BENGALURU: Every time there was a crisis in the Kannada film industry, Ambareesh would intervene. People would consider him as the last resort to get issues solved in the industry and he would help them in most cases.
Noted Kannada cinema producer Sa Ra Govind recalled how his intervention would solve crises. “He would lend his ear and make sure justice was done. His words had the power and everyone listened to him. He was the ‘Supreme Court’ of Kannada cinema industry,’’ he said.
In 2011, Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) banned Actress Ramya for a year from acting in Kannada cinema industry after there was an issue between Ramya and producer of Dandam Dashagunam, A Ganesh. Thanks to Ambareesh’s intervention, which saw the issue resolved at his residence by just talking to them. He was successful in lifting the ban on her.
In 2012, when producers K Manju and Munirathna, who had produced God Father and Katarai Veera Sura Sundarangi, respectively, both starring actor Upendra had an issue about releasing both the films on the same date, the matter came to Ambareesh, who solved it amicably.
The recent #MeToo incident, involving actors Arjun Sarja and Sruthi Hariharan, too, saw Ambareesh’s intervention — which was the very last time he did. He had advised both the actors not to go to court and the media. This was among the rare cases with Ambareesh’s intervention which remained unresolved.
Not just the professional crises, even if there were personal issues involved, Ambareesh would intervene. When there was a tiff between actor Darshan and his wife Vijayalakshmi, it was Ambareesh who stood by them and made an attempt to solve the problem.
Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) president Chinnegowda, who knew Ambareesh for several decades, said Ambareesh’s first love was cinema, and then politics. He, therefore, would rush whenever there was a crisis in the film industry.
Actor-turned-director DP Raghuram recalled that a few years back there was cinema workers federation dispute. “The workers had decided to boycott the shooting. But Ambareesh’s one phone call changed the scenario.”