Mangalore: Would love to act in Tulu movie - Tennis Krishna

Sunil Haleangady
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (EP)

Mangalore, Dec 7: In an acting career spanning for more than four decades, well-known comedy actor Tennis Krishna has earned a large number of fans with his acting that started from dramas.  He had recently come to Mulky to participate in a cultural programme, and spoke freely to the media while in Mulky.

Starting from his father M Shamanna Kengal Hanumantaih, famous tennis coach at the YMCA stadium, he had teachers all along, including Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade.  As he was the tennis coach along with his father at MSS of Basavanagudi, he became popular by the name ‘Tennis Krishna’.  He laments that he could not play tennis due to lack of height, even though he was known as Tennis Krishna.  He is however proud that his brother Narayana Moorthy filled the gap by becoming a tennis champion and retained the prestige of their father.

He is fond of Tulu as his wife belongs to Mangalore.  He says that he has come to the coastal region a number of times.  Besides acting in Perdoor Mela, he has acted as a guest artiste in a Tulu drama.  Friend and journalist Roopesh Kalmadi introduced him to local folk.  Social worker Roopesh Kalmadi’s friendship has brought him to this level, he says. "I would love to act in Tulu movie free of charge if I gets an opportunity," he says.

Krishna started acting in an effort to do something worthwhile in life. He took the initiative in an amateur group and travelled to Bijapur, Bagalkote, Manipal, Raichur etc acting in a street play titled ‘Vikasa’.  As dramas were less those days, he considered himself fortunate if he got a part after a long wait.  He says that it was dramas that brought him this far.

Though his family asked him to go for higher studies after SSLC, he chose acting as a career and became totally engrossed in it. Popular director Vemagal Jagannath spotted him when he acted in Basava drama festival and gave Krishna an opportunity to act in his Apavratha drama.  Krishna's career got a big boost with it.

Ramakrishna led Annayya Malik gave him the responsibility of assistant director for a film titled 'Aparoopada Kathe' in 1979 and also gave him a small part in it.  The film was shot at Malpe sea shore.  He says that he became fond of Tulunadu then on.

As opportunities in films were less, he worked for Samyukta Karnataka for two years.  He was then called by R N Jayagopal to assist Sunil Kumar Desai as an assistant director.  It was a landmark in his career.  He was given a part in Tiger Prabhakar’s Trinetra by Raj Kishore which paved the way for success.  He won the hearts of the audience with his unique dialogue and voice and got identified as a comedy actor.  He went on to act in more than 450 films.

Every actor longed to act with Dr Rajkumar.  He got the opportunity in ‘Jeevana Chaitra’.  He also acted in 'Yajamana', 'Soorappa', 'Kotigoppa' and such other films with Vishnuvardhan.  He has sung in 'Veera Madakari', 'Yarige Beda Duddu' and six other films.  He has acted as a villain in 'Alimayya' and as a hero in 'Appa Nanjappa Maga Gunjappa'.  He has eight films at hand and is also acting in Konkani film 'Karkalada St Lawrence'.  He claims that his voice is his biggest asset.