Cudavalli Chandrashekar

Cudavalli Chandrashekar (1955 – 27 January 2018) was an Indian actor, film producer and director known for his work in Kannada cinema. He appeared in child roles in films such as Namma Makkalu before making appearances in adult roles. He is noted for his performance in Puttanna Kanagal's Edakallu Guddada Mele (1973).

In 1984, Chandrashekar moved to Canada with his wife where he worked as a visa officer. He returned to films in the early 2000s and directed an adaptation of M. K. Indira's novel Poorvapara, which became the first Kannada film to be screened at the Toronto Film Festival. He appeared in a total of 40 films before his death in 2018. In recognition of his contributions to Kannada cinema, he was awarded the Rajyotsava Award by the government of Karnataka in 2004.

Career Chandrashekar was introduced to filmmaker R. Nagendra Rao who was on the lookout for a child actor for his film Namma Makkalu (1969) by his teacher and actor B. S. Narayana Rao. Chandrashekar went on to make his debut with that film.

In 1984, Chandrashekar left for Canada with his wife Sheela. He worked as a visa officer at the High Commission of India in Ottawa before making corporate films. The film revolves around an elderly woman from Sringeri who moves to the US to live with her son, only to struggle with loneliness and a sense of displacement in her new surroundings. Chandrashekar received critical praise for his direction. It became the first Kannada film to be screened at the Toronto Film Festival.

Chandrashekar was married to engineer and danseuse Sheela.

Filmography As actor + Year Title Role Notes 1969 Namma Makkalu 1971 Vamsha Vriksha Chinni 2009 Karanji Jeeva 2011 Double Decker 2014 Rose 2015 Endendigu 2016 Shivalinga R. Chandrashekhar Sri Sathyanarayana Asthitva Kempammana Court Case Also director 2017 Chakravarthy 2018 Raju Kannada Medium