Vajramuni


Sadananda Sagar, better known by his stage name Vajramuni, was an Indian actor who appeared in Kannada films. He portrayed negative characters during most of his career and was considered one of Kannada cinema's finest actors. Over his career, he came to be known for his "thundering voice and sterling performance" that earned him the sobriquets Nata Bhairava and Nata Bhayankara.
Vajramuni began his career as a stage actor and gained popularity with his portrayal of Ravana in Kanagal Prabhakar Shastri's play Prachanda Ravana. He made his film debut in 1969 with Puttanna Kanagal's Mallammana Pavada. His pairing with Rajkumar, with the latter as the lead, in the 1970s came to be widely appreciated, with films such as Sipayi Ramu, Sampathige Savaal, Premada Kanike, Bahaddur Gandu, Giri Kanye and Shankar Guru. Recognizing his contribution to Kannada cinema, he was awarded the Lifetime Contribution to Kannada Cinema Award in 2006.

Early life

Vajramuni was born as Sadananda Sagar on 11 May 1944 in the Kanakanapalya of Bangalore. He was named after the Hindu deity Vajramuneshwara, that his members of his family were devotees of. His father Vajrappa was a corporator with the Bangalore City Municipality and later spent his life in anjanapura by owning a house with farm.

Career

Vajramuni was a college dropout and held a degree in cinematography. He traveled to Mumbai for the audition with unknown friend whom he met on way they both give audition but vajramuni was selected and other person was not selected because vajramuni was from Ninasam. He was a product of the Kannada amateur theatre. He impressed Puttanna Kanagal with his performance as Ravana in Kanagal Prabhakar Shastri's play Prachanda Ravana who offered Vajramuni a role in the film Saavira Mettilu. The film however got shelved.
Kanagal eventually cast him in Mallammana Pavada, which would become Vajramuni's debut film as an actor. Producers insisted that Udaya Kumar would be a better choice to match to Shivaji Ganeshan who played the role in the Tamil version, but Puttanna insisted that it had to be Vajramuni. Vajramuni acted in a number of films such as Mayura, Sampathige Saval, Daari Tappida Maga, Premada Kanike, Giri Kanye, Shankar Guru and Aakasmika with Rajkumar.

Death

Having suffered from multiple diseases including chronic diabetes and protracted kidney-related illness, Vajramuni died on 5 January 2006, at 5:30 a.m in a private hospital in Bangalore.

Partial filmography

;Karnataka State Film Awards