Kannada Superstar Gorkha Actor Ganesh Thapa
The Kannada Superstar Ganesh is Nepalese descent, making waves across the state with his films . An industry that is almost militant in its opposition to non-Kannadiga actors or even films has a Nepali poised for stardom. Ganesh, however, is hesitant to recognise his roots, preferring to say that he is from Adakamaranahalli, a village on the city’s outskirts. “I have already clarified that I am not a Nepali. I am an Indian,” he says, though he admits that his forefathers are from Nepal and belong to the Gurkha clan.
The family also has a Darjeeling connection, but he does not want to talk about it. “His father was a watchman in Bangalore. Ganesh grew up here and is fluent in Kannada. He got his first break as an anchor of an interactive TV show,” an industry insider said. “There is no stopping this romantic hero now.” With his chocolate-hero looks, Ganesh is set to climb higher on the popularity charts with his third film being released this week. Gurkhas can serve in the Indian Army and are free to enter India without a passport and work without visas or permits. For several decades, Gorkhas have been working as watchmen in Bangalore while their children attend government schools.
Born July 2, 1977
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Other name(s) Role Gold Star Ganesh
Comedy Time Ganesh
Occupation - Actor, Producer
Years active - 2001 – present
Spouse(s) Shilpa (2008 - present)
Early Life and Education
He was born in Adakamaranahalli near Nelamangala town in Karnataka, India. His father's name is Kishan, and mother, Sulochana, and grandmother Sithamma. He is the first son in his family, the younger brothers being Mahesh and Umesh. He currently resides in Banashankari, Bengaluru. He excelled in education and earned a diploma in Electronics in Nelamangala. Ganesh's family hails from Nepal, though Ganesh has resided in Karnataka for a long Time
Marriage
Media initially reported that the actor was getting married on the 18th of February 2008. But the actor got married in a hurry on the 11th of February to his girlfriend of two years, Shilpa Barkur
Television Career
Guttu was Ganesh's first on-camera project (see Films section below). Though it was made as a telefilm in Karnataka, it ran into difficulties getting a timeslot to air, and the frustrated producers played it as a feature in festivals and select theaters in the USA, incurring heavy losses. Ganesh played the hero, Deepak, a hapless software systems analyst, who gets caught up in the ambitious adventure of an NRI girl (played by Chaya Singh) who visits India to try and re-trace her family tree. His flair for comedy and knack for timing showed through in this first role, which caused the director (Priyabharati) to promote him heavily to directors of many TV series. In his early days, Ganesh bagged a few TV roles by referencing his collaboration with an NRI director. He acted in several TV serials, including Yadva Tadva, Vataara (directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar) and Pa Pa Pandu (directed by Sihi Kahi Chandru).
As a TV artist he popularised the television program Comedy Time. The program was telecasted on Udaya TV from Monday-Friday at 5PM-5.30PM in the beginning and later at 5.30PM-6PM. The program concept was unique: viewers would write a letter to the anchor describing their family and mentioning their telephone number. Then the anchor would call their number, disguising himself as someone else and fool them. After reading each letter a comedy scene from a chosen Kannada film was telecasted in the interim. His unique style of greeting the viewers at the start and end of the program was popular, especially with children. Following the success of this TV show, fans started to call him "Comedy Time" Ganesh.
Films
Then came the 2006 film Mungaru Male, which was a roaring success. The film was directed by Yograj Bhat. Yograj had narrated the script to Puneeth Rajkumar, who rejected it. Ganesh had been involved in the script development process and was curious to act in the movie. He got director Bhat to meet his acquaintance E Krishnappa. Since Krishnappa knew Ganesh (both hailed from Adakamaranahalli, Nelamangala), he agreed to finance the film. Since Yograj Bhat couldn't get dates from any Kannada actress, he signed a relatively unknown actress, Pooja Gandhi. The film's lyrics were penned by Jayant Kaikini and music was composed by part-time music director Mano Murthy. Jayant Kaikini, son of renowned writer late Gourish Kaikini, was a well-known columnist and writer. The film was mainly shot during the rainy season in places like Madikeri, Sakaleshpura, Jog Falls and Gadag.
