Vajramuni

Sadananda Sagar (10 May 1944 – 5 January 2006), 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[s]" that earned him the epithets, 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 (1972), Sampathige Savaal (1974), Premada Kanike (1976), Bahaddur Gandu (1976), Giri Kanye (1977) and Shankar Guru (1978). Recognizing his contribution to Kannada cinema, he was awarded the Lifetime Contribution to Kannada Cinema Award in 2006.