Sathish Ninasam

Shiva, known by his screen name Sathish Ninasam, is an Indian actor who appears in Kannada films. Having made his film debut with Madesha (2008), Sathish appeared in small but significant roles in films like Manasaare (2009), Pancharangi (2010), Lifeu Ishtene and Drama (2012). He shot to fame after his performance in the 2013 film Lucia received critical acclaim.

Early life
Sathish hails from a village, Yaladahalli in Mandya district, Karnataka. He was born into a family of farmers. Having been interested in cinema since childhood, he would often run away from home to nearby theatres and was soon followed by a worried mother to take him back home." He started his career as a theatre actor in Ninasam, a cultural organisation based in Heggodu in the Sagara, Shimoga district of Karnataka, where prior to acting, he completed a two-year diploma course in acting. Inspired by the work of Poornachandra Tejaswi, U. R. Ananthamurthy, Girish Karnad and William Shakespeare, a fan of B V Karanth, Sathish realised the importance of work to lead a "meaningful life". Following the course, he performed in plays across Karnataka before landing in Bangalore in 2006. There, he became a part of the Samashti Theatre Group that performed plays.

Actor
Following his theatre career, Sathish appeared in Kannada TV soaps such as Paramapada, Takadimitha and Silli Lalli. After his stint in television for a year, he started his career in films in 2008, when he was offered a cameo role in Madesha. He then appeared in small but significant roles in films like Manasaare, Pancharangi, Lifu Ishtene and Drama. His role in Drama won him a nomination for SIIMA Award for Best Comedian. However, it was for his role in the critically acclaimed psychological drama film Lucia, in 2013, that won him praise from critics and audience alike. It premiered at the London Indian Film Festival in July 2013, and his performance won him accolades. In the film, he plays the role of Nikki, who works in a movie theater as an usher/"torch-shiner" and suffering from Insomnia. He resorts to a drug named Lucia, which on consumption induces sleep and lets him dream of a life he always yearned for. In the same year, he appeared in Dyavre, in which his performance was praised.

Sathish's first release of 2014 was Anjada Gandu, a romantic drama film set in a rural backdrop, with him playing the role of Santhu. In his next, Kwatle Satisa, he played a comic role of a patient suffering from temporary memory loss, which won him praise from critics.

His next film Love in Mandya was released on 28 November 2014 which won the hearts of the audience. He was nominated for Best Actor SIIMA 2015, IIFA Utsavam Awards 2015 for Best Actor and won the Santhosham Award 2015 for Best Hero. In 2015 November, he made his mark as a producer with the release of his film Rocket under the banner Sathish Picture House. He also played the lead in the film which won him the SIIMA Award 2016 for Best Actor (Critics).

Producer
In 2014, Sathish started his film production company, Sathish Picture House. It was revealed in September 2014, that the first film under the banner was titled Rocket. It was directed by debutant Shivashashi. He also played the lead role in the film opposite Aishani Shetty. The film was released on 27 November 2015. Next, the banner produced a short film, 'Chowkabara', directed by Raghu Shivamogga and won the State award for 'Best Short Film'.