To be inaugurated on Dec. 18 by Chief Minister Bommai at Haalaalu village near Udbur Gate

By S.T. Ravikumar

Mysore/Mysuru: It is a moment of pride for thousands of fans of renowned Kannada actor, late Dr. Vishnuvardhan as the actor’s memorial that was in the making for several years is finally being inaugurated by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Dec. 18 at the five-acre land at Haalaalu village near Udbur Cross on H.D. Kote Road.

The memorial is being built at a cost of Rs. 11 crore. Vishnuvardhan’s birthday falls on Sept. 18 and the actor died on Dec. 30, 2009. He is a part of the triumvirate of Kannada cinema along with Dr. Rajkumar and Ambarish.

On Sept. 15, 2020, the then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa virtually laid the foundation stone for the actor’s memorial. The Chief Minister is the Chairman of Dr. Vishnuvardhan Smaraka Pratishtana Trust. Mysuru District Minister S.T. Somashekar, Dr. Vishnuvardhan’s wife Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, daughter Keerthi, son-in-law Anirudh, MP Pratap Simha and MLA G.T. Devegowda will be present during the inauguration.

Of the five-acre land, two acres have been designed as the actor’s Samadhi and a 20-ft statue has been carved. The memorial has a built area of 1,454.70 square metres. It has a gallery chronicling the late actor’s cine journey, the articles used by him including his cap, ‘kadaga’ (Dr. Vishnuvardhan was wearing a ‘kadaga’ or a wristlet on his left hand), his books and a vast collection signifying his cinematic journey have been kept on display.

The memorial will be a tourist attraction and an academic centre for all those who are interested in art and cinema. A full-fledged training centre and a 250-seater auditorium has been constructed at the memorial site where training will be provided on acting, direction, script and lyrics writing and other creative aspects. The centre has been built on the lines of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

An audio-visual gallery with good sound acoustics has been set up along with the memorial garden, rest houses with lighting, drinking water and washroom facilities have been provided and the five-acre land is bounded by a compound wall.

Other facilities include artistes’ room, fountain, exhibition, gallery, classrooms, director’s cabin and office staff room. 94 percent of the works have been completed and the memorial will be ready in a fortnight for inauguration.

The actor’s family chose Mysuru for the memorial as the late actor had a close bond with Mysuru and it is his native place. A part of cremated ashes from Abhiman Studio at Uttarahalli in Bengaluru where the actor was cremated has been placed in the memorial.

Thirteen years have passed since the death of Dr. Vishnuvardhan and the memorial could not be built till now due to various reasons including land tussle in Bengaluru and Mysuru. Finally, the family got the land in Mysuru and that too was secured after prolonged litigation in the Court. According to the family, the memorial will inspire youths who wish to select cinema as their career.