Kannada comedic actors who later turned lead actors

The tag of a "side actor" or a "character actor" comes at a great cost for actors. Over the years, several talented actors have singularly featured as character actors, a rank or two below that of the hero/heroine, and quite merrily sustained for decades together in their archetypes. For comedic actors though, the weight of carrying more than one responsibility lingers on for a long time - they are expected to the comic relief, the wingman/best friend, and the comedian but all wrapped into one. However, a few of them have proven time and again that with the right acting chops and instincts, the defamed "comedic actor" too can take on bigger and more crucial roles. These promotions come at far lengths in-between but quite a few of them have shown their mettle.

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Following a long and successful career as a comedian, Jaggesh would find almost instant fame when he became a bonafide leading man in 1992 with 'Banda Nanna Ganda'. This debut was followed up by many super hit films in the form of 'Tharle Nan Manga', 'Server Somanna', and others which led to Jaggesh creating his own unique niche that barely had any competitors at the time. Over the past decade and a half, Jaggesh has reinvented himself through films like 'Eddelu Manjunatha' and 'Neer Dose', and although he doesn't take up as many roles as before, he is still very much in the reckoning.

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In the early part of the 2000s, the name "Comedy Time" Ganesh echoed strongly in Karnataka as Ganesh achieved an almost super-star-like status for his stint on TV. He would follow up that success with several small but key roles in cinema until 'Chellata' came along in 2006 to launch him as a lead actor. Rest, as they say, is pretty much history as Ganesh became a sensation, of sorts through the rest of the decade after delivering a number of superhit films, including the blockbuster 'Mungaru Male'. A glowing example to the "side actor" fraternity which proves that one can always dream big!

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Umashree has defied conventions throughout her career and persistently stood her ground when it came to making acting choices. She began her career in 'Anubhava', an adult comedy made by Kashinath, and achieved a cult-like status in the following years - so much so that she was the marquee name for many years later as people would throng cinema halls to mainly watch her on the screen. Umashree rarely featured as the lead or the main actor but her mere presence guided the film's fate, so to speak, but time and again, she would get improved chances to showcase what she is capable of. Her collaborations with Girish Kasavarahalli fetched her many accolades in the latter half of her career.

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Another huge success story in the category, Sharan's tryst with the "lead role" emerged as a clear winner. Over the past few years, Sharan has been one of the more successful lead actors in the industry and continued his reign to date as many interesting projects like 'Avatara Purusha' and 'Guru Shishyaru' are currently lined up for him. Sharan turned a leading man in 2013 with 'Rambo'.

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Taking after his older brother Jaggesh, Komal too made the leap and took on bigger roles through films like 'Mast Maja Maadi' and 'Mr. Garagasa'. He would follow up these films with successes like 'Govindaya Namaha' and others but saw a slump later in the career despite a commendable physical transformation.

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A very well-regarded theatre artist, Rangayana Raghu made his film debut in 1995 and achieved tremendous success and acclaim in the decade that followed. He would become popular for his roles in films like 'Dhumm', 'Duniya', and 'Gaalipata' and even features in one of the lead roles in Guruprasad's 'Director's Special'. Rangayana Raghu still stands tall as a super talented performer and a definite asset to any fim.

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Although a superstar in his own right on television, Ravishankar Gowda still stands as a solid example of the leaps that an actor can manage to make. Through the 2008 film 'Payana', Ravishankar Gowda began his journey as a bonafide film lead but for myriad reasons could never achieve the status he had set out for. However, he continues to be in the thick of things and had mostly starred in Puneeth Rajkumar's 'Yuvarathnaa' and will also appear in 'Tribble Riding'.

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