Sihi Kahi Chandru
Chief Mentor
A defining figure of Kannada television — director of Papa Pandu and Silli Lalli, both crossing 1,000 episodes — and an actor in over 200 Kannada films across 35 years.
The team
The people who
have held this up.
Prakasam runs because of an unreasonable amount of generosity from a small number of people — its founder, its directors, and a board of senior advisors.
The founder
P D Sathish Chandra.
Theatre actor and director. Communications professional. Best known to wider audiences as a fixture of Kannada television.
PD's stage life began at college, deepened through Bangalore Little Theatre, and travelled through the founding years of Ranga Shankara before he started Prakasam in 2001. He has acted in more than fifty plays across Kannada, English, Hindi, Marathi and Bengali; directed seven; and contributed to a generation of Kannada theatre as actor, director, and mentor.
Outside Prakasam, he is recognisable from Kannada television — including Panduranga Vittala and Bhale Basava on Zee Kannada — and from films such as Kutty Srank (winner of seven national awards), Parari and Minugu. He was once Programme Director at Red FM 93.5.
With a Masters in Mass Communications, he has taught theatre at NMKRV College for Women and at Frames, and has written on the performing arts for The Times of India.
pdschandra@gmail.comAdvisory board
People behind the work.
A board of senior theatre and television practitioners whose support has been unconditional, whose criticism has been generous, and whose presence has shaped every production we mount.
Mandhya Ramesh
Advisor — Operations
Founder of Natana repertory. Three decades in Kannada cinema and television, with credits across 100+ films. Shapes the day-to-day rigour of our productions.
Geeta Citygirl Chopra
International Liaison
New York-based founder of SALAAM Theatre, the first professional South Asian theatre company in the USA. Brings a global gaze to our work.
Srinivas A. Kappanna
Advisor — Design & Light
Former Chairman of the Karnataka Nataka Akademi. National Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee. Mentored at National College, Basavanagudi, by Padmabhushana Dr. H. Narasimhaiah.
Vijay Padki
Advisor — Theatre Craft
Behavioural scientist, founding director of the P&P Group. Six decades with Bangalore Little Theatre — actor, director, writer, three-time president. Hindu Best Script awardee.
Dr. B V Rajaram
Advisor — Academic
PhD in Dramatics. Forty years in theatre. Acting Director of the Karnataka Nataka Akademi and the force behind Kala Gangothri. Nataka Akademi Awardee, 1992.
