Veteran filmmaker and journalist N.S. Shankar passes away in Bengaluru at 67

Veteran Kannada journalist and filmmaker N.S. Shankar passed away at the age of 67 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep at his residence in Bengaluru. The death occurred late in the night on June 27, after Shankar returned from a film launch event in Kolar.

Shankar, who is survived by his son Rahul, had a career spanning over two decades in both journalism and cinema.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar condoled Shankar's passing, describing his death as an "irreparable loss to both journalism and literature." Shivakumar noted that Shankar analysed the realities of society with great sensitivity through his writings.

Shankar began his journalism career in 1979 with stints at City Times and Janavani daily newspapers. He joined Prajavani in 1981 and was later part of the founding teams of the daily newspaper Mungaru, led by Vaddarse Raghuram Shetty, and the weekly Suddi Sangaati, led by Indhudhar Honnapura. He also served as a senior news editor at Lankesh Patrike until the death of its founder, Lankesh, in 2000.

His transition into filmmaking was sparked by the positive reception of his short film, "Muttisikondavanu," which was based on a short story by Lankesh dealing with caste discrimination.

In 1997, Shankar made his feature directorial debut with the comedy-drama "Ulta Palta," inspired by Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. Starring Ramesh Aravind and Sanketh Kashi, the film was a major hit and was later remade in Tamil. The project was notably funded by industry technicians, including musician V. Manohar and cinematographer Ashok Kashyap. Shankar won the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Dialogues for the film.

Writer and historian K. Puttaswamy, who worked with Shankar, remembered him as a "socially responsible journalist" whose writings stood firmly with the oppressed and helped the downtrodden.

In addition to his print and film work, Shankar directed television serials for Doordarshan, including "Baduku Jataka Bhandi" and "Kshamaya Dharitri." He also authored several books, including "Arasu Yuga," which detailed the political life of former Chief Minister D. Deveraj Urs, and a book on the Dalit movement in Karnataka. Prior to his death, he was planning an anthology film titled "Eega."