‘Nanu Koli Thinnuva Brahmana’ Master Hirannaiah was my Favorite Stand-Up Comedian in 90’s
‘Nanu Koli Thinnuva Brahmana’ ( I am a Chicken Eating Brahmin) Master Hirannaiah was my Favorite Stand-Up Comedian in 90’s, when he used perform at house-full shows at Town Hall, Mangaluru in 80’and 90’s.
Mangaluru : My memory goes back to the 80’s and 90’s when I never missed to attend the stand-up comedy by Master Hirannaiah at Town Hall, Mangaluru- and trust me, every one of his show was house-full, with people outside town Hall selling tickets in black. His own drama company – ‘Hirannaiah Mithra Mandali’ was a household name in Karnataka. His plays were always a big hit and it was almost impossible to get a ticket at times during the peak of his popularity in pre-television days. And one of his quote “Nanu Koli Thinnuva Brahmana” which he said during one of his comedy act, I still have it memorized in my brain, and every time I hang around with my Brahmin friends, who consume non-veg (Chicken ), I pick on them using this quote?’And to be honest, me and my cousin used to always buy tickets in black for Hirannaiah’s shows, since we both were lazy to stand in the queue to buy the tickets.
A Brahmin from a conservative background, he was fond of alcohol and had no inhibitions about making it public. He used to joke that his blood group is ‘alcohol group’. After a heart attack, he had stopped drinking. Even on stage he was not reluctant to say that he drinks and eats non-veg. Even though he had friends in all political parties, his acerbic tongue spared none. Also in one of his comedy act in Mangaluru he said, “I don’t know why they had named Mahatma Gandhi road in Bengaluru, when that road is filled with bars, pubs, dance bars, and all other illegal activities happening on that stretch of that road”?. He would add dialogues of the current incidents, even though they were not original part of the act. He took on all Karnataka chief ministers, including S Nijalingappa, Devaraj Urs and R Gundurao. In the 1990’s, he started acting in television serials. Some of them became big hits. His stand-up comedy shows were also popular on the small screen.
But sadly, “Master” Hirannaiah, renowned Kannada theatre personality, satirist and stand-up comedian is no more. He was 85. Hirannaiah, who also acted in several Kannada movies and television serials, was an iconic figure in Karnataka. Born Narasimhamurthy to a veteran theatre personality, Hirannaiah became “Master” Hirannaiah in Kannada entertainment field. He revolutionised professional theatre in Kannada by bravely staging the plays against social evils and political corruption of his times. His play “Lanchavathara”, a powerful statement on corruption, has been staged over 10,000 times creating a record of sorts.
His other plays like “Bhrastachara”, “Kapi Mushti”, “Athyachara” and “Nadu Beedi Narayana” are also landmarks in Kannada theatre. Millions of audio cassettes of his plays have been sold over the last 50 years. According to industry sources, he was the most popular for many decades. His big break came during the draconian Emergency between 1975 and 1977. When most actors stopped acting or were afraid of criticizing the government of Indira Gandhi, Hirannaiah took on her courageously by staging plays against the “murder” of democracy. He was proud of his act and used to describe how he fought Emergency through his plays.
An untoward incident involving former chief minister Siddaramaiah a few years ago had made him bitter. His comments on Siddaramaiah had angered his supporters who had gheraoed him demanding an apology. A proud Hirannaiah had tendered an apology, making it clear that he was not going to criticize any political leader after that. He was quite active till recently and was full of life. Condoling his death Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy described him as an icon of Kannada professional theatre. “He was a legend, a stalwart. A doyen of Kannada cultural field” he said.
Hirannaiah or Hirannayya known by his stage name Master Hirannaiah, was an Indian film actor in the Kannada film industry and a theatre artist in Karnataka, India. Some of the notable films of Master Hirannaiah as an actor include – “Re (2016)”, “Care of Footpath 2 (2015)”, “No. 73”, “Shanthi Nivasa (2007)”.
About “Master” Hirannaiah :
Hirannaiah was born in Mysore, Karnataka on 15 February 1934. His father K. Hirannaiah too was an Indian film actor, director, and writer in the Kannada film industry and a theatre artist in the state. His mother was Sharadamma. After finishing primary education in Banumayya Middle school, Hirannaiah completed intermediate in Sharada Vilas, Mysore, Karnataka. In his childhood days, he distributed newspaper Sadhvi to fund his education, while actively participating in drama and theatre plays.
After his father’s death, Hirannaiah took over the management of the K.Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali,[8] which was founded by his late father. Later he became actor, director and administrator of the theatre company. “The audience is my censor board. They have paid for their ticket, if they have a problem or they disagree they can stand up and talk about it” “My method is to have my commentary on various issues in the middle, while the beginning and end has the catchphrase which gets the attention of the audience.”—Master Hirannaiah, sharing his thoughts with Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore.
Master Hirannaiah has been part of more than 30 movies in Kannada. His notable drama plays include Lanchavathara, Double Thaali, Kanya Dahana, Sanyashi Samsara, Chamachavathara, Haasyadalli Ulta Palta, Kapil Mushti, Nadubidi Narayana, Bhrashtachaara, Anaachaara, with Lanchavathara playing more than 11 thousand times, over a span of 45 years, performing in countries like United States, Australia, Singapore, and England.
Master Hirannaiah established the Hirannaiah Award, in memory of his father who was known popularly as “cultural comedian” or “cultured comedian”. Hirannaiah Awards are presented on behalf of Karnataka Nataka Academy, to theatre artists (native name: Rangamukhagalu) for their notable drama works. First award ceremony was held on 17 April 2010, at the Jaganmohan Palace auditorium in Mysore, Karnataka.
With inputs from : News18 News & Wikipedia