Bank Janardhan dies at 76: How did the veteran Kannada actor get his name

On Monday, veteran Kannada comedy actor 'Bank' Janardhan passed away. He was admitted to a private hospital where he took his last breath during the early hours, as per family sources. While social media is filled with tributes for the late actor, many also wondered how the actor ended up getting ‘Bank’ in his name. Let's find out.

'Bank' Janardhan's name

For the unversed, Bank is actually Janardhan's nickname.

The late actor earned the nickname Bank Janardhan before making it big in the industry. His name has a special connection with his love for acting.

Janardhan was born in Holalkere, Chitradurga district. Early in his life, after completing SSLC, he was offered a job as a helper at Jayalakshmi Bank, after being recommended by a doctor, Shankar Shetty in 1965. He was paid ₹50 per month for the bank job.

Around the same time, it is believed that Janardhan's passion for acting took him to local stage plays. He joined the Siddeshwara Drama Company and earned a name through theatre plays. All this while, he balanced his bank job and his love for acting.

While juggling both was not easy, later veteran actor Dheerendra Gopal advised Janardhan to move to Bengaluru to pursue his career in films. Later, Janardhan bagged his debut role as a bodyguard to Vajramuni in the film Oorige Upakari.

As he continued working in films, he also worked in the bank simultaneously. This is how people from the industry began calling him ‘Bank’ Janardhan. 

'Bank' Janardhan's films and TV shows

Janardhan has starred in several television serials and over 500 films in his career. Some notable films as an actor were News (2005), Shhh (1993), Tharle Nan Maga (1992), and Ganesha Subramanya (1992), among others.

He was also a part of popular Kannada television serials such as Paapa Pandu, Robo Family and more.

'Bank' Janardhan's cause of death

‘Bank’ Janardhan was 76. He is survived by a son and three daughters.

As per his son Guru, Janardhan was not keeping well for the last twenty days and hence was hospitalised. He had recovered in between and had come home, but had to be admitted to the hospital again on Friday following breathing issues.

He was reportedly undergoing treatment in the ICU under oxygen support. However, reports suggest that things complicated with serious breathing issues last night. He developed kidney failure and died at around 2.30 AM.