He is one of the most eminent directors.  Both in terms of commercial and critical aspects and also in the aspect of ‘Bridge’ cinemas. It would be incomplete and unfair to call him as a director who came from the theatre background.  Because it is true even the other way around, he is also a theatre activist with a film experience!! He came into the movies with a lot of experience in theatre and that experience took him to places in the celluloid world. When he was at the zenith of all the fame.  He came back to embrace the theatres.  So it would not be an exaggeration if this son of Kannada soil, Nagabharana were to be introduced in the above manner. In his five decades of celluloid journey, he has directed 36 films and has bagged 10 National awards and 23 state awards. In his well-balanced journey of cinema, he has managed to put serious artistic films and light hearted commercial films in a balance.  With that, he gave a Midas touch to the genre of Bridge Cinema.  He has also walked hand in hand with the talented artist of new generation and nurtured them with the help of his ace theatre buddies.  Mr.Jayanthkaikini quotes “When people are forgetting what is new and old, within a finger snap.  Bharana is the link that connects both.  Between customs and creativity between the theatre and the cinema, between the amateur artists of Bengaluru and rest of the world.  In between the commercial and artistic factors, Bharana is a strong bond that unites the intellect and the emotions.” These lines of Jayanth describe Nagabharana in the fields of theatre and films. One of the country’s best directors whose forte’s is both Commercial and Bridge Cinema. He is an experienced theatre activist with a flair for directing, acting and singing both off screen and on screen. Even when he is at the pinnacle of fame he has not forsaken theatre. Has been almost a veteran film maker with four decades in Kannada film industry. Questioning his own abilities and by raising his work, he started experimenting which helped to discovered himself and thus proved his capabilities to the world. Bharana helped his grandfathers by drawing the curtains for Yakshagana, serving water to the artists and with that colours of art flying around him, he painted his dreams.  Those were his childhood days in Talakadu (birth place).  When he came to Bengaluru for his high school education, he backpacked those dreams and brought them with him.  He was a part of all the extracurricular events like dramas and elocutions and thus laid the foundation for his creative future. His journey as a director has brought him 10 National awards and 23 state awards.This well balanced journey has given the Nation and the world the best of both commercial and bridge cinemas. There is clarity of vision when he envisages a prospective film story/theme. For the sake of Rs.2.50 stipend he joined theatre classes where the legends of Indian theatre like, B.V. Karanth, Prema Karanth, Sai Paranjape and Adya Rangacharya were the resource persons.  By the end of his course, Nagabharana had become one among the theatre fraternity.  By then he had realized that theatre is the platform that would turn his dreams into reality. By the time he finished his P.U.C and joined his B Sc., he was a professional theatre activist.  Wearing a shorts and with a hammer in his hand, he would roam about fixing the stage and set properties.  May be those experience and the expertise in the backstage made him one of the best technicians. When Nagabharana was in final year B Sc., a notion for his first directorial venture began.  Before that he had worked in Gireesh Karnad’s film ‘Kaadu’ as an assistant director and also in ‘Vamshvruksha’. The subject Bharana chose for his debut film was rather challenging. In Ujani, a small village near Kunigal, there was a peculiar custom, where 6 Harijan men wore holy thread for their Hebbaramma festival and performed ritual like Brahmins.  Bharana developed this subject to shoe the evil roots and ramifications of caste system in the rural parts of India.  He won National award for his first movie ‘Grahana’ and that boosted him up to embark on his experimental expedition in the silver screen. He has the ability to visualize the project from inception to finalization with originality like a visionary.