Sandalwood Actor Rebel Star Ambareesh Had A Heart Of Gold

Rebel Star Ambareesh, the name conjures up an image of not just a versatile Kannada actor but also the messiah of the poor. Ambi, as he was fondly called by his fans,

represented the changing times of southern cinema. He made his entry into Kannada cinema in the role of an antagonist in 1972. The film was legendary director Puttanna Kanagal's' Naagara Havu' and it also had another debutante – Vishnuvardhan- playing the lead role.

Since then, till his death in 2018, Malavalli Huchche Gowda Amarnatha aka Ambareesh played the lead in about 200+ films. So this feat put him on par with his contemporaries Dr Rajkumar and Dr Vishnuvardhan, both of who ruled Sandalwood till their demise. Incidentally, Ambareesh was one of the triumvirate along with these other two protagonists in Sandalwood.

The 'Rebel Star', he was not just a hero for his fans on screen, he had a heart of gold and was ever willing to help those who came to him for help. Perhaps his service mindedness is what pushed him into politics and sure enough he won. Ambi became a man who could perform for his people on the field too, when he joined politics in the mid-1990s. This is what makes him stand apart from his close friend of 40 years – Rajinikanth- who is yet to formally test waters in public service

He enjoyed a huge fan following in both the worlds of cinema and politics. He was married to popular South Indian actress Sumalatha. Their son Abhishek Gowda made his screen debut with Amar, he will be next seen in Duniya Suri's movie.