Mysore/Mysuru: The 69th Filmfare Awards South 2024, held in Hyderabad yesterday, celebrated best movies, actors, singers and technicians for their exceptional performances over the past year. The event also brought pride to Mysuru, with actor Poornachandra receiving the Best Actor (Critics) award in the Kannada films category for his role in the movie ‘Orchestra Mysuru,’ directed by fellow Mysurean Sunil.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Poornachandra expressed his happiness and gratitude for receiving the award for his role in ‘Orchestra Mysuru.’

“The journey of Orchestra Mysuru is the most memorable. We shot the movie with great difficulty, and though it failed commercially, it was embraced by the audience on OTT platforms. For a movie that failed commercially to still be recognised is a true blessing. I am thankful to the audience who supported the film,” he said.

What makes the award even more special  for Poornachandra is the fact that he joined the team of elite actors like Prakash Raj and Naveen Polishetty (Telugu), Jyothika and Jojo George (Malayalam) and Siddarth (Tamil), who also won the Best Actors (Critics) award this year.

Previously, Poornachandra received the Best Actor Award at the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) for his role in the Kannada short film ‘Patinga’ in 2017.

Orchestra Mysuru tells the story of a youngster who aspires to become a singer and the hardships he faces on his journey to achieve his goal. Most of the film was shot in Mysuru and surrounding areas, featuring mainly local actors. The music, composed by Mysurean Raghu Dixit, was widely appreciated. The movie was released during the Sankranti festival last year and was warmly received by the audience.

Poornachandra’s first foray into acting was through B.V. Karanth College Rangotsava, organised by Rangayana during his college days. A B.Com student at the time, he participated in a theatre camp at Mahajana First Grade College, organised by Rangayana, and received praise for his stage performances from both family and friends.

His entry into Rangayana inspired him to take up acting seriously and pursue a career in the field. He was mentored by senior Rangayana artiste Prashanth Hiremath. Like many actors without industry connections, Poornachandra struggled for years before achieving success.

Some of the characters he has played include Jamoon Ravi in Tagaru, Bablu in Popcorn Monkey Tiger, Sulthankeri Usman in Daredevil Mustafa and Ganapa in Badava Rascal, showcasing his versatile acting abilities. Having completed 10 years in the movie industry, with Lucia being his first film, Poornachandra will be seen in upcoming movies ‘Maryade Prashne’, ‘Nimitta Maatra’ and ‘Anna from Mexico.’

And the Filmfare goes to…

• Best Film : ‘Daredevil Musthafa’
• Best Director : Hemanth M. Rao (Sapta Sagaradaache Ello)
• Best Film (Critics) : Pinki Elli (Prithivi Konanur)
• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) : Rakshit Shetty (Sapta Sagaradaache Ello)
• Best Actor (Critics) : Poornachandra Mysore (Orchestra Mysuru)
• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) : Siri Ravikumar (Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye)
• Best Actress (Critics) : Rukmini Vasanth (Sapta Sagaradaache Ello)
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) : Rangayana Raghu (Tagaru Palya)
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) : Sudha Belawai (Kousalya Supraja Rama)
• Best Music Album : Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Charan Raj)
• Best Lyrics : B.R. Lakshman Rao (Yava Chumbaka – Chowka Bara)
• Best Playback Singer (Male) : Kapil Kapilan (Nadiye O Nadiye – Sapta Sagaradaache Ello – Side A)
• Best Playback Singer (Female) : Srilakshmi Belmannu (Kadalanu Kanna Horatiro – Sapta Sagaradaache Ello – Side A)
• Best Debut (Female) : Amrutha Prem (Tagaru Palya)
• Best Debut (Male) : Shishir Baikady (Daredevil Musthafa)
• Lifetime Achievement Award : Srinath