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MOUNESH BADIGER
Mounesh Badiger (born March 21, 1984) is an award-winning writer, director, and literature contributor to the Kannada cinema industry. He is known for his work as an acting tutor and has directed numerous Kannada plays and a feature film titled "Soojidaara".

Personal Life
Badiger was born in the Hubballi district of Karnataka, India to Vimalakshi and Lakshman Badiger, and grew up in a lower-middle-class family with a rural background. His father's untimely death when he was 11 years old had a profound impact on his family's mindset. Despite this, Badiger had a keen interest in singing, writing, painting, acting, and drama since childhood, which motivated him to work actively in the same field.

Education
Inspired by his brother Manjunath L. Badiger, who was already actively working in theatre, Badiger became involved in street plays along with Jayatheertha, a popular Kannada film director. He was involved in street plays on various social evils such as the plight of garment workers, women's empowerment, AIDS, elections, etc. B.M. Giriraj, another popular Kannada film director, was also present. Badiger further pursued theatre by studying it more deeply from street plays.

Theatre
Mounesh Badiger's interest in theatre was sparked by his brother Manjunath L. Badiger, who was already actively involved in the field. He began his journey in theatre by participating in street plays on various social issues such as the plight of garment workers, women's empowerment, AIDS, and elections, among others. He was joined by Jayatheertha, a popular Kannada film director, and B.M. Giriraj. To deepen his knowledge of theatre, he joined Ninasam, a theatre education center that exposed him to various art forms such as theatre, literature, design, and cinema. He earned a Diploma in Theatre Education from Ninasam and then spent a year touring Karnataka with Ninasam's repertory, performing plays across the state. This experience gave him a new perspective on the state's people, life, and culture, which had a profound impact on him.

After returning to Bengaluru, he began working as a guest theatre resource person for various educational institutions in Karnataka, conducting theatre workshops for schools and colleges in Bengaluru. He also conducted theatre workshops for different sections of society, including colleges, theatre repertory centers, NGOs, remand home children, garment women, patients of NIMHANS, prison inmates, teachers, and orphanages. He directed many plays, including a production in a school started by renowned music director Hamsalekha. He also worked as an assistant director for "Chukki Chinna," a unique children's program of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan that imparts education through radio. He has participated as a judge in many drama competitions and directed a novel play titled "Masti Chocolate," which recreated three stories under the IFA's Bangalore 560 project on the streets of Gandhi bazaar in Bengaluru.

Cinema
After struggling to find work, Badiger won an opportunity as an associate director for many films. He worked in the story script section and became a director by directing a short film titled 'Nirvana'. He also participated in 'Kannada Kavya Kannada', a new project of Ninasam, where Rashtrakavi Kuvempu and Dr. K.R. Shivakumar participated. Chandrasekhara directed Kambara's poems into visual poetry to evoke a new part-meaning, which was widely appreciated in literature and visual media. His film "Soojidaara ", starring Haripriya, Yash Shetty, Achyuth Kumar, Chaitra Kotoor, Suchendra Prasad, and others, was released in 2019 and was dubbed in many languages and was a huge success.

Awards
Badiger has received several awards for his contributions to the Kannada cinema industry, including the U R Ananthamurthy Award, Basavaraj Kattimani Award, and 2015 Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar. His short film "Nirvana" was awarded the 2nd Best Film at the Bangalore International Short Film Festival (BISFF) organized by Suchitra Film Society. Many of his stories, reviews, and articles have been published in supplements and special issues of prestigious Kannada newspapers.

Literature & Books
Mounesh Badiger also expresses himself through literature, inspired by his experiences in theatre. His unique perspective and nuanced approach have led him to experiment with new forms of storytelling. In 2013, his first collection of short stories, "Maya Kolahala," was published and received the Chanda Book Prize. He also wrote "Vishanke," a postmodern Kannada play with a novel storyline, and "Tapalu Mani," a translation of Rabindranath Tagore's play "Dak Ghar." His poetry collection, "Premavemba Avargiya Vyajana," features a poetic dialogue on the theme of love. Additionally, he has authored "Acting Can't Be Taught," an acting manual for aspiring actors. Currently, Badiger's new collection of short stories and an intriguing novel titled "Kannina Kayile" are in the process of being printed and will soon be released to the public.

As an author, he has written many books which include the following

Acting Tutor
As an acting teacher with nearly 18 years of experience, Mounesh Badiger has trained numerous actors in the film industry. Many of his former students have gone on to become successful actors, directors, and technicians in movies and TV serials. To further his goal of providing exceptional acting education, he has established his own institution, called "Nirguna Abhinaya Shala," where he mentors and teaches new talent in the art of acting.