One of the simple, humble, and trim-in-outfits senior cinema journalists, Chetan Nadiger, has achieved a remarkable feat. The much-awaited 395-page book Chandanavanadol contains the history of 90-plus years of Kannada cinema, besides interesting and fascinating facts. Writing nearly 40,000-plus words for this Veeraloka publication by one of the senior cinema journalists is undoubtedly a tough task. Although we have two bound volumes of Kannada cinema history, what makes Chetan Nadiger’s book very interesting is that he presents all the achievements of the past in 35 chapters, making it a precise and engaging read.
Who says that “history is a dead stock”? Here is a book worth reading and remembering, filled with facts and figures compiled by Chetan Nadiger. After 23 years of service in various major publications like Udayavani, Vijaya Karnataka, Kannada Prabha, Vijayavani, Roopatara, and as a ghostwriter for various publications, Chetan Nadiger is known for his discerning approach to Kannada cinema, which has various firsts to its credit.
Chetan Nadiger, son of veteran journalist Srikanth (who worked in the prestigious daily Kannada Prabha) and grandson of Nadiger Krishna Rao, an unforgettable literary giant, initially focused on journalism. In later years, he delved into serious topics in cinema journalism. This has made him a part of the revised edition of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy history book. He also narrated Kushiyinda Ramesh and published another interesting book titled Screenshots—a compilation of facts not found anywhere else.
Congratulating the knowledgeable colleague on this occasion, we must also mention how the book release event was held at the Town Hall on Sunday, 23rd March 2025. The Veeraloka publications, headed by Veerakaputra Srinivas, organized the event uniquely through Sahitya Ugadi. Padma Shri Dr. Girish Kasaravalli, Dr. Bhairamangala Ramegowda, Sahana Vijayakumar, and Dr. Basavaraj Sabarada were the chief guests at the 10-book release event.
A glimpse of all 10 writers was presented through audio and video. As a prelude to the Ugadi festival, Bevu Bella was offered to nearly 600 attendees at the Town Hall. The books were introduced through Tala Maddale, music, and poetry. Nearly 50 students from various colleges participated in this special event. Veerakaputra Srinivas, who previously worked hard in forming the Dr. Vishnuvardhana Fans Organization, is now actively involved in book publications. He has brought a corporate culture to Kannada book release events. Nearly four sponsors supported this expensive Kannada book launch. Veerakaputra Srinivas, thanking the guests and the large audience, mentioned that he had sold nearly ₹3 crores worth of books in a short span of time. His ideology and commitment to promoting Kannada books and reading are simply impeccable.
The book contains data related to mythological, historical, literary, artistic, and children’s films. It also highlights luminaries of the Kannada literary world who were directly involved in the film industry. Three of the eight Jnanpith awardees have worked as directors. Kannada cinema also includes films in six dialects (Tulu, Kodava, Konkani, Lambani, Beary, and Arebhasha), films without dialogue, films shot in a single take, and films made in a very short period of time. Additionally, Kannada films have gained attention at the international level and won numerous awards at state and national levels. Furthermore, the experiments in Kannada cinema are countless. Many records, adventures, features, interesting facts, and achievements have shaped the industry. Chandanavanadol is an attempt to relive all these.
This book, priced at ₹395, has been published by Veerakaputra Srinivas under the Veeraloka Books organization. At the Sahitya Ugadi event, several other books were also released, including S. Diwakar’s Vastava Prativastava (criticism collection), Dr. M. Venkataswamy’s Titanic (study), Jayashree Kasaravalli’s Higondu Aerospace Purana (travel story), Nataraja Aralasurali’s Akashabutti (experience story), Rajashekar M’s Shatamanambhavathi (novel), Arjun Devaladakere’s Mix & Match (short stories), Nadahalli Vasanth’s Not for Women! (psychological writings), Prasad Naik’s Mussanje Matu (light writings on old age), and Prasad Shenoy R. K’s Nerale Ice Cream (collection of short stories).
