SOUTH INDIAN CINE MUSIC DIRECTORS [OLD] –XIV

 GURUSALA KRISHNADAS VENKATESH

MD – VIII   G K VENKATESH   [21-09 - 1927—17-11-1993]

Mr. GK V was born in Hyderabad and was a singer / composer for Kannada movies, though he had composed music for Tamil and Telugu movies.GKV was a singer too in his own right.  He had learnt playing Veena from his brother; actually had played Veena for MDs SVV, SMS AND CR Subburaman.       In his early life, he was a singer in All India Radio; in movies he had lent voice for chorus numbers set by SV Venkatraman.

While assisting SMS and CR S, GKV became a close friend of MS Viswanathan; this got more intimate during the early movies of MSV- Genova and Panam; in those movies GKV is credited for assisting music. Since 1952 he started composing music for Kannada movies and was a popular MD there.  For 8 years in a row, he was busy scoring music in Kannada movies.  Since most south Indian pictures were being made in Madras, artistes and technicians could simultaneously work for different teams for those languages. That way GK V had sung some good songs in Tamil movies. 

‘PAVA MANNIPPU’ [Vandha naal mudhal] , HELLO MR. ZAMINDAR  [sondhamumille bandhamumille]

He had scored music for Tamil movie ‘SABADHAM’ and had sung the song ‘Aattaththai aadu puliyudan aadu’. Some good songs like ‘thoduvathenna thendralo’ were from this movie.

For over 200 songs or so,   Mr. Ilayaraja has been an assistant to Mr. GKV.   Another hit ‘Then sindhu dhe vanam’ was from GKV’s stable.     He was a good friend of all MDs of that era.

I offer my salutations to GK V

Prof. K. Raman