Gurunandan

Gurunandan (ಗುರುನಂದನ್), is an Indian film and television actor working in Kannada cinema. After having worked in small roles in the television series, he rose to fame with the popular series Lakumi aired on the Asianet Suvarna. Following this, he made his big screen lead debut with Cyber Yugadol Navayuva Prema Kavyam (2014) which was critically acclaimed and earned him nominations for the best debut awards. His breakthrough came with his second film in a lead role, First Rank Raju (2015) for which he received both critical acclaim and commercial success.

Early life
Gurunandan was born in Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru District, Karnataka. After his 8th grade in school, he ran away from his house to Bangalore to try his luck in movies. But his attempts went futile and he had to return to his parents and continue his studies. After his graduation, he again moved to Bangalore with his parents consent and tried his luck second time. He landed into several television series doing the second lead roles.

Television
His first stint in the television was playing a second lead in one of the daily soaps which could not give him popularity. His next series was the T. N. Seetharam directorial Muktha Muktha which was widely popular. His small role in the series could not gain him success. Following this, his lead role as Surya in the daily soap Lakumi brought him wide fame and acclaim. The series ran for more than 350 episodes and he became noticed among the television circles.

Films
Gurunandan ventured into mainstream cinema with a lead role in an experimental romantic film Cyber Yugadol Nava Yuva Madhura Prema Kavyam opposite Shwetha Srivatsav. His performance was noted and he earned a nomination at the SIIMA awards for his debut. However, the film underperformed at the box-office. His next release was the comedy film First Rank Raju (2015) which turned both critical and commercial success. His next release in 2016 was Chiravada Nenapu.