Bungle Shama Rao Dwarakanath (19 August 1942 – 16 April 2024), known by his stage name Dwarakish (/ˈdwɑːrkɪʃ/ DWAR-kish),[5][6] was an Indian actor, comedian and filmmaker who predominantly worked in Kannada cinema in addition to few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.

Starting his career as a supporting actor in Veera Sankalpa (1964) and co-producer for the film Mamatheya Madilu in 1966, Dwarakish went on to work over five decades in cinema.

He is referred to be the "First showman of Kannada cinema" for his daring and lavish experiments and his films were known for grand sets, songs and exotic locations.

[8] He received his primary education in Sharada Vilas and Banumaiah's school, and he graduated from CPC Polytechnic with a Diploma in Automobile Engineering.

[9] After completing his education, Dwarakish and his brother started an automotive spare-parts business called "Bharath Auto Spares" in Gandhi Square, Mysore.

[2] In 1969, his first independent production Mayor Muthanna starring Dr. Rajkumar and Bharathi in the lead roles was a box office success.

[12] After Mayor Muthanna, Dwarakish gave a series of box office successes to Kannada cinema, one after the other for the next two decades.

With huge losses from box office failures, Dwarakish was written off by his own colleagues and the entire film industry.