Directing

T. S. Nagabharana

**Talakadu Srinivasaiah Nagabharana** (born 23 January 1953), widely known as **T. S. Nagabharana**, is a veteran Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, and theatre practitioner in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the pioneers of Indian bridge cinema, he is renowned for seamlessly connecting artistic, parallel film sensibilities with mainstream commercial storytelling across a prolific career spanning over four decades. Born in Talakadu in the Mysuru district of Karnataka and raised in Bengaluru, Nagabharana graduated with degrees in Science and Law. However, his core creative passion lay in stage performance and literature. He was deeply influenced by legends such as B. V. Karanth, Girish Karnad, and Adya Rangacharya. He became a seminal figure in modern Kannada theatre, founding the celebrated Bengaluru theatre troupe Benaka and directing numerous acclaimed plays. He entered cinema during the parallel film movement of the 1970s, working as an assistant and associate director under masters like B. V. Karanth on landmark films including *Chomana Dudi* (1975) and *Thabbaliyu Neenade Magane* (1977). He made his independent directorial debut with *Grahana* (1978), which won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration and the National Film Award for Best Screenplay, alongside the Karnataka State Film Award for First Best Film.