Pannaga Bharana

Bharana started working professionally in the film industry at the age of five when he debuted on one of the most-loved television series Tenali Rama, aired on the DD National Channel (1990). In the same year, he played a crucial role in Stone Boy, an Indio-Mauritius Project (1990). His subsequent roles in Chinnari Mutha (1993), Naviddeve Yecharike (1996), Mussanje (1998), and a stint as an Assistant Editor in the musical collection of famous poets works – Geetha Madhuri (1998) followed shortly after.

While pursuing his high school (SJBMC), undergraduate (Surana College) and postgraduate (New York Film Academy) degrees between 2002 and 2010, Pannaga continued to pursue his passion in the entertainment field. His roles ranged from acting to working as Director of Photography (DOP) in a myriad of projects. While in school, Pannaga expanded his role from actor to assistant director, working on projects like Maha Maaye (TV Show, 2002), Kallarali Hoogavi (Film, 2007), Nam Yejamanru (Film, 2008), and Keladi Shivappa Nayaka (Film, 2010) under the guidance of his father T.S. Nagabharana. Alongside this roster of projects, Pannaga expanded his own vision by directing projects like a series of commercials for KMF (Commercial, 2006, 2007, and 2009) and directing, editing and assisting short films like You Never Know (Director, 2006), Eyes R Not Here (Director, 2007), Surprise (Director/DOP/Editor, 2008), One Day (1st AD, 2009), Paradise (Director/DOP/Editor, 2009), Night Out (DOP, 2009), Unlucky (Director/DOP/Editor, 2008), The Acquaintance (Director/DOP/Editor, 2009), Run (Director/DOP/Editor, 2008), Break Up (DOP, 2008)

His award-winning short film You Never Know (2006), Nokia Mock Commercial (2005), and music video Just Like That (2009) has solidified his stellar reputation as a director. While working on these projects, Pannaga has also simultaneously acted in commercially successful and award-winning films like Chinnari Mutha, Naviddeve Yecharike, Vimochane, Mrugashira, and Kamsaale Kaisaale (2012) as well as a Fena Commercial, which was shot in Hindi.

The start of the 2010 brought about a world of new and exciting opportunities for Pannaga Bharana. Having established his credibility in the film industry by winning the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Mrugashira and the Best Director of the Year (2020) award for his film French Biriyani at SIIMA which made him began exploring a brand new realm of possibilities in terms of directing. The projects he began to focus on were loaded with imagery and paid close attention to themes. This can be seen in his directorial endeavours like Kamsaale Kaisaale (2012), and Vasundara (2014). While working on these projects, Pannaga continued assisting his father on big budget productions as an assistant director, editor and executive producer in projects like Allama (2017), and Kaanorayana (2018). As a way to reach out to the community and attract a younger audience to the art of filmmaking, Pannaga turned his focus onto his studio, PB Studios, creating a platform where young filmmakers and artists channel their creativity and work towards their goals of becoming a part of the film and entertainment industry. Having successfully established his studio, Pannaga has made a comeback as an executive producer with his brand-new film “Tatsama Tadbhava – The Confession,” a film marking the return of acclaimed actress Meghana Raj Sarja.

During the mid-2000's, Pannaga's presence in the entertainment industry was quite notable. Because of the depth and quality of his projects, he was invited to a series of Film Festivals as both a participant and a delegate. Some of the Festivals he attended were: IFFI, Goa, IND New York Film Festival, NY New Filmmaker's Festival, NY Triebeca Film Festival, NY Berlin International Film festival BIFFS