Over the years, the film industry has been dominated by males for a long time, but now this has changed, especially in the Kannada Film industry, also known as Sandalwood. The involvement of women is increasing as they step into leadership roles and make their presence felt through impactful storytelling and creative direction.
This shift has given rise to many Famous female directors of Kannada cinema who have not only directed successful movies but also won prestigious awards, gaining the spotlight they truly deserve. In this article, we shine a light on the Top 5 female directors in Sandalwood who are breaking stereotypes and setting new standards.
So, guys, read this article, continue, and explore the most popular Female Kannada film producers, whose vision and passion are helping elevate regional cinema to national and global cinema platforms.
List of Top 5 Famous Female Directors in Kannada Cinema
Prema Karanth
The first-ever woman filmmaker in Kannada cinema, Prema Karanth, was a famous Indian theatre personality in her time. She is a theatre artist who started her career as a costume designer, and later she went on to become an art director.
Prema made her debut as a director in the 1983 movie ‘Phaniyamma’ based on the novel written by M.K. Indira, where the movie follows the problems faced by the widows in society.
Prema Karanth Awards
| Awards Name | Year | Categories | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Awards | 1982 | Best Feature Film in Kannada | Phaniyamma |
| Filmfare Awards – Kannada | 1984 | Best Director | Phaniyamma |
Kavitha Lankesh
Kavitha Lankesh is one of the best directors in Sandalwood. She is a film director, screenwriter, and lyricist known for her work in the Kannada cinema industry. Kavith started her career as a documentary director, before her debut as a director on big screen.
She made her debut as a director in the 1999 film ‘Deveeri‘. After this, she has directed over 50 films in her directing career. She has directed some of the popular movies like ‘Alemaari’, ‘Bimba’, Avva and other movies. She also revived the great TV series ‘Malgudi Days’ in 2006.
Awards Received by Kavith Lankesh
| Year | Title | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Deveeri | Kannada | |
| 2003 | Preethi Prema Pranaya | National Award for Best Regional Film; Karnataka State Film Award for Best Story | |
| 2004 | Bimba | Karnataka State Award for Best Screenplay | |
| 2006 | Malgudi Days | Hindi | Television series; season 4 |
| 2006 | Tananam Tananam | Kannada | |
| 2008 | Avva | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Story | |
| 2012 | Crazy Loka | ||
| 2013 | Kariya Kan Bitta | ||
| 2018 | Summer Holidays | English Kannada | Children’s film |
| 2023 | Gauri | English | Documentary |
Vijayalakshmi Singh
Vijayalakshmi Singh is considered one of the successful actresses, directors, costume designers, and producers in the Kannada film industry. Even though she could direct only a few movies, all of them got stuck in the minds of audiences.
She is the sister of the director S.V. Rajendra Singh Babu. Vijayalakshmi began her directing career by remaking the Hindi film ‘Baghban’ in Kannada as ‘Ee Bhandana’, a superhit movie.
In 2013, she also directed another movie, ‘Sweety Nanna Jodi,’ which also became a superhit film.
Awards Received by Vijayalakshmi Singh
She could not win any awards during her directing career.
Suman Kittur
Suman Kittur is a renowned Indian journalist, film director, and lyricist who has worked in the Kannada film industry and has directed some of the popular movies like ‘Slum Bala’, ‘Kallara Santhe’, ‘Edegarike’, and ‘Kiragoorina Gayyaligalu’.
She started assisting after completing her graduation under director Agni Shridhar. She is one of the daring women who like to make movies with anti-social elements, which marks her presence in the Sandalwood.
She is one of the few women directors who have won a state award. She began her directing career as an assistant director for the movie ‘Aa Dinagalu’ and made her first directorial movie ‘Slum Bala’
Awards Won by Suman Kittur
- 2009 – Kallara Santhe
- Karnataka State Film Award (Special Jury Award)
- 2012 – Edegarike
- Awards & Nominations:
- Karnataka State Film Award for Third Best Film
- Bangalore International Film Festival – Special Jury Award
- Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director
- Nominated – Bangalore Times Film Award for Best Director
- Awards & Nominations:
Roopa Iyer
Roopa Iyer is one of the multi-talented women in the Kannada film industry. She is a director, actor, dancer, model, businesswoman, and philosopher.
As a dancer who has won many hearts of the audiences, she made her directorial debut with the movie ‘Mukthaputa’ about a child suffering from HIV/AIDS, and later in 2013, she made another bilingual movie ‘Chandra’ which became a commercial hit.
Awards Won by Roopa Iyer
Her film Mukhaputa won the Best Feature Film Award at the International Film Festival of Ireland in 2009.
Leave a Reply