[5] Girish Kasaravalli was born in Kesalur, a village in the Tirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district on 3 December 1950[6] to Ganesh Rao, an agriculturist, as well as a freedom fighter, and Lakshmidevi, a homemaker, one of 10 children (five brothers and four sisters).

Another relative who supported his love for creative arts was his maternal uncle K.V.Subbanna, a Magsaysay award winner who founded Neenasam, a critically acclaimed and popular drama company.

College was transformative for Kasaravalli as poets G S Shivarudrappa and Sa Shi Marulaiah were his Kannada teachers.

He decided to quit the career in Pharmacy and join the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.

The world of Kurosawa, Ray, Ozu, Fellini and Antonioni inspired him, and his conviction in neo-realist cinema deepened.

He has worked as associate director for T. S. Nagabharana's Grahana movie during 1981 He won his second Golden Lotus for Tabarana Kathe in 1987.

Considered one of the best edited films in India, it deals with the futile efforts of a retired government servant to earn his pension.

Thaayi Saheba is considered to be the most mature work of the director, dealing with the transition in the Indian society from the pre- to the post-independence periods.

Apart from these four films winning Golden Lotus awards, Kasaravalli directed Akramana in 1979, Mooru darigalu in 1981, Bannada Vesha in 1988, Mane in 1990, Kraurya in 1996, Hasina in 2004 and Naayi Neralu in 2006.

[11] Kasaravalli is a voracious reader and counts the works of K. Shivaram Karanth, Kuvempu and U. R. Ananthamurthy among his influences.