With Stars in His Eyes, Karnataka CM Gets Nostalgic

The sky appears dull today because the stars have descended here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at the Biffes inaugural ceremony.

BENGALURU: The sky appears dull today because the stars have descended here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said at the Biffes inaugural ceremony.He was referring to the many leading ladies of Kannada cinema who had congregated at the Vidhana Soudha. Over the years, they have become an integral part of the festival. Also, they must have brought back to Siddaramaiah memories of a more innocent age.

Sowcar Janaki, Savitri, B Saroja Devi, B V Radha, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, B V Radha, Jayamala, Hema Chaudhary, and Tara, all decked up in traditional saris, sat together, as if at a wedding, and chatted away at the high tea ahead of the main event. And when the event began on the lawns of the Vidhana Soudha, they sat together and enjoyed the  two-and-half-hour extravaganza. Sitting by their side were stalwarts from Mumbai such as Jaya Bachchan and Sanjay Leela Bansali and filmmaker Ashok Amritraj. An actress sorely missed was Jayanthi, a regular at Biffes.

Among yesteryear heroes who attended the glittering show were Srinath, known for his romantic roles, and Chandrashekar, remembered for playing the hero in the Puttanna Kanagal film Edakallu Guddada Mele. Senior actor Dattatreya was also in attendance. Ambareesh, called rebel star for his angry roles, came with wife Sumalatha, a leading lady in many of his films. He became nostalgic and spoke about how the Kannada industry was holding its own against wealthier industries. Actors Shivarajkumar, Jai Jagadish, Vijayalakshmi Singh, Prajwal Devaraj, Harshika Ponacha and Roopika, producers Rockline Venkatesh and Surappa Babu, directors Nagabharana, P Seshadri and Lingadevaru, were among those we spotted.

Dances by the graceful Shobana and her team won applause. Nirupama and Rajendra took the crowd’s breath away with an innovative dance presentation depicting 80 years of Kannda cinema. Called Silver to Silicon, it was rich with classical overtones. Blockbuster Gathering

About 3,000 people watched the Biffes inaugural event. Secretariat employees stayed back and lined the corridors overlooking the stage.

The Vidhana Soudha was all lit up. Many took selfies against the dramatic backdrop.

Angry Ambareesh: When fans and political hangers-on jostled and posed for pictures with the many stars in attendance, Kannada actor Ambareesh screamed at them, telling them to behave.

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