Mungaru Male opened to a good response among audiences and went on a record-breaking spree. The film garnered Rs. 75 crores (US $16 million) at the box office. It released with 150 prints all over Karnataka, and was the only film that ran to packed houses on weekdays in PVR Multiplex for 400 days. The remake rights of the movie were acquired by Suryaprakash Rao of SP Entertainers India Private Limited for Rs. 1.5 crores for Tamil and Telugu combined. The film received lukewarm to average reviews. Rediff.com awarded a three-star rating and praised its cinematography, technical values and acting, but opined that the story was flawed. Nowrunning.com felt that the film lacked a credible story line and gave too much importance to music and song picturisation. Kannada portal Thatskannada.com praised the film for its content, narration and usage of rain as a metaphor for love. His third film as hero, Hudugaata, was released on 8 June 2007. His subsequent films have included Cheluvina Chithara (2007), Gaalipata (2008), Krishna (2008), Aramane (2008), Bombaat (2008), Sangama (2008), Circus (2009), Ullasa Utsaha, and MaLeyali Jotheyali (2009).
Awards
Best Actor, 56th Filmfare Awards: Gaalipata
Best Actor, 57th South Filmfare Awards: Maleyali Jotheyali
Most Popular Actor, 2008 Ujala Suvarna Film Awards
IN LEADING ROLE
| Year | Film | Music | Director | Co-star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Chellata | Gurukiran | M. D. Shidhar | Rekha, |
| 2006 | Mungaru Male | Mano Murthy | Yograj Bhat | Pooja Gandhi |
| 2007 | Cheluvina Chittara | Mano Murthy | S. Narayan | Amoolya |
| 2007 | Hudugaata | Jassie Gift | Sanjay K | Rekha |
| 2007 | Krishna | Harikrishna | M.D. Sridhar | Pooja Gandhi |
| 2008 | Aramane | Gurukiran | Nagashekhar | Roma |
| 2008 | Bombaat | Mano Murthy | D. Rajendra Babu | Ramya |
| 2008 | Gaalipata | V. Harikrishna | Yograj Bhat | Daisy Bopanna, |
| 2008 | Sangama | Devi Sri Prasad | Ravi Verma | Vedhika |
| 2009 | Circus | Emil | Dayal Padmanabhan | Archana Gupta |
| 2009 | Ullasa Utsaha | G. V. Prakash Kumar | Devaraja Palan | Yami Gautam |
| 2010 | Eno Onthara | V Harikrishna | Mussanje Mahesh | Priyamani |
| 2010 | Maleyali Jotheyali | V. Harikrishna | Preetham Gubbi | Anjana Sukhani |
| 2011 | Maduve Mane | Manikant Kadri | Sunil Kumar Singh | Shradha Arya |
| 2011 | Cool...Sakkath Hot Maga | V. Harikrishna | Ganesh | Sana Khan |
| 2011 | Shyloo | Bhama | S. Narayanan | Bhama,Rangayana Raghu |
| 2012 | Munjane | S. Narayan | S. Narayan | Manjari Phadnis |
| 2012 | Romeo | Arjun Janya | PC Shekhar | Bhavana, Avinash |
| 2012 | Mr. 420 | V. Harikrishna | Pradeep Raj | Pranitha, Rangayana Raghu |
| 2013 | Auto Raja | Arjun Janya | Uday Prakash | Bhama, Deepika Kamaiah |
| 2013 | Sakkare | V. Harikrishna | Abhaya Simha | Deepa Sannidhi ,Ananth Nag |
| 2013 | Shravani Subramanya | - | Manju Swaraj | Amoolya |
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