Veteran Kannada filmmaker and script writer D Rajendra Babu, who was known for his sentimental flicks ‘Halunda Thavaru’, ‘Karulina Koogu’, ‘Karulina Kudi’ and ‘Jeevanadi’ died of cardiac arrest at a private city hospital on Sunday. He was 62.
Babu is survived by his actor-wife Sumithra and daughters Umashankari and Nakshatra, both actors. He had been bestowed the Puttanna Kanagal award for his contribution to Kannada films last year. Babu, who started his career in tinsel word as an associate to ace film directors like Rajendra Singh Babu, V Somashekhar and K S R Das,became an independent director with ‘Jiddu’, which had Tiger Prabhakar and Jayamala in the lead.
In a nearly three decade-long career, he directed more than 50 films during which he got to work with some of top names in the movie industry like actors Ravichandran, Vishnuvardhan, Upendra, Ambareesh, Shivarajkumar, Puneeth, Sithara, Mahalakshmi, Sonali Bendre, Lakshmi, Khushboo and Malashree.
He had also directed a number of remakes -- ‘Ramachari’,’ Preethse’, ‘Annaiah’, ‘Yare Neenu Cheluve’, ‘Yuga Purusha’, ‘Diggajaru’, ‘Swathi Muthu’, ‘Uppidada MBBS’ and ‘Bindaas’. He also directed a film on encounter specialist Daya Nayak(‘Encounter Dayanayak’). His two films -- ‘Aryan’ starring Shivarajkumar and Ramya and ‘Kuchiku Kuchikku’, which has his daughter Nakshatra in one of the lead roles -- are yet to be completed.
Apart from Kannada, Babu had directed a Malayalam film,’ Rekthabhishekam’, and a Hindi film ‘Pyaar Karke Dekho’ in 1987.
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