ramkumar is among the handful of newcomers this year. Hailing from the Rajkumar clan, Dhanya is the granddaughter of the legendary actor and daughter of Poornima and Ramkumar. She made her debut with Ninna Sanihake, which was released on October 8. The romantic drama had her paired opposite actor Suraj Gowda. The film also marked the latter’s directorial debut.

Ganavi Laxman

Ganavi Laxman, who came to the limelight with tele serial Magalu Janaki, took a leap to the silver screen with Rishab Shetty’s Hero. The actor, who always had an interest in films, made her cinema debut with Bharath Raj M’s directorial, which hit the theatres on March 5.

Asha Bhat

Former Miss Supranational and actor Asha Bhat, who hails from Bhadravathi, made her Kannada debut with Roberrt. The film, directed by Tharun Kishore Sudhir, had her paired opposite Challenging star, Darshan. The film, released on March 11, just before the second wave of the pandemic had a successful run at the box office, and it was declared the first blockbuster of the year 2021.

Manju Pavagada

Manju Pavagada emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss Kannada Season 8. Manju won the popular reality TV show, hosted by Kichcha Sudeep, by taking down 20 other contestants. Manju Pavagada took home the trophy and cash prize of D53 lakhs. In his interview with CE, Manju had mentioned that he failed PUC six consecutive times and has also worked in a petrol bunk to get by. Manju held his silver screen dream intact and has been part of films including Ramarjuna and Brahmachari. He also got an opportunity to work in Shivanna’s film, Bhajarangi 2.

Nagabhushan

Ikkat, which was released in July 2021, marked actor Nagabhushan’s debut as a
full-fledged hero, which was also his first OTT release. The comedy-drama, directed by Esham and Haseen Khan, set in the middle of pandemic lockdown, also had Bhoomi Shetty making her transition from teleserial to silver screen